House Rules ~ fourth set of discussion questions

1.  What does a crumpled piece of paper have to do with the story?
2.  How does Theo’s interaction with his father in San Francisco change his attitude toward Henry?  Why does he erupt into laughter when Henry offers him a few twenty-dollar bills?  Is the short trip also a turning point for Emma?
3.  "You’re either a father twenty-four/seven or not at all" (p. 448).  Is Emma being fair to Henry?  What does House Rules have to say about parenthood and its responsibilities?
4.  The final case study in the book — "Case 11: My Brother’s Keeper" — outlines the events that occurred in the course of the novel.  It ends with a single line:  "I’d do it all over again" (p. 531).  Does this line reveal anything new about Jacob?  Does it change your feelings toward him in any way?
5.  What did you know about autism and AS before reading House Rules?   Did the novel challenge your views on the subject, or on disability more generally?  Is it an educational book?

House Rules ~ third set of discussion questions

1.  What does a ponytail holder have to do with the story?

2.  House Rules is written from the perspective of several different characters, each taking turns to narrate a chapter.  Does this technique work for you?

3. Theo breaks into houses and Jacob saves the Christmas cards.   Both boys are trying to have the same thing -- what they consider to be a real home.  What makes their home not a “real” home to them?  What do they want?

4.  On page 146, Jacob says being on the other side of dead isn’t that different from having Asperger’s.  What do you think he means by that?

5.  The evidence points to Mark as a suspect.  He claims he’s innocent.  What does Emma see on the news that changes everything?  How would you react?  Would you call the police?

6.  Mark Maguire thinks Asperger's Syndrome is a "Get Out of Jail Free card" (page 285).  Oliver requests accommodations for Jacob in court.  Do they seem fair? The first five minutes of the trial show the constant vigilance needed to keep Jacob from having a meltdown and how much Emma does know about her son.  Let's talk about the kind of provisions made for Jacob at home, at school, in the wider community, and in court.  Do you think they are excessive, inadequate, appropriate, fair or unfair?





7.  What do Skittles have to do with the story?

House Rules ~ second set of discussion questions

1.  What does a used tea bag have to do with the story?

2.  Theo is the younger brother but he has to take care of Jacob.  How does Theo handle the conflict of his position in the family?  Do you agree that he has it "worse than Jacob"?  This quote is from Theo's section (page 107):

True confession number one:  When I'm walking down the hall in school and I see Jacob at the other end of the corridor, I intentionally divert my path to avoid him.

True confession number two:  Once, when a bunch of kids started making fun of Jacob as he attempted to play kickball -- a hot mess if ever there was one -- I pretended that I didn't know him; I laughed along, too.

True confession number three:  I truly believe that I have it worse than Jacob, because he's oblivious most of the time to the fact that people want nothing to do with him; but I am one hundred percent aware that they're all looking at me and thinking, Oh, that's the bizarre kid's brother.

3.  Emma maintains that she loves both of her sons equally, although she acknowledges that most of her time and attention are taken up by Jacob.  What are your feelings regarding the way Emma treats Theo?  Do you hold her or Jacob accountable for letting Theo go unnoticed and friendless to the point of breaking into other people’s homes?  Why or why not?





4. What does Krazy Glue have to do with the story?

House Rules ~ first set of discussion questions

Post your answers to these questions (as actual posts if you are a Book Buddy, rather than a comment), and tell us your thoughts about the earliest parts of the book:

1.  What does the object in this photo have to do with the story?

2.  What is the presumptive "motive" behind the staged murder in the opening scene?

3.  Jacob says, “Why would I want to be friends with kids who are nasty to people like me anyway?” (page 20).  What does this tell us about Jacob?

4.  Jacob lists twelve things he can't stand (page 20).  Do you see his logic?  We all have things we could put into such a list.  What would yours be?

5.  The rules of the house are listed on page 21.  Do they seem appropriate or unusual?  Would they be rules that would work in your house?  Why should a rule that works in one situation not work in another?  "If a bully taunts him and I tell him it’s all right to reciprocate, why shouldn’t he do the same with a teacher who humiliates him in public?" (see page 75).

(1)  Clean up your own messes.
(2)  Tell the truth.
(3)  Brush your teeth twice a day.
(4)  Don't be late for school.
(5)  Take care of your brother; he's the only one you've got.

6.  What kind of work does Emma do?  What did she do before that?

7.  What work did Oliver do before he became a lawyer?

8.  "Five days of the week, in addition to having a limited diet, Jacob eats by color.  I don't really remember how this started, but it's a routine:  all Monday food is ______, all Tuesday food is ______, all Wednesday food is ______, and so on" (page 43).  The colors for Thursday and Friday come later in the book.  You'll also discover later (page 288) that there's another food color they always eat on the first day of the month.  Tell us whatever you've learned so far about the food colors the Hunt family eats during the week, the color and also any foods you can think of that fit the day's color.

9.  List any movie quotes you found in the first 100 pages or so of the book.