Weird Rules to Follow

  • Pages:192
  • Publisher:Orca Book Publishers
  • Themes:racism, lived experience, cultural differences, coastal town, prejudice
  •  
  • Pub Date:10/18/2022
  • Lexile:730L
  • Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient:Z
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9781459835580
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“Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia’s world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people’s experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture.”—Kirkus Reviews

Mia knows her family is very different than her best friend's.

In the 1980s, the coastal fishing town of Prince Rupert is booming. There is plenty of sockeye salmon in the nearby ocean, which means the fishermen are happy and there is plenty of work at the cannery. Eleven-year-old Mia and her best friend, Lara, have known each other since kindergarten. Like most tweens, they like to hang out and compare notes on their crushes and dream about their futures. But even though they both live in the same cul-de-sac, Mia’s life is very different from her non-Indigenous, middle-class neighbor. Lara lives with her mom, her dad and her little brother in a big house, with two cars in the drive and a view of the ocean. Mia lives in a shabby wartime house that is full of relatives—her churchgoing grandmother, binge-drinking mother and a rotating number of aunts, uncles and cousins. Even though their differences never seemed to matter to the two friends, Mia begins to notice how adults treat her differently, just because she is Indigenous. Teachers, shopkeepers, even Lara’s parents—they all seem to have decided who Mia is without getting to know her first.

“Heartfelt and moving…Recommended.”
– CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“Authentic and honest…Excellent for upper elementary and middle school students, either in a literature circle or independently.”
– Children's Literature
★“Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia’s world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people’s experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture.”
– Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Like a photo album but in text rather than in pictures…providing the reader with a layered, nuanced picture of Mia’s life.”
– Booklist
“Easy to read but poetic and focused…This story, while fiction, rings true.”
– The Horn Book
“Recommended.”
– School Library Connection
USBBY Outstanding International Books List   | 2023  |  Commended