Review - Rules of the House

Rules of the House
by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Matt Myers
Date: 2016
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

Ian always follows the rules. His sister, Jenny, breaks them all the time—especially "Don't pinch." So Ian is thrilled when the house where his family is vacationing posts a tidy list of rules. But when Jenny breaks them all, the house itself decides it's time for payback. The rug, the stove, and the bathtub are hungry for rulebreaker soup, and they've found the perfect ingredient: Jenny! Now Ian is faced with a thorny question: What if saving your sister means breaking the rules? From the New York Times best-selling team of Mac Barnett and Matthew Myers comes a hilarious tale of sibling rivalry, moral complexity, and disgruntled monsters, perfect for sharing with your own favorite rulebreakers.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

So, as far as I can tell, the moral of this story is: be an anal little toady, follow the rules so hard you never have any fun... and then break them so you can save your annoying, helpless older sister.

I don't really understand who this was supposed to appeal to. The pictures are really well done, but some of them are downright scary. The message that it's okay to lie isn't a great one for little kids, either. But the story is so juvenile that it probably won't appeal to older readers.

What a weird little book.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5