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Sign up todayWeird Rules to Follow
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreWinner of a 2024 PNBA Book Award
Winner of the 2023 IODE Violet Downey Book Award
Winner of the 2023 Jean Little First-Novel Award
Winner of the 2023 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People
Winner of the 2023 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award
★“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.
The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Kim Spencer is a graduate of the Writers Studio at Simon Fraser University, where she focused on creative nonfiction. Her first novel, Weird Rules to Follow won the Jean Little First-Novel Award, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, an IODE Violet Downey Book Award and a Pacific Northwest Book Award. It was also a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Kim is from the Ts’msyen Nation in northwest BC and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Nicole Nakoneshny has acted as a volunteer audiobook narrator with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) for the past twenty-five years. A lifetime avid reader, Nicole is passionate about sharing books and stories and loves bringing written works to life for listeners. Having recently retired from a professional career in fundraising consulting, Nicole is currently training to become a psychotherapist. After spending several decades living in Toronto, she recently returned to her home province of Manitoba and lives in Winnipeg with her beloved one-eyed cat, Glenn.
Reviews
“Simply put, Kim Spencer’s Weird Rules to Follow is a gem of a novel. With sensitive yet sharply written prose, it beautifully inhabits the preteen world of Mia Douglas, which bubbles over with friends, family and adolescent confusion. The town of Prince Rupert and its inhabitants come alive, giving readers the perfect backdrop for Mia’s evolving understanding of her Indigenous identity and how she is perceived by others. Like Margaret Simon, Meg Murry and Starr Carter, Mia Douglas is a fictional star whom young readers will love.”“This is one of the highlights for the last five years. I've read this a few times and each time I see more and more in it. I just think, isn't it wonderful that we have this author who has written a beautiful book — and has not followed the same pattern of every coming-of-age middle-grade book? She has written in her own style that I think is quite spectacular.”
★ “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.” “Like a photo album but in text rather than in pictures…providing the reader with a layered, nuanced picture of Mia’s life.” “Easy to read but poetic and focused…This story, while fiction, rings true.” “Heartfelt and moving…Recommended.” “Authentic and honest…Excellent for upper elementary and middle school students, either in a literature circle or independently.” “Recommended.” Expand reviews
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