Rules of the House
Illustrated by Matt Myers
Brush your Teeth. Make your Bed. And never EVER open the red door.
★ "Readers will (probably) agree that even the most irritating siblings don't deserve to be cooked and eaten. As a rule."
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ "Barnett and Myers have created a winning tale of sibling rivalry and, ultimately, loyalty. Barnett’s trademark dry humor appears in full force, and Myers’ illustrations are wonderfully detailed.”
—Booklist, Starred Review
★ "This is a tour de force of comic horror that grabs gleefully onto both film and folklore tropes and offers them to audiences with a comradely nudge in the ribs. The pacing is delicious and self-aware, the horror is oversized enough to be funny without losing its creepiness, and Ian’s rules-lawyering is comedy gold. Thickly painted strokes create dimensionality in the illustrations, and the art combines cinematic perspectives and echoes (this is the cabiniest of cabins in the woods), clever compositions, and solid visual characterization of the kids. The scenes in the gloom of night are appropriately portentous even when they’re not dramatic, but their tone is carefully balanced with interleaved spreads of vignettes against white backgrounds. Sibling rivalry, boisterous humor, and a tasteful touch of supernatural slasher horror—what’s an elementary-schooler not to like?"
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review
"Barnett focuses his inimitable blend of energy and fiendish imagination on children’s fascination with the rules....No solemn moralizing, just a rib-tickling, slightly subversive readaloud."
—Publishers Weekly
