Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord

The Hook:

Emma has always been homeschooled, but this year—5th grade—she will be attending public school for the very first time.  She’s excited as well as nervous.  Her main goal is to make a friend.  But it is more difficult than she thought it would be.  She gets paired in a group project with two girls (who have been best friends since kindergarten.  There's no chance she’s going to break into that friend group) and a boy named Jack who has autism.  She likes Jack but she notices the other kids keep their distance from him and she is afraid befriending him will isolate her.   

In the meantime, her dad is a forest ranger, and he finds a small bunny that he thinks must be someone’s pet.  They are keeping him until they find the owner.  The rabbit reminds Emma of her French grandfather who would always tell her stories of mischievous bunny named Monsieur Lapin.  She falls in love with the little bunny and soon names him Lapi—short for Monsieur Lapin.  She prays they will never find Lapi’s owner so she can keep the bunny forever. 

As the group project at school winds to an end, Emma realizes that being a good friend is more than just saying the right things and fitting in. To be a good friend, you must consider the other person’s (or bunny’s) perspective and feelings.  

If you like bunnies, you’ll love Because of the Rabbit. 

This book is in our library.  It is also in Sora as an ebook as well as an audio book.  It is 4 AR points. 

My Thoughts and Recommendations (Careful! There Could Be Spoilers):

I give this book 4.2 stars.  It is a wonderful story that I did think about after I read it so it stuck with me but it wasn’t super action-packed.  It’s more of a sweet story.   

The story will be very relatable to middle school readers.  I think everyone worries about how they will be perceived by others at this age.  It’s about making friends, but also navigating between friend groups and the strenuousness to be kind to all without worrying about if others will not like you because you are friends with someone outside of a friend group.  I love that one of the characters has autism and it shows his kindness, struggles with autism, and how he can shine too.   

I recommend this book to 4th-8th grade students who love animals and who have a thoughtful, introspective type personality.  This book is only 208 pages so it’s a quick read.