Ian always follows the rules and his sister, Jenny, never does but when she angers some monsters while breaking all the rules of their vacation house in the woods, Ian first runs away, then realizes there should be a rule about protecting your sister from being eaten by monsters.

When Pinkalicious brings her imaginary unicorn, Goldie, to school and teaches him the rules, he helps her and the other students to become better friends.

When the teachers of Ella Mentry School go on strike, A. J. and the gang meet a new principal who does not believe in rules and says that the students do not have to learn anything if they do not want to.

Guided by her rules, nine-year-old Allie works to get past being just the new girl at school, eagerly awaits the arrival of her kitten, and faces turmoil when her grandmother visits while the family is still settlling into their new home.

A brother and sister spend a day in preschool learning lessons about boundaries, such as that it is sometimes okay to make a lot of noise, but at other times one must be quiet.

"P.J. Funnybunny is not having a good day. His mom won't let him eat ice cream for breakfast. She won't let him hang upside down from a tree. She won't even let him watch a scary movie! P.J. visits Potts Pig, whose mom lets them do all those things. But when he gets a stomachache and has a bad dream, P.J. Funnybunny realizes that--while it's fun to be a pig--it's better being a bunny!"-- Amazon.

Duncan does not understand such things as why dessert must be eaten last or why people should share, and on his mischievous days, like one particular birthday, he has a hard time paying attention to rules.

The book's hero, a blob of color with arms, legs, and a face, bids readers not to read the book, not to make a funny face, etc., all the while getting very flustered and mentioning rules that must be followed.

Before Kyle rides a school bus for the first time, his older brother gives him a list of rules he must follow but after breaking every single one the first day, Kyle discovers the rule his brother left out.

Allie's theatrical hopes are crushed when, instead of being cast as the princess, she is given the role of the evil queen in the fourth-grade class play.