Soon after moving house, Sammi is attending an American football game when she has her a seizure. Rushed to hospital, the story follows her over the next few months as she receives her diagnosis and adjusts to her condition and the new restrictions on her life.

Written by an epliepsy sufferer and medical writer, this is part of a series designed to help children understand medical issues. The story itself is definitely aimed at children, although for adults, there’s a tips for caregivers and helpful resources section. Sadly the helpful links section are of less use to UK-based readers as they are very American-centred.

This is something UK readers need to be aware of: this is the story of a young American girl with epilepsy. As a fiction story this is fine, but it may it harder for UK child sufferers to relate. I did have a word with our local epilepsy support group who have confirmed treatment in the UK is not the same. (In particular the insistence on a video of the seizure before abandoning an ineffective treatment is very different to the UK’s approach.)

The presentation is generally good. There are occassional typos and some sentences shifting tense halfway through. I was slightly thrown by the lack of line breaks between scene changes, but it’s not a glaring error.

As a book for a child with epilepsy who wants to read about someone like them, it would be perfect. As a guide to treatment or for parents, it is less useful in Britain than the US.

Reviewer’s Note: The publisher states that in the US there are no comparable resources for children. In the UK, the Epilepsy Society offers details of a series of books suggested for children with epilepsy. Click here for details: http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/children-and-parents-reading-list#.VJWTNcCBTA