This is a read, which touches the heart, pulls at the gut, and awakens awareness at the same time...oh, and is entertaining as well.

Claire's life has been a bumpy ride for years thanks to constant symptoms, which never seem to bring a true diagnosis. Not only the continual parade of doctor visits, tests and hospitalizations take their toll on her physically, but her mental state isn't any better. While life becomes a struggle and depression threatens to tug Claire down, there are rays of hope, too.

The author's choice to head in the graphic novel direction with this story was a good one. The graphics are simple and yet, bring across the scenes in just the right way. More on this end would have been less, and yet, the graphics bring the perfect hint of lightness to keep this theme from dragging down too much. This form makes the tale and topic more accessible, while keeping it potent at the same time.

Claire faces realistic struggles, and her thoughts, actions, and emotions are easy to connect with, especially for teens. She has doubts, darker moments, and difficult problems to deal with. All of this comes across realistically and offers food for thought. But Claire is not alone. Her family's support is inspiring as well as that from a few friends. It creates a healthy foundation for the ray of needed hope as the troubles mount. Plus, this opens the eyes to Cushing's disease and promotes its awareness.

I see this as a great edition to school libraries and believe that especially young adult readers will find themselves drawn into this read. I received a DRC and found this to be well done read. ( )