Fifteen-year-old Lefty Carmichael has a lot to deal with even before his epilepsy is diagnosed. Reuben, his best friend, is on the verge of becoming alcoholic; his girlfriend, Penny, can’t commit to a relationship; and his parents constantly struggle to keep the family from poverty. Lefty is a creative, imaginative, irrepressible teen who turns to creative writing to try to sort out how he feels about being epileptic. His seizures can be controlled through drugs and diet but it’s the lifestyle changes Lefty has trouble with.

Trembath is best known for his Harper Winslow novels, including the awardwinning The Tuesday Café. In his fourth novel for teens, he has created an appealing successor to Harper. Like Jean Little’s Mine for Keeps and Julie Johnston’s Hero of Lesser Causes, this book explores not only the psychological turmoil of the main character but the various reactions of family, friends, and peers. Lefty’s mother becomes overly cautious, almost suffocating; Penny doesn’t want to be alone with him. Trembath also neatly contrasts Lefty’s struggle and Reuben’s burgeoning drinking problem; as Lefty learns to turn to family and friends for support, Reuben withdraws into himself.

Trembath has peopled Lefty Carmichael with a great cast of supporting characters, and teen readers will particularly enjoy the raucous kitchen-table stories. What Lefty Carmichael doesn’t have is a strong plotline; the end of the novel is especially weak, with too many threads left hanging. It’s possible that a sequel is in the works but the open-endedness might leave readers wanting more closure.