Brave Brain

This young adult novel follows the life of Hallie Dennis, a girl in the 11th Grade from rural Ontario, Canada. She continues to struggle to find her place in high school. But on the first day of this school year she meets Orval Tyler- a student who has just moved from the United States. Orval goes by Ty and he is dark and mysterious. He wears dark clothing, dog tags, doesn't fill out his medical history on his school forms, and wears a Punisher skull on his bicycle helmet. Ty and Hallie are grouped together to work on a project about a hero of their liking. Throughout this project Ty opens up to Hallie about the truth about himself. He lives with anxiety, depression, and diagnosed epilepsy. Ty reveals what it is like to live with epilepsy as a teenager. The risk of driving, forgetting to take medication, not being able to drink or stay out late, or go to raves with your friends is all a reality to him. As Ty and Hallie develop a relationship, Hallie is exposed to Ty's bravery by accompanying him to EEG tests and MRI appointments. She experiences what it is like for Ty to have a seizure and how it impacts his mental health. Although Ty sees his father (a American soldier who was killed) as the only hero he knows, Hallie sees Ty as the bravest person she knows.