'Femi's Story' book review
We asked Rebbecca Robinson – a mum with MS – to read new book ‘Femi’s Story’ with her young son and share her thoughts.
‘Femi’s Story’ is a storybook for primary school children. It’s about a boy called Femi whose mum has MS and has had it for quite a while. The story looks at how Femi navigates life at home, school and with his friends. It's set in year 6 of an imaginary primary school.
It’s written by children’s authors Adam and Charlotte Guillain. It's published by Rising Stars as part of their ‘Year 6 at Greenwicks’ series. It wasn't produced or commissioned by us, but it includes our MS Helpline number so readers can get in touch.
Rebbecca’s review
I think ‘Femi’s Story’ captured and highlighted key things from a child's perspective about what was going on with him and his mum. It looked at the emotional side of having a parent with MS and the different ways of navigating them.
The book showed how other children were misunderstanding Femi. Which I thought will help create awareness about thinking more about other people’s feelings. That if you see someone who doesn’t seem to be their usual self, there may be more to it. It was great to see how supportive other children could be to Femi, especially after seeing how hard it was for him to open up about his feelings.
The book makes the reader aware of the changes that have occurred, including the effects on Femi’s family and the independence of his character. The mum seems to have minimal support at the beginning, but I like that it mentions she has friends.
I like how it highlights Femi being lost in his thoughts and how much he worried and blamed himself. It was lovely to see how he felt better by speaking about it to friends, even if they didn't ‘get it'.
‘Femi’s Story’ is clear to understand and hits some areas around how the mother living with MS is affected by her condition. It looks at how that affects her loved ones and how it then affects others beyond that. It showed how independent Femi had to be but also how he could get support. It showed how he’s also a child and gets to do child-like things.
The overall message of the book is about how people have different experiences. So occasionally, I would have changed the use of the word ‘normal’. After all, everyone with MS has a different story. But there was a truth to his story about how other people see how someone is affected by change.
Her conclusion
The size of the book is perfect and handy. The chapters introduce what is happening gradually. This is great for someone who’s just starting to learn about MS.
My son liked the book but didn't like it when Femi was upset. His favourite part was when Femi had to do things for his mum because it helped her.
I thought it was a very good book, and we both recommend it for children 6+. My son could understand what Femi was talking about, and he could talk to me about what Femi was going through. The book was a way to talk to my son about the topics it covered. It opened the conversation around MS for us together.
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How to get a copy of ‘Femi’s Story’
You can buy Femi's Story from several booksellers, including Blackwell's, Waterstone's and Amazon. Prices might vary and it's available from other booksellers too.
