Rewriting the RulesHow Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability
Review posted September 15, 2026.
Millbrook Press, 2025. 36 pages.
Review written August 19, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review
Rewriting the Rules is a picture book biography of a scientist I'd never heard of - Dr. Kathleen Friel, who has cerebral palsy.
One of my friends has a child with cerebral palsy, so I've seen for myself how children with cerebral palsy are underestimated. It does depend on where in their brain the damage exists, but in general trouble walking and speaking does not mean the person has trouble thinking.
This book covers the many challenges Kathleen faced as a child with cerebral palsy, including a doctor who told her parents to put her in an institution. (They found a better doctor.)
It was harder for Kathleen to do some simple things like buttoning her clothes and cutting up food. This author frames her finding ways to do these things as rewriting the rules.
In high school, science became Kathleen's favorite subject. Her teachers showed her that scientists found new solutions to problems, and she knew she wanted to do the same.
After all, she'd always been rewriting the rules.
The book goes on to explain Kathleen's doctoral work on monkeys with brain damage doing training to create new brain connections.
After getting her PhD, Dr. Friel runs a lab that helps children with cerebral palsy find treatment to help their brains make new connections. And she models all that a person with cerebral palsy can achieve.
The author of this book was a scientist before she became an author - and was mentored by Dr. Friel, so her love and admiration shines in the text.
This picture book biography of a distinguished scientist teaches kids about cerebral palsy in a way they can understand, framed in the story of a person who overcame tremendous challenges - and helps others do the same.
Kathleen and her research are paving the way for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities
to be heard,
to find their own approaches,
and to rewrite the rules.