ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Patrick, Cat

Tornado Brain

304 pp. | Putnam | May, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-9848-1531-6 $17.99
(2) 4-6 Set in a quirky tourist town on the Washington State coast, this story presents an original variation on the relationship triangle. Frankie and her twin sister share a best friend until, as is often the way of middle-school friendship challenges, they don't. When the best friend, Colette, disappears, this dynamic is intensified, and the narrative becomes a detective novel. Patrick makes adept use of secrets, red herrings, disappeared documents, and phone videos to construct a clever and suspenseful mystery where, in time-honored tradition, kids defy authority and solve the puzzle themselves. Frankie, the narrator, hovers between reliable and unreliable as her "several neurological conditions: attention deficit disorder, Asperger's syndrome, and sensory processing disorder" influence her perspective. We get right inside her distinctive take on the world, and in her specificity, Frankie joins other memorable protagonists who are not neurologically typical, such as Willow in Counting by 7s (rev. 9/13) and Rose in Rain Reign (rev. 9/14). Her tendency to overexplain makes sense in the circumstances, but it does overwhelm the ­storytelling at points, especially at its tragic denouement. However, the detailed setting and a strong cast of supporting characters, including the twins' exhausted mother and a kindly boy who like likes Frankie, make this a satisfying reading experience.
Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?