Name: Tornado Brain
ISBN: 9781984815316

Cat Patrick

Seventh-grader Frankie, who has various sensory disorders, is determined to find her missing best friend, Colette, before it is too late.

Tornado Brain

Sabetha Danes

My 10 year old daughter brought this book to my attention, telling me "it felt like real life" to her oppose to being a story of fiction. Since her apple didn't fall far from my neurodivergent tree, I wanted to give it a read for myself. 

I am so thankful that my daughter has access to characters like Frankie. Being able to see yourself in the stories you read is life changing. I can't began to fathom how it would have changed my life as a child to read Tornado Brain then. So many times throughout my life people have written me off as cold, or not caring, or mean, etc. all because I had the inability to get my thoughts out articulately, or because I thought they "just knew" how I felt about them. When Frankie realized her mom's boyfriend might not know how much she cares about him it broke me into pieces. 

From the emotional overloads, to the thought processing / honest word vomits / spacing out and everything in between. It was all depicted as I lived it decades ago—and still struggle with today. I adored the frank way the author approached being neurodivergent, plus the raw truth about loss and friendship.

This is a must read for both parents and kids alike. So many times I've wanted to put into words how my brain works, like why I interrupt others and mysteriously switch topics or why I don't like to be touched. Cat Patrick did it perfectly. 

I would highly recommend this read to anyone wanting to take a peek inside the brain of someone who isn't neurotypical. Whether it's you, your child or someone you know, this book is a wonderful example. 

While I didn't predict the ending, it was a well laid out plot that went at the pace of Frankie's mind. It also handled heavy (taboo to some) topics like periods, and (view spoiler)[ death  (hide spoiler)] with the honesty, and grace they deserved. Frankie's reactions to everything made complete sense to me.

As a side note. I would love a full series of Frankie as an amateur sleuth, solving crimes around time.

TW: Missing Child, (view spoiler)[ Death of a Child  (hide spoiler)]

In this heartfelt and powerfully affecting coming of age story, a neurodivergent 7th grader is determined to find her missing best friend before it's too late. Things never seem to go as easily for thirteen-year-old Frankie as they do for her sister, Tess. Unlike Tess, Frankie is neurodivergent. In her case, that means she can't stand to be touched, loud noises bother her, she's easily distracted, she hates changes in her routine, and she has to go see a therapist while other kids get to hang out at the beach. It also means Frankie has trouble making friends. She did have one--Colette--but they're not friends anymore. It's complicated. Then, just weeks before the end of seventh grade, Colette unexpectedly shows up at Frankie's door. The next morning, Colette vanishes. Now, after losing Colette yet again, Frankie's convinced that her former best friend left clues behind that only she can decipher, so she persuades her reluctant sister to help her unravel the mystery of Colette's disappearance before it's too late. A powerful story of friendship, sisters, and forgiveness, Tornado Brain is an achingly honest portrait of a young girl trying to find space to be herself.

Nadine 

Very honest depiction of the struggles of a neuro-diverse teen when her ex-best friend disappears. Would be a good in-class read for middle-graders (and their teachers) to help with empathy for classmates

Thanks to Libro.fm for a copy of this book for review

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[disappearance of a loved one (friend/daughter), death of a friend/daughter, hospitalisation, intrusive thoughts, panc attacks (mentioned) (hide spoiler)]

Full review to come.


  Note: Review copy (audio) received via Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.


blog •  trigger warning database • more links

Happy reading! ❤

Lynn Braden

Frankie has lived her life being just a little different than those around her. At times, she finds it tough to control her emotions. She doesn't liked to be touched, and she is very, very interested in tornadoes. In kindergarten, during a tornado warning, Frankie helped Colette get through it by holding her close, and they have been friends ever since, until Colette said something that made Frankie very mad. So Colette, Frankie's fraternal twin, Tess, and a new girl at school, Mia are all friends, but Frankie is no longer included in their little circle. Frankie is feeling very alone until Colette is reported missing and Frankie thinks she may have some clues to help find her, but first, she has to get people to look past what makes her different so that they will believe her.

Tornado Brain is a coming of age story with the added pressure of autism wrapped up in a mystery. Frankie's thoughts are shared in the story as are her frustrations when people don't hear what she is trying to tell them. Each chapter begins with a fact, myth, or opinion about tornadoes that connects with something that occurs in that chapter, and as the story progresses, those connections become stronger and more intense. As emotional as this book is, there are also moments of quiet humor that make it sing. Overall, Tornado Brain is a wonderful story about the things that we do to hurt each other and the power of forgiveness.