Tornado Brain
Recommended Ages: 10-13 (I would recommend starting 13+)
This book deals with the death of a teenage girl.
Tornado Brain by Cat Patrick is a dramatic story about Frances (Frankie), her twin sister Tess, and their missing friend, Colette. Frankie has ADHD, sensory issues, and is on the Autism Spectrum. In contrast, her sister is considered “normal”. Unfortunately, the sisters are drifting apart as they age, no longer sharing a room, and Frankie is now on the outside of the friendship group the girls had once had together.
This book is written from the unique perspective of a character that is considered “neurodivergent” (the term typically used now) and provides a glimpse into the thought process or struggles some of these people experience. That perspective can be unique for some readers to experience and there is certainly a coming-of-age element as Frankie is growing up and dealing with changes to her body, school, and social dynamics. However, this book is labeled as a target age of 10-13. The main character, Frankie is 13 and some heavy topics are introduced and in some cases discussed in this book.
Central to the novel is that Colette is missing and no one knows where to even begin to look for her. It is through Frankie’s unique perception and abilities that Colette is ultimately found. Sadly, she is found unconscious and later dies. The group of girls, back when they were all friends, used to play a game called dare or scare. It is the result of trying to complete one of the dares alone that results in Colette’s death. This aspect can offer an opportunity for discussions with your reader about challenges or dares that sadly take the lives of teens every year.
While this story is full of mystery and drama that teen readers would enjoy, there are some elements to be aware of.
The family dynamic of the story includes the mother’s boyfriend living with the mom and her daughters. The mother owns an inn and the girls live in rooms at the inn, while the mom and boyfriend live in the cottage behind it. The girls are only in middle school. Additionally, the main character discusses that her mother is not the marrying kind and that their biological father was married. There is the inference to be made that the girls were born from an affair (pages 30-31).
Frankie starts her period at the arcade and has to be "rescued" by her sister. There is a text back and forth where she says "I started my period." There is also a spot where she talks about reading the tampon box by herself (pages 111-117).
On page162, the main character and her sister discuss whether or not they think the missing character has killed herself. They then discuss what depression is and question if they think they are depressed.
On page 171 there is a discussion of mom's previous boyfriend and how he made a mistake and them needing to move out. It is mentioned that he may not have been nice to their mother. Nothing else is explained in this regard, just a mentioning.
On page 196 the characters see teenagers kissing at the diner and then discuss whether or not the girl missing had kissed her boyfriend and whether or not she liked it.
