TORNADO BRAIN

MASL Book Trailer Winner

About the Author

CAT PATRICK

Cat Patrick introduces herself on her website: "I'm an author of middle grade books Tornado Brain and Paper Heart, which I like to call sister books; as well as young adult reads including Forgotten, Revived, and The Originals. I also co-authored Just Like Fate with Suzanne Young, and self-published a book called Court. My first novel was published in 2011 and I hope to keep writing until forever because it’s my favorite.

I live outside Seattle with my twin daughters and husband and love the Pacific Northwest. I’m lucky to be originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming and to have lived in Boston and San Francisco. I’m a small town person at heart, though I like to be near big cities. My family and I love exploring nearby beach towns like Long Beach, Washington, where Tornado Brain is set. Long Beach and Disneyland are two of my very favorite places to be, although I love traveling in general and recently fell in love with Barcelona." https://www.catpatrick.com/about

About the Book

“Other girls had sleepovers—I never did. I wanted to be the girl who had sleepovers.” –Frankie

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. 

Praise for Tornado Brain:

KIRKUS REVIEWS            STARRED REVIEW

★ “Frankie’s first-person narration is spot-on as she describes her feelings about her attention-deficit and sensory-processing disorders and her Asperger’s syndrome as well as her distaste for the medications that impair her thinking. . . This moving account of Frankie’s emerging maturity—with extra challenges—is perfect. . . An intriguing mystery embedded within a richly insightful coming-of-age story.”

BOOKLIST                      STARRED REVIEW

★ “Patrick…has done a remarkable job of creating an unforgettable character in Frankie, who tells the story in her own idiosyncratic first person voice, which takes readers inside her head as she struggles with her many challenges. The result is a tour de force that readers will remember long after they have finished the book.” 


“Much of this upper middle grade novel’s success is thanks not just to Frankie’s nuanced portrayal, but to all the characters, who are written to be both beautiful and flawed, doing the best that they can under difficult circumstances. Author Patrick is adept at developing a seamless blend of genres, and this title is at once a coming-of-age tale, a family drama, and a mystery. . . Elementary and middle school librarians should recommend this title to fans of Rain Reign, John Green, and anyone who might see themselves reflected in Frankie.” —School Library Connection, recommended review


“Frankie’s narration is solid and plausible, remaining credibly and creditably unyielding as she deals with the world in her own way rather than mapping onto neurotypical emotions . . . A brisk yet moving story that will satisfy lovers of friendship tales and hard-won growth.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books


“A clever and suspenseful mystery where, in time-honored tradition, kids defy authority and solve the puzzle themselves. . . Frankie joins other memorable protagonists who are not neurologically typical, such as Willow in Counting by 7s and Rose in Rain Reign. . . 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.” —The Horn Book


“The characters are a strength in this story . . . The different ways in which people can experience anger, hope, fear, and loss are beautifully explored. This is an important book.” —School Library Journal


“ “So many kids are going to feel seen from this book.” ”

A Summer 2020 Kids Indie Next List Pick

An Apple Most Anticipated Book of Spring 2020

A Junior Library Guild Pick

A 2021 Texas Lone Star Reading List Pick


Resources/Teaching Ideas

There is an excellent audiobook of Tornado Brain narrated by Jorjeana Marie, available from Overdrive and other audiobook vendors; you can listen to a sample of the audiobook on Cat Patrick's website.

Neurodivergent

Frankie is neurodivergent. Read about what this means. Each individual who is neurodivergent is unique. As described in the novel, Frankie has been diagnosed with a combination of SPD, ADD, and Asperger's syndrome. 

As this third grade teacher Miss Monica says, there are "very little kid friendly neurodiversity products out there to use in your classroom," so she "developed my own that will help students recognize neurodiverse conditions as well as help them zone in on their learning strengths ."  Checkout the teaching resources she developed here. Miss Monica is a blogger and third grade teacher in Quebec, Canada.

Sensory Procession Disorder - SPD

Frankie has sensory processing disorder; this article from the Child Mind Institute has a good description.

This article has a good infographic showing Some Signs of Sensory Processing Disorder from The Rockin Autism Mom.

 Attention Deficit Disorder 

Like many kids with sensory processing disorder, Frankie also has ADD/ADHD: https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-sensory-processing-disorder-at-school/.

Asperger's

In addition to SPD and ADD, Frankie has also been diagnosed with Asperger's, which falls on the autism spectrum. Read more about Asperger's here.

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