
By Cat Patrick
A neurodivergent girl races to find her vanished friend, uncovering hidden clues.
Frankie, a neurodivergent seventh grader, struggles with sensory overload and social challenges. When her estranged friend Colette reappears and then mysteriously vanishes, Frankie believes only she can decipher the clues left behind. Enlisting her sister Tess, she embarks on a quest to solve the mystery before it's too late. Will Frankie find Colette and mend their fractured friendship, or will the secrets remain hidden? Dive into a poignant tale of friendship, sisterhood, and self-discovery.
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.
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