Neurodiverse thirteen-year-old Frankie has more than her share of challenges. She is learning to cope with multiple issues and manage her impulses. Meanwhile, Frankie’s twin sister, Tess, is handling the challenges of having a neurodiverse sibling.
Tess and Frankie have been best friends with classmate Colette, since elementary school. And now, Colette has gone missing. As police begin to question the sisters and Colette’s other friends, Frankie discovers that Colette has posted new videos of a game they had invented years before called “dare or scare” and Frankie begins to follow the trail Colette seems to have left in order to try to find her.
Tornado Brain is part mystery, part coming-of-age story, and impressively rich with details and fully realized characters. With Frankie at the helm, we see her in all of her certainty; yet also see her realize she is not infallible. With changing friendships and all of the seriousness that a missing teen entails, I admit, I cried. More than once. Highly recommended for 4th grade and up, especially for fans of Palacio’s Wonder.