Tornado Brain Discussion Questions and Tornado Brain Review written by the Ent on /20. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Read Tornado Brain
Book: Tornado Brain
Author: Cat Patrick
Genre: Drama,
Age suggested : 10 and up
Release Date: May 5th, 2020
Themes: Neurodiversity, friendship, empathy, compassion
Warnings: This plot deals heavily with a 7th grade girl who is neurodivergent. If you are reading with a child with neurodiversity, please be sure to talk them through the plot. If your are reading with a child who is neurotypical, please be sure to help them empathize with the story. There is also a warning that is a spoiler, but it will be down in the ‘Is It Appropriate’ section.
Quick Summary of the book Tornado Brain:
Middle school is hard for everyone, but it is particularly for Frankie, a 7th grade girl who is neurodivergent. Frankie has difficulties communicating with her friends and family, but she just wants to show them love and to know she is loved by them. She had a falling out with one of her former best friends, but things are looking up- until her friend goes missing.
Tornado Brain Parent Review:
**Contains Major Plot Spoilers**
-Is Tornado Brain Appropriate?-
This is definitely a book to read alongside of your teens and to discuss throughout. Tornado Brain deals with some very difficult topics for some kids: Social isolation, neurodiversity, potentially kidnapping, and several other heavy topics. Despite this, the book manages to stay fairly light until the end. [MAJOR SPOILER INCOMING] There is a drastic change when Frankie’s friend is found by the police in a coma and ends up passing away. This can be very difficult or triggering for many kids, so please make sure they are able to handle this topic.
Continue reading for more thoughts from our Tornado Brain Parent Review
-Plot/Story of Tornado Brain-
Tornado Brain is a very fascinating story of two parts. The first part focusses on the story of Frankie and her journey to learn how to cope and thrive through her neurodiversity. This is very well handled and shows the complete range from anger and frustration to understanding, and openness (and how those emotions keep popping back up). This ultimately climaxes when Frankie is confronted with her past by her friends and sister.
This leads to the second part of the story, which focusses on the disappearance of Frankie’s former best friend, Colette. This leads down an emotional journey as Frankie and her sister, Tess, try to figure out what happened to Colette. This ultimately leads to tragedy, which forces Frankie to confront her thoughts and emotions.
-Characters in Tornado Brain-
Tornado Brain shines with its characters. They all come off as real, rough, and relatable people. Frankie is a great representation of neurodiversity and creates the perfect opportunity for empathy. This is done mostly by the reader being able to see her thoughts while dealing with the realities of the words and moods she expresses (and how extremely difficult it can be for someone with neurodivergence to carry on activities that you might not think twice about.) The two people in Frankie’s family, her mother and her sister, are consistently wanting to understand, but often find themselves on their last nerve with their daughter/sister as miscommunications occur.
Frankie goes through some great character development as she learns that her emotions and thoughts are not problems or issues, but something she has the opportunity to learn more about and be able to control. This is especially shown through her relationship with her sister who she becomes very close with throughout the book.
–Why Read Tornado Brain-
Despite dealing with some heavy topics, Tornado Brain is a very important read to build empathy and understanding, especially toward those who have neurodivergences. On a personal note, I have a brother who is neurodivergent and was able to see him a lot throughout this story, despite him not having the exact diagnoses and experiences as Frankie. Tornado Brain probably should not be read without some parental guidance for a younger audience, but that does not diminish its importance and power.
Continue reading for our Tornado Brain Discussion Questions
Tornado Brain Discussion Question:
**NO SPOILERS**
- How did you relate to Frankie in this book? Have you had similar thoughts to her? Do you have friends or family that you think you understand better after reading this book?
- Frankie has a strong connection to tornadoes. Is there something you have a strong connection like this?
- Who in the story did you most relate to and why?
- How did Frankie change throughout the story of the book?
- Have you ever created videos with your friends? If so, what were they like/about?
If you enjoyed our Tornado Brain Discussion Questions and review, check out our other book review posts:
–Instant Karma: What happens when a middle schooler gets the ability to unleash instant karma
–Look Both Ways: Jason Reynolds beautifully weaves together 10 short stories featuring 10 middle school students who each face their own roadblocks
–Stamped Review: A brief history of racism and slavery in America that has been adapted for teen readers by Jason Reynolds
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Sounds like a really interesting read!
It really is!
And it’s so important to have realistic examples of what neurodiversity looks like.