Tornado Brain (Hardcover)

By Cat Patrick

$17.99

ISBN: 9781984815316

Availability: Available to order (allow for shipping time to bookstore or direct-to-home)

Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - May 5th, 2020

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★ “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.” —Kirkus Reviews, 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.” —Booklist, starred review

“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

What Lane? (Hardcover)

By Torrey Maldonado

$16.99

ISBN: 9780525518433

Availability: Available to order (allow for shipping time to bookstore or direct-to-home)

Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - April 14th, 2020

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* “In an NYC landscape deeply shaped by race, sixth grader Stephen struggles to speak his piece. . . . Maldonado pursues a story about biracial boyhood, healthy friendships, and self-discovery while gesturing toward the influence of social movements like Black Lives Matter in reshaping what accountable friendship looks like. Voiced in the creative language of NYC youth, the novel models what it means to embrace the power of self-awareness and relationships built on mutual respect. Bridges everyday racism and accountable allyship with sincerity.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “Engaging, timely novel. . . . Maldonado (Tight) paints a vivid, relatable picture of an adventurous boy learning the rewards and dangers of straying out of his lane against the backdrop of an unfair system that could see him killed or arrested for the behaviors his white peers easily engage in. The characters are warmly realistic, by turns impulsive and regretful. In relatively few words, Maldonado elucidates matters related to racial profiling, police violence against black people, and allyship, all through the eyes of a brave kid trying to figure out who he is and where he belongs.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* “Maldonado depicts his young hero’s awakening to the ugly realities of contemporary American racism. Caught between his best friend Dan, and Dan’s racist cousin Chad; straddling the line between his overprotective, naive white mother and his realist, all-too-aware Black father; and doing his best to integrate his middle school friend group, biracial Stephen is finding it tricky to ‘stay wide in all lanes.’ . . . Maldonado uses a biracial adolescent boy’s perspective to draw his readers into an engaging story of identity and tough choices that will appeal to middle schoolers everywhere. An ideal choice for school book clubs and advisory.”—School Library Journal, starred review