(2) 4-6 It's 1985, and twelve-year-old Stevie has spent years performing with Synchronicity -- a group whose shows are part lip synch, part dance, and some ASL. This summer, they're on a (chaperoned) cross-country tour. Offstage, Stevie is shy and anxious. Even though she's determined to ask out her crush via Long-Distance Dedication on American Top 40 Countdown, she can't stop tripping over her words when she talks to him in person. She's also worried about her brother, who has epilepsy and keeps brushing her off. But somewhere along the road from Omaha to New York City and back to Cheyenne, Stevie believes she'll learn how to be a star. In a road-trip novel that's chaotic but deeply joyful, Patrick captures the thrills and anxieties of performing onstage -- and all the complicated relationships that go on behind the scenes. The prose is at times darkly funny and at others affecting. The protagonist's reverence for 1980s pop culture also shines through and is convincing even if readers have little familiarity with the era. Though Stevie's attempts at first romance take center stage, it's most rewarding to watch her confidence grow as she slowly builds connections with her castmates and realizes that strong friendships can be as vital as first love.

Reviewer: Bodie Shanis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Tessa, thirteen, is spending the summer in a small town in Wyoming, staying with her aunt, uncle, and cousins and going to art camp. Right from the get-go she is thrown into an eerie situation in which elements from a campfire ghost story she once invented to amuse her friend Colette seem to be playing out in the real world. The mystery and tragedy of Colette's recent death in an accident; Tessa's struggles with anxiety; middle-grade staples such as the mean girl and the sullen, more sophisticated cousin; and the sheer shivery fun of an urban legend commingle in a highly readable, convincing, and gripping narrative. This is a companion volume to Tornado Brain (rev. 9/20), a novel told from the point of view of Tessa's twin sister, Frankie (who reappears here). Together the tales create a rich stereo effect as we combine Frankie's take on the world--that of a young woman on the autism spectrum--with Tessa's somewhat more typical but still particular and detailed perspective. However, the story also works effectively as a standalone ­narrative, as author Patrick is adept at neatly filling in backstory. Crisp dialogue, subtle characterization, a sprinkling of romance, liberal handfuls of humor, and clever mystery plotting add up to a very satisfying read.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) 4-6 Set in a quirky tourist town on the Washington State coast, this story presents an original variation on the relationship triangle. Frankie and her twin sister share a best friend until, as is often the way of middle-school friendship challenges, they don't. When the best friend, Colette, disappears, this dynamic is intensified, and the narrative becomes a detective novel. Patrick makes adept use of secrets, red herrings, disappeared documents, and phone videos to construct a clever and suspenseful mystery where, in time-honored tradition, kids defy authority and solve the puzzle themselves. Frankie, the narrator, hovers between reliable and unreliable as her "several neurological conditions: attention deficit disorder, Asperger's syndrome, and sensory processing disorder" influence her perspective. We get right inside her distinctive take on the world, and in her specificity, Frankie joins other memorable protagonists who are not neurologically typical, such as Willow in Counting by 7s (rev. 9/13) and Rose in Rain Reign (rev. 9/14). Her tendency to overexplain makes sense in the circumstances, but it does overwhelm the ­storytelling at points, especially at its tragic denouement. However, 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.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(4) YA Stolen from a lab by their "Mom," the three Best girls are clones successfully sharing one life. That is, until two of them fall for different classmates, and that carefully constructed life begins to unravel; they must explore whether it's possible--and safe--to establish separate identities. Despite the pat, farfetched ending, this is an entertaining read with a grabbing premise.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA When Caroline chooses between staying with her dying grandmother and attending a party, her fate splits in two. Alternating chapters follow the consequences of each choice. Caroline faces different family and romantic challenges, but grief, guilt, and regrets shadow both paths. Neither choice is particularly compelling, but Caroline is quite likable and comparing her fates makes for an original reading experience.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(2) YA Part of a secret government experiment, Daisy is wearying of moving to a new location whenever she dies and is Revived. The first-person narration is effective, particularly as the mystery elements about the experiment slowly emerge. Offer this to sci-fi buffs who are seeking a quick read, or romance fans who don't mind science experiments mixed in with their love stories.

Reviewer: April Spisak | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old London Lane wakes up each morning a "tabula rasa": at 4:33 a.m. every day her memory is wiped clean. London does, however, have some forward "memories" from the future. Notes-to-self remind her about previous happenings, including a blossoming romance. The cause of London's condition remains murky, and inconsistencies abound, but the intriguing conceit may draw readers.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute