Paper Heart
by Cat Patrick
Intermediate, Middle School    Putnam    304 pp.    g
5/21    978-1-9848-1534-7    $17.99
e-book ed.  978-1-9848-1535-4    $10.99

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.

From the September/October 2021 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.