The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

Starred review from February 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-McAnulty (Brave) makes a big splash with this standalone novel. Twelve-year-old Lucy, a.k.a. Lightning Girl, has been homeschooled by her grandmother since she was eight; she's been a math genius ever since she was hit by lightning and survived. She also lives with OCD and has rituals that revolve around the number three. If she does not perform them, the numbers of Pi string out in her brain. "It's like getting a song stuck in your head... Incredibly annoying but beautiful." Since she can recite the numbers to the 314th decimal place, seeing them prevents her from concentrating on anything else. She mastered calculus and now wants to take college classes. Nana wants her to go to middle school for a year, make a new friend, try one new activity, and read a book that isn't about math-a tall order for the genius. Lucy is a unique and endearing character who readers will not soon forget. The school, social situations, and dialogue are spot on. Lucy's voice is distinct, and her intelligence and wry humor shine. Her love of math will be contagious even for math-phobes. Other characters, such as Nana, Uncle Paul, Windy, and Levi, are equally well drawn. Readers should be prepared to weep at a gut-punching turn of events near the end but will close the book with a satisfied sigh and a Lucy-sized place in their heart. VERDICT Prepare to fall in love. This outstanding story sensitively portrays a neuro-diverse main character and is not to be missed.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
1 math genius + 1 year of middle school = problems even the most gifted mind can't anticipate.Four years ago, 12-year-old Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. The strike left her with brain damage, resulting in acquired savant syndrome and a "supercomputer brain." Lucy can solve any equation, recall every number she's ever heard or seen, and recite pi to the 314th decimal place (she doesn't allow herself to go beyond that). Lucy has finished school online and is ready for college, but her grandmother has a few conditions for Lucy to meet before she'll allow her to move on to higher education. (Nana is her guardian, her mother being dead and her father having split.) The reclusive Lucy has to develop her "soft skills": She has to attend middle school for 1 year, make 1 friend, and join 1 activity. Math is comfortably predictable; every problem has an answer if you know how to find it. But Lucy quickly realizes no formula can calculate the perils and pitfalls of public school. The multidimensional, highly likable Lucy's first-person narration is direct and unrestrained. In her first novel for middle graders, McAnulty (Max Explains Everything, 2018, etc.) eschews stylistic convention: All numbers are represented as numerals to allow readers to see the world the way Lucy does. Lucy is white, but she does not subscribe to the white default, observing and describing skin color evenhandedly. Unique and utterly satisfying. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-13)

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Starred review from April 2, 2018
When 12-year-old Lucy was struck by lightning at age eight, her brain was damaged, resulting in her acquired savant syndrome. She becomes a mathematical genius and develops obsessive-compulsive disorder; she’s been homeschooled ever since. She feels safe at home with her uncle and grandmother, but Nana wants Lucy to become better integrated with her peers and enrolls her in seventh grade. Lucy hides her math abilities to blend in, and she’s bullied by popular girl Maddie, but when she and another student, Windy, team up with classmate Levi for a community service project, a true friendship grows. The three help out at the Pet Hut, a no-kill shelter where Lucy, who has never liked animals, bonds with Cutie Pi. After Cutie Pi is diagnosed with cancer—which means that she will likely be transferred to a state shelter and put down—and Windy betrays Lucy by revealing a secret, Lucy must learn how to solve problems of the heart. McAnulty realistically portrays Lucy’s OCD, and her struggles in middle school also ring true. Every character is fully formed, and Lucy’s journey is beautifully authentic in this debut brimming with warmth, wisdom, and math. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, Rodeen Literary Management.

Ashlyn - The title of this book is The Miscalculations Of Lightning Girl the author of this book is Stacy Mcanulty. This book was written in 2018. The book had a little bit of ups and downs that went along with the characters feelings and emotions. The characters had amazing character traits. This author described the setting with a lot of details that made it easy for me to create a picture in my head as I was reading. Here is a little bit of the ending so you can mostly know a bit on what the story is based on. Lucy, Windy, and Levi drive in to animal control because P.I (the dog) had cancer. Lucy posted P.I on Math Whiz to ask her friends if they can adopt the dog but no one can adopt P.I because everyone lives in other countries and states. Luckily, Mr.Strocker has an account because he is a math teacher. He saw the post and ended up adopting the dog. That is a little bit of the ending and if you want more...just read the book it is not that long of a book honestly. In my opinion I liked this book because my favorite part was the detailed characters and the strong ending. I liked this ending because it was very creative and informative. It was a happy ending and I finished reading the book and felt joyful. The strong setting made it easy to imagine the location in my head. Stacy Mcanulty told me a lot of details about P.I. that I could picture a cute white dog in my mind as I was reading. The most memorable part was when Lucy and Windy became friends on the bus. In my opinion this part was one of my favorite parts because Windy was kind of nerdy but did Lucy care? Absolutely NOT! They had a strong relationship even stronger than mine with my friends! The author really pulled me into the book; it really made me feel like I was their friend too. Everything made me want to read more. I couldn’t put the book down. I would recommend this book to kids who are 7 and up and who like adventure and a happy endings. I would also recommend this book to animal lovers. This book also has some really sad parts if you don’t like sad stuff then don’t read this cause it gets really sad. I almost ended up in tears but I would still give the book a big thumbs up and five stars because it was so realistic. Good news that this book has a lot of five star reviews, 60% four stars, and only 1% of one stars. Go out and grab a copy today! I am telling you are going to be so thankful that you read it!

April 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 When Lucy, 12, was struck by lightning, she gained extraordinary math skills, and her grandmother, Nana, who raised Lucy after her parents' death, has homeschooled her ever since. Lucy is content to fill her hours with online college classes and chats on math forums where no one knows her real age, but Nana decides that Lucy needs to experience a world outside of a computer screen. If Lucy goes to middle school for one year, Nana promises, she'll be allowed to apply to college, and reluctantly, Lucy agrees. At first, her germophobia and mild obsessive behavior make a difficult situation more difficult, but eventually, she acquires two friends, finds useful work to do at an animal shelter, and has her life changed by a little dog she calls Pi. McAnulty captures the drama and trauma of middle school with well-rounded and believable characters and a convincing and appealing story. The math focus (for instance, McAnulty nicely weaves information about pi and Fibonacci numbers) adds a useful STEM component as well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)