By the end, Lucy has learned some people skills, expanded her world and maybe learned that not everything can or should be calculated. Pretty standard but the book is written so that Lucy is real to me, her challenges aren’t unbelievable, her mistakes are understandable and she seems like a 12 year old. There are a few things I wasn’t sure about – how someone with her well described OCD would endure handling a dog or the fact that she wasn’t truly bullied in this school world where it seems so unfortunately commonplace. I like that there are some unfinished issues when the book closes leaving me to ponder what Lucy’s next choices in life will be and what effect this semester has had on her future. Maybe grandma did know what she was up to after all.

Middle School is hard enough, but it is going to be an even more difficult year for 12 year old Lucy Callahan. Four years ago Lucy was struck by lightning while playing outside. Lucy's heart stopped for a few minutes, but more importantly, it changed the way her brain worked. When Lucy recovered, she had developed Acquired Savant Syndrome for math. Lucy became a whiz with number, doing complex calculations in her head, she could also see math, numbers have a color and a shape. With her acquired savant syndrome also came a few quirks, Lucy now has a germ phobia and has to toe tap three time and do a stand-up, sit-down routine three times before taking a seat or the numbers of Pi will invade her head. With her new skills and quirks, Lucy's Nana pulls her out of traditional school and helps Lucy earn her GED at 12 years old. Now, when Lucy should be looking at colleges, her Nana and Uncle Paul decide that Lucy could use some real world skills and enroll her in Middle School where Lucy is tasked to make one real friend, join one activity and read one book that is not a textbook.

A surprising, fun and unique middle grade story that quickly captured my heart. Even though Lucy is a math genius, her challenges make her relatable to anyone who has ever had to navigate middle school. The writing flows effortlessly and accurately describes a middle school experience. I was also impressed with how well the processes of Lucy's quirks and math logic were described. They did not seem like a handicap, just part of Lucy's life. Lucy's classmates and soon to be friends, Windy and Levi help round out Lucy's middle school experience. With these two very different friends, Lucy is pushed to grow, learn and relate to people in unique ways. When the trio of friends has to take on a service project, Lucy is pushed even farther. I did love that Lucy was able to combine her love of math, Levi's love of photography and Windy's love of pet philanthropy into one project to help a pet shelter. Overall, a distinct and easy to devour book featuring a diverse cast and a great message that middle grade readers to adults will enjoy.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

4 years after being struck by lightning, 12 year old Lucy Callahan is homeschooled, able to do college-level math, and makes friends online on a math-related message board. She is content with her life as it is, until the day that her grandmother enrolls her at East Hamlin Middle School. For the next year, Lucy must go to middle school and try to get to know her classmates a little better. While this transition would be challenging for any middle schooler, Lucy is very aware of both her mathematical ability and struggles with OCD. Even worse is the school's requirement to work on a community service project with two other students: a girl named Windy who is eager to become Lucy's friend, and a boy named Levi, who is not. This story shows that friendship and love takes form in many different ways, even when least expected. Lucy is a dynamic character who readers will root for. Although McAnulty's use of digits instead of words that include numbers (like "2nd" instead of second) may seem distracting at times, the choice serves to illuminate Lucy's narrative. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is an excellent addition to the growing shelf of books featuring neurodiverse characters, and one that will surely stay with readers long after they finish reading.

Title: THE MISCALCULATIONS OF LIGHTNING GIRL

Author: Stacy McAnulty

Pub. Date: May 1, 2018

Publisher: Random House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 304

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

Rating: [yasr_overall_rating]

Synopsis: Middle school is the one problem Lucy Callahan can't solve in this middle-grade novel perfect for fans of The Fourteenth Goldfish, Rain Reign, and Counting by 7s.

Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn't remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills, and ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12 years old, she's technically ready for college. She just has to pass 1 more test--middle school!

Lucy's grandma insists: Go to middle school for 1 year. Make 1 friend. Join 1 activity. And read 1 book (that's not a math textbook!). Lucy's not sure what a girl who does calculus homework for fun can possibly learn in 7th grade. She has everything she needs at home, where nobody can make fun of her rigid routines or her superpowered brain. The equation of Lucy's life has already been solved. Unless there's been a miscalculation?

A celebration of friendship, Stacy McAnulty's smart and thoughtful middle-grade debut reminds us all to get out of our comfort zones and embrace what makes us different.

"An engaging story, full of heart and hope. Readers of all ages will root for Lucy, aka Lightning Girl. No miscalculations here!" --Kate Beasley, author of Gertie's Leap to Greatness

Nerdophiles Review:

This is a stellar debut middle grade novel, especially for gifted kids!

I loved everything about this book- author Stacy McAnulty effectively captures the feeling of middle school growing pains and infuses the book with earnest heart. 

The protagonist, Lucy, is a math savant with obsessive-compulsive disorder - and while she has no problem solving math problems, she hasn't quite figured out how to navigate middle school. When her grandmother enrolls her in public school, Lucy does her best to blend in. She 'dumbs' down her math skills, tries desperately to suppress her OCD patterns and does her best to survive the cruelty of her classmates.

Lucy makes a friend and collaborates on a project to digitize an animal shelter's records. While at the shelter, she develops an algorithm to speed up dog adoptions, and falls in love with a scraggly rescue dog named Pi.

This is an excellent book for kids who are interested in math, especially gifted kids. I felt like Lucy's experiences really captured what it's like to feel socially 'different' and advanced compared to your peers. The only other book that really captures that feeling for me is Ender's Game, even though the two books are in completely different genres for completely different audiences.

However, Lightning Girl parallels a lot of the same qualities and feelings of 'otherness' that Ender has. This middle grade book doesn't shy away from the name-calling and bullying of middle school, but it's much tonally lighter and genuine than its sci-fi ringer.

For those reasons, this book in particular would be good for precocious middle grade readers: the light references to math problems are brilliant jumping off points for mathematically-inclined readers' self-study and exploration, and the protagonist's social struggles feel authentic to struggles gifted students experience.

The math in the book is just enough to remind me how much I've forgotten from high school and college, and it's brilliantly threaded throughout the book. Even though it reminds me of my statistical shortcomings, I did enjoy the way that  Lucy experiences her world numerically, and the reader gets a taste of how her mind works.

I also particularly enjoyed the author's portrayal of Lucy's struggle with OCD. It was clearly presented as an everyday challenge that Lucy suffers, but it didn't define the character or make her pitiable. Nor did Lucy's acquired savantism - her journey teaches the reader that her abilities also don't define her, and that her brilliance in one area doesn't provide advantages in others. If anything, the pressure from adults, along with the envy and derision from her peers, oftentimes turned Lucy's genius into a burden.

The one issue I had with the book is that I felt the title was a little misleading. I was expecting more of a superhero-esque narrative after reading the title.

Instead, I got something much more substantial. This is a heart-tugging story of one girl's journey through middle school, her personal growth, and learning to be herself around others. It's a gem of a middle grade book that will equally make readers' hearts ache as much as it makes them swell, no matter what age they are.



About Stacy:

Stacy McAnulty is a children’s book author, who used to be a mechanical engineer, who’s also qualified to be a paleontologist (NOT REALLY), a correspondent for The Daily Show (why not), and a Green Bay Packer coach (totally!). She is the 2017 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor Recipient for Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Her other picture books include Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, illustrated by David Litchfield; Max Explains Everything: Grocery Store Expert, illustrated by Deborah Hocking, Brave and Beautiful, both illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff; Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite, illustrated by Edward Hemingway; and 101 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking a Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang. She’s also authored the chapter book series Goldie Blox, based on the award-winning toys, and The Dino Files. Her debut middle grade novel, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, will publish in May 2018. When not writing, Stacy likes to listen to NPR, bake triple-chocolate cupcakes, and eat triple-chocolate cupcakes. Originally from upstate NY, she now lives in Kernersville, NC with her 3 kids, 3 dogs, and 1 husband.



Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads



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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

4/23/2018- Beagles and Books- Interview

4/24/2018- Mrs. Knott's Book Nook- Review

4/25/2018- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt

4/26/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Review

4/27/2018- She Dreams in Fiction- Excerpt



Week Two:

4/30/2018- 100 Pages A Day- Review

5/1/2018- Wonder Struck- Review

5/2/2018- Nerdophiles- Review

5/3/2018- The Underground- Guest Post

5/4/2018- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review

Lucy is one lucky girl, but it doesn't always feel that way, especially when her Grandmother makes her go to middle school!
Years ago, Lucy was struck by lightning and instead of killing her, it made her a math savant. Because of that, she decided to home school herself. At a very young age, Lucy has completed all of the graduation requirements and is ready for college, but her Grandma insists on one more challenge: middle school. Lucy was less than thrilled with this idea and did everything she could to get out of it. Once back in middle school, Lucy accomplishes her goals: try one new thing, make one new friend and go to middle school for one year. It turns out much better than she ever could have expected, but it doesn't always come naturally.
As a teacher of highly gifted and talented students, this book touched my heart and I quickly fell in love with Lucy and her situation. I know that this book will help even the biggest outcasts feel as though they have a place if only they will give it a chance. McAnulty has done an amazing job mixing family, friends and middle school challenges into a beautiful, heart print book.

Navigating middle school can be hard under normal circumstances, but protagonist Lucy faces additional challenges that her peers do not have to work through. You see, Lucy was struck by lightning and as a result of her brain injuries, now lives with OCD. As if that wasn't enough, she had been home schooled up to this point, but her grandmother has decided to metaphorically throw her to the wolves so that Lucy may learn to socialize with children her own age. Oh, and Lucy is also a mathematical savant.

McAnulty managed to create characters and situations that feel genuine and deftly portrays how Lucy overcomes each of the challenges she encounters in her way.

I love this cover and was so excited to read this book when I read the blurb!
This is a tale about a girl who is struck by lightning and is a mathematical genius. When Lucy’s grandmother decides that she should go to middle school to find friends and develop a sociable outlook on life, Lucy is basically thrown to the wolves that are teenage middle school girls. Reading this took me back to my own middle school nightmares and my heart went out to Lucy. Lucy struggles to fit in and find her way through fake friends and even attends the dreaded sleepover where you don’t really fit in and don’t feel welcome. The way the story is written is so true to the reality of being a middle school teenager, that I believe anyone who reads it can appreciate and learn from the story.
I commend the author for making the story very up-to-date and giving Levi two moms which is very relevant in today’s world. This simple sprinkling of outside of the box love on a normal basis will go a long way to keeping minds open. I cannot wait to share the story with my sons!
This book hits home a little personally for me because I have four sons who are way above average math whizzes (though they were not struck by lightning – they just inherited a love for math from their father!) and one of them has a hard time fitting in and being openly sociable. I worry about him going to middle school next year with his tender heart. So, I will be buying a copy of this book for our household as I know they will enjoy it!
Thank you for allowing me access to this title! I thoroughly enjoyed it and will highly recommend it to anyone who loves middle grade stories and rehashing life lessons!

E ARC from Netgalley



Lucy lives with her supportive grandmother, and frequently sees her uncle Hondo, who is young, fun, and a bit misguided. Lucy has been homeschooled, but her grandmother decides that it is time for Lucy to acquire the social skills that middle school will provide. Why? Lucy was struck by lightning when she was young, and because of the resultant brain damage is now a mathematical savant but also suffers from OCD and social anxiety. Her grandmother's idea of sticking things out for one year and making one friend seems all but impossible, since Lucy can't even sit in a chair without repeating the action three times. Lucy is socially savvy enough to realize that her mathematical abilities will not win her any friends, and she tries very hard to do just enough to get A- grades, but an early attempt puts her on her teacher's radar for cheating with a boy named Levi. Levi struggles in math, but is accepting of Lucy and her quirks. When the class has to participate in a social service project-- in a group-- Lucy is not sure how she will do. Luckily, she and Levi are able to work together, along with Windy, to help out a local pet rescue, Pet Hut. Lucy runs the numbers and works out a formula she can use to tell which dogs will take longer to be adopted, so that those dogs can be featured on the web site. In the meantime, her grandmother is considering enrolling her in a school for the gifted, and of course, nothing in Lucy's life runs smoothly. Her friendship with Windy is a good one, until Windy's past friendship with mean girl Maddie complicates things. Will Lucy be able to survive middle school?

Strengths: This had an excellent balance of unusual and usual middle school challenges. Readers who enjoy problems novels because they make their own lives seem better will find Lucy's OCD and social difficulty interesting, while the problems with group projects and friends will appeal to everyone. Lucy's grandmother was wonderfully supportive and no-nonsense, and her attitude contributes greatly to Lucy's resilience. Lucy's problems are not downplayed, but are handled in a realistic way. The pet rescue story line was intriguing, and Lucy's talents in math actually are very valuable to the organization-- I think Lucy may have a really good career ahead of her as an actuary!

Weaknesses: Occasionally, the number one was written as "1" instead, and for some reason, this distracted me. I understand why this was done, but it happened infrequently enough that it took me out of the story.

What I really think: Loved this. Great cover, great story, STEM connections, pet rescue, and group project drama. There should be more books about middle school projects and their resultant drama! This is right behind Landis' Private Nobody, which also involved projects, as my second favorite book of 2018.

Lucy was a normal girl until she was struck by lightning, which caused her to become a genius, especially in Math. Living with her grandmother and missing her brother who is serving in the military, Lucy has been teaching herself while being homeschooled, and her friends consist of those she interacts with on Math chat rooms and tutoring sites. Lucy's grandmother realizes she is not growing socially, and makes her go to public school for a year and challenges her with a set of tasks such as making friends and joining an extracurricular activity. Middle school is.....middle school; i.e., not pleasant for anyone. Lucy's prickliness and desire to not socially interact is breached with a group community service project at a local dog shelter. The greatest strength of this book is that McAnulty stayed true to Lucy's character. She did not miraculously start enjoying middle school, although she realized the importance of having a friend and some social interaction in life. The story does not wrap up nice and tidy with a perfect ending and bow on top, but instead, is realistic. Another strong offering for upper elementary and middle school students who want or need to read about differences, strengths, and weaknesses in their classmates. I expect to see this on several state reading award lists.

I really liked this story about Lucy who was struck by lightning and developed extraordinary math abilities as well as OCD. Lucy's grandmother and guardian decides she needs more socialization so Lucy ends up in the local middle school where she tries to hide her math abilities so the other kids won't think she's a freak. Lots of kids are going to be able to see themselves in Lucy and have an opportunity to think about how they treat kids who are different. I can't wait to put this one in my library!

Many thanks to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute, quick read about a girl who is different and ends up going to middle school to learn one of the greatest (and most true lessons there is): everyone has problems. And not all problems are easy to solve. I will say that at first I wasn't sure if this would hold up to the other books it has been compared to (Rain/Reign, Counting by 7s ) but by the end, I think it does. The main character, Lucy, grows on the reader and shows promise by the end. Her group of friends are there for her when she needs it. And she becomes more mature.

Lucy is a mathematical genius. She was struck by lightning when she was 8 and when she woke up, she was a genius. A complete genius about all things math and number-related. Since then, Lucy has been homeschooled and has passed all the requirements for a GED. She thinks she is ready to start college classes, on-line of course, because she doesn't really like to leave the house. She doesn't like new people, and doesn't really care about getting to know them. As she says later in the novel, geniuses don't need normal people's help. But, her Nana and her Uncle Paul think it's time for her to go to school, she she gets enrolled in 7th grade at the local middle school. There she struggles to fit in and decides to hide her math abilities and stay under the radar. Of course, the school's service project gets in the way of that. Lucy's group decides to help out at a local animal shelter, and there's one dog who is "unadoptable." So Lucy has to figure out what to do when a problem doesn't have a solution. And how to let go of something you didn't know you wanted in the first place.

Highly recommend. This is a great middle grade read, perfect for kids who like stories like Wonder & Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus .

I love Lightning Girl!! Such great character development combined with a unique special need. The students in my library will devour this book! I'll be back to add a link from my blog post.

I loved like vied loved this book. Great representation of the disability and the issues that come with it. Well done. My students will love it too. I am just sad I have to wait to get a copy for them. Top of my wish list. I will be nominating it to be considered for our state children's fiction award as well.

This hit a lot of good buttons for me: unconventional families that are all healthy and accepted, discussions of friendship and difference without being preachy, and a middle school main character with a mental illness. Lucy's character and narrative voice were strong, and her development was positive and realistic without being saccharine.

When lightning strikes 8-year-old Lucy Callahan, she is transformed into a math genius who spends her days at home taking online college courses, participating in math forums and avoiding people and germs. However, before Lucy's grandma will allow her to start college she challenges Lucy to survive 7th grade at East Hamlin Middle School.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a sweet middle grade novel that explores the painful moments of middle school. I loved that Lucy opens herself up to making friends, trying new things and taking care of animals in need. I think this book will find readers amongst fans of Counting by 7s and Wonder.

Lightning Girl is 12 year-old Lucy Callahan’s screen name in the math forum she loves. Ever since she was hit by lightning at 8 years old, she’s been a math genius. She’s also been homeschooled due to her academic differences and her OCD tendencies. When Lucy’s beloved uncle visits, he and Lucy’s Nana realize that, as smart as Lucy is, she’s missed out on part of her childhood. And so Nana insists that Lucy drag herself away from her computer and experience normal life for 1 year. Lucy’s germ phobia and repetitive sitting behavior don’t make fitting into middle school easy, but luckily, she quickly makes one friend who doesn’t seem to mind her oddities. As Lucy navigates the tricky middle school social world of cafeteria tables and group projects, she will eventually learn the meaning of true friendship, and find out just how far out of her comfort zone she’s willing to go for a friend.

This books greatest strength is in the main character’s voice, which, along with the snide, age-appropriate humor, quickly endears the reader to a character that might otherwise be a little hard to like.


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Book cover added to BookLikes

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is already one of my favourite books of 2018 and I'm writing this review in December 2017, so if that doesn't tell you something, I don't know what does. Ever since I read the synopsis, I knew this was my kind of book; I'm no maths savant, but it was always my best subject at school, it's always been something I've been good at and so The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl sounded exactly like something I would love - and I did. I have no idea how true the concept of the book is - if you can be struck by lightning and become a savant, however if you can wake up from a coma speaking a different language, why the heck can't you become a savant? All the power to Lucy.

Literally everything about this book made me happy - the fact that Lucy sees colours in numbers, I loved Lucy's Grandma, who wants the best for Lucy and wants her to experience middle-school life, for the first time since the accident. She wants Lucy to make one friend and be involved, not just to float around by herself. And so begins Lucy's middle school adventure - all she needs to do is survive one year, one year at a regular school, and she's home free and her Grandma will get off her back. She can go back to her online community who don't judge her maths skills or her obsessive compulsive tendencies. 

Everything about Lucy's character and personality made me want to squeeze her, which she probably wouldn't like because of germs and all, but she was just so precious to me. School is hard enough, being a pre-teen or teenager is hard enough, without being a genius. Even more so when you haven't been to regular school in so long. So I felt like I was there every step of the way with Lucy. I just wanted it all to be okay, and I loved the addition of Windy and Levi, two very different kids, but both help Lucy acclimatise to her new school and it was lovely to see her making friends. There's issues, there's always going to be especially with girls like Maddie in grade 7, who are intimidated by anyone who's different or special. And Lucy is so very different - good at maths, unable to sit down without standing, sitting, standing, sitting, standing sitting, three times or tapping her toe three times, or cleaning everything with Clorax wipes. 

I just honestly loved this book - the friendships were adorable, the project the little group get set, of making a difference in the community, leads them to a dog rescue place, and that whole plot line was my absolute favourite. It allowed Lucy to come out of her shell a little bit and I was just so in love with everywhere this book went - it was so incredibly well written, the characters were adorable and I really hope that this is the first book in a series because I would LOVE to read more from lightning girl. Lucy was incredible and I want more of her adventures, please.

There was a lot I liked about this book. It was a cute premise and many people will be able to relate to wanting friends and questioning if who they really are is good enough. It was nice that she made both a girl and guy friend.
There were several literary elements that irritated me and almost kept me from finishing the book. Once we learned that the lightning left her with synesthesia such that she relates every number to a color and then every time a color came up we read in parenthesis what number is that color. It was too much. The other thing that annoyed me was the use of the number 1 instead of "one" through out the book.