The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

By Stacy McAnulty

28 ratings 24 reviews 27 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grade 4n/a3.754622

A lightning strike gave her a super power...but even a super genius can't solve the problem of middle school. This smart and funny novel is perfect for fans of The Fourteenth Goldfish, Rain Reign, and Counting by Sevens.

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

Publisher: Yearling
ISBN-13: 9781524767600
ISBN-10: 1524767603
Published on 4/2/2019
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 320

Book Reviews (31)

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Ever since Lucy was struck by lightning when she was 8, numbers and calculations run through her head and Lucy has been incredibly good at math. So her nana decided to homeschool her. It's been 4 years and now she has decided that Lucy must go to middle school and make 1 friend, read one book that is not a math textbook, and do one activity. So Lucy goes to middle school, finding out that it will be harder than she realized to endure all the hardships. This was such an awesome book!!!! I almost cried, which is saying a lot and every thing about this book was beautiful. The author's writing style was beautiful. The numbers were beautiful. The characters were beautiful. I loved every single second of this book. Please read this because you cannot miss this amazing and beautiful book. I would recommend this for fans of counting by 7s and fish in a tree which are also really good books. I would give this 99999999999999999999999 stars if possible.

This book is so good! It is about a girl named Lucy who got struck by lightning, which gave her amazing mathematical skills. I am at the part where Lucy gets invited to a sleepover by her maybe new friend. I can’t wait to finish this book; it is one of my favorites!

This book was good and interesting. I liked how Lucy was very good at math, but she did struggle a lot throughout the book. She volunteers at an animal shelter, and tries to make new friends. Interesting story!!

This book was good, and interesting. Lucy is very, very good at math, but struggles throughout the book. She makes new friends, and works at an animal shelter. It was interesting to see a different point of view of middle school as well.

This is a book about lightning girl or a.k.a Lucy. She is incredibly smart and she is only twelve years old! She doesn't remember it but she is told that when she was young she go struck with lightning that changed her brain and made her a genius, she is still homeschooling from then. She has this process of tapping her toe three times and to sit, stand, sit, stand, sit, stand three times and she is often called the "cleaning lady" at school because she has to wipe everything with a clorax wipe. Suddenly her nana or grandmother decides that she has to go to public school. Right away she meets a friend Windy and she becomes Lucy's best friend. Levi does too. In math class she does well just enough to get an A. In reading however she has to count the words before she can read them. Then for a school project she meets with Cutie Pi a dog and she discovers that she loves him. When she is invited to Windy's birthday party she is just laying down on the cot when she hears the girls talking about her and Windy spills her secret that she actually got struck by lightning....meanwhile if Pi the dog she loves has brain tumor what can she do?!

12-year-old Lucy Callahan is an ordinary kid. That is, besides the fact that she was struck by lightning. That lightning strike turned Lucy into a math genius. Being a math genius sounds great, right? Well there are consequences too. When Lucy’s grandma pushes Lucy into going to middle school for 1 year, Lucy is reluctant. How can she learn anything in 7th grade when she already is a genius, and ready for college? Also, wouldn’t it be better for her to stay home, and not get laughed at for her odd routines, and the math genius inside her, caused by that lightning strike? But, her grandmother insists. Just going to middle school isn’t going to satisfy Lucy’s grandmother. Now, Lucy has to make 1 friend, read 1 book (that’s not related to math), and join 1 activity. In the Lucy’s journey she has to face bullies, staring, and cruelty. Lucy also has to face the strong urge that’s been inside of her all along; the urge to belong.

This book is really great and I can relate to it a lot. I go to a school for kids who naturally learn faster which is great becuase we can move on at whatever speed we need to. However, I can also relate to the issues of being made fun of. This happens a lot to the kids who go to my school. I definitely recommend this book to everyone. I really liked it because it was from the point of veiw of the "geek". If there is anyone out there who has anything against "smart kids", I will ask you to read this because it puts you into the shoes of someone who experiences being made fun of and given a hard time about who she is.

Ella Y. Ella Y.

I’m here to review a book called “The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl”. This book is about a young girl, who one day was struck by lightning. She gained genius level math skills and is a very self conscious person being different from everyone else. She was home schooled for awhile, then her aunt sent her to middle school. She meets a lot of people in middle school and has a lot of problems to face with the new people she meets. I would recommend this book to people ages nine to twelve, and people who like realistic fiction. See everything that happens in this amazing book by Stacy Mcanulty.

I like books about ppl getting struck by lightning. Usually they get powers or unique skills. This book had it where the girl got struck and got, like, "super-math-skillz," which is cool.

Lucy is just a typical eight year old, but when she is struck by lightning, her life is changed forever. Lucy is diagnosed with Savant Syndrome, a condition that gives it's victims some special abilities. Lucy Callahan is now considered a math genius. By the time she is 12, she is ready for college, but her grandmother wants her to do one more thing. Pass middle school. She must make one friend, join one extra curricular activity, and read one book. Lucy can find the square root of 845 in a few seconds, but will she ever be able to navigate the halls of middle school?

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