The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

I’m a special education teacher. This is a great story simple and easy to follow. I use it for my struggling readers grade 5-7.

Lucy was struck by lightning when she was eight and, due to the damage to her brain, became a mathematical genius. She has been homeschooled, but her grandmother insists that Lucy go to public school so she can try something new and make a friend. Lucy, who'd rather take college classes and be friends with the others in her virtual math clubs, is less than excited about starting middle school. Although Lucy tries to hide her math talents in an effort to appear as normal as possible, her OCD tendencies cause many of her peers to view her as peculiar. Middle grade readers will be able to relate to challenges that Lucy faces, such as feeling like she doesn't fit in and dealing with classmates who are unkind. Through her middle school journey, Lucy learns the value of friendship and realizes that her math abilities don't define her. Lucy is a unique and endearing character whose story will show readers that it's possible to find your way even when you feel out of place. This story is both sweet and hopeful. There's a charming dog, as well, who readers will be rooting for along with Lucy. This is one of those books I want to put in the hands of middle grade readers because it has the potential to help readers grow their understanding that we are all different and, also, see possibilities when they feel different.

this was outstanding its my favorite book I will never read a book the same ever again with this connection

Middle school is hard, but this middle grade novel reminds us that all we need is a good friend or two and we can get through it. Although there are a few bullies, and there always are, this story is full of likable characters and good messages for readers young and old.

When Lucy was eight years old, she was struck by lightning while holding on to a metal fence. As a result, she has acquired savant syndrome; Lucy can not only tackle any mathematical problem but she can also see math in colors and remembers every set of numbers she hears or sees. It is no surprise that Pi is favorite number (and she can recite it to the 314th decimal place).Having this rare condition is not without its drawbacks. Lucy has obsessive compulsive tendencies, no offline friends, and hasn’t left the apartment she shared with her Nana for 32 days. While Lucy wants to begin college, Nana proposes an alternate plan. Go to middle school for at least 1 year. Make 1 friend. Join 1 activity. Read 1 book that is not math related. Nana wins.Lucy accomplishes her first goal quickly. On her first bus ride to school, she becomes friends with socially conscious Windy. But adjusting to middle school is still tough especially because of Lucy’s constant need to sanitize, her repetitive sitting behavior, and her desire to keep her giftedness hidden from her peers including Windy. A group service project with Windy and budding photographer Levi gives Lucy the opportunity to use her math genius for a good cause-helping dogs gets adopted at a local shelter. At the shelter, Lucy meets Cutie Pi, a beagle mix (Yes, you heard it, a beagle!) with a lightning bolt spot on its back and is determined to find him a home. Being a dog mom, seeing Lucy’s affection for Pi was heartwarming. Her relationship with Pi was one of my favorite parts of the story.The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a touching and engaging story about fitting in, finding yourself and most of all, friendship. Lucy soon learns that all things are not easy to calculate. As a reader, I calculate a few important lessons from this must read middle grade novel.-Sometimes numbers aren’t all that matter.-No problem is unsolvable.-If you have a couple of friends who accept you for who you are, you are pretty lucky.

this is a good book for late elementary school readers

I am 10 years old and its hard for me to find books I like to read. But this one really made me laugh and was very sweet and made me think about what would happen next after every chapter. That is what a good book qualities should be like. And that is also the qualities that this book haves as well. I really enjoyed reading this, and I will try the other books soon.

This book is outstanding.

This was such a heartwarming story. I loved the math references and how realistically the author portrayed middle school children issues. I loved Lucy, Windy, and Levi. Their friendship was super cute. And Cutie Pi, I simply love you!

Received the book in a bubble mailer and was not damaged. It came in perfect condition. Reading the book and so far I have enjoyed it. It's a story of a twelve-year old math prodigy as she is forced to go to middle school. It also shows the struggles she faces due to OCD.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty published in 2018.This middle grade novel is about Lucy, a 12 year old girl who, when struck by lightning, develops an incredible ability in mathematics. After a period of home schooling, her grandmother/guardian decides that attending a regular school will help Lucy develop social skills.I don’t think The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a good middle grade novel, I think it’s a good novel, which just happens to have children as its characters. The categorisation of novel by age group started developing in earnest in the 1960s, so that today there’s a feeling that people have to read novels featuring characters who are like themselves. That’s alright, except for the fact that novels are also useful in finding out about people who are not like themselves. I am not a 12 year old girl with social anxiety and incredible abilities in maths. I am a man in his fifties who has never felt much of an affinity with maths - but that doesn’t mean I can’t find The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl interesting.One of the things that Lucy learns during her time at school is that although she might feel like the only freak in the world, other people have their own concerns and are not really taking much notice of you. That’s what books can provide - an insight into things other than ourselves.So maths - I have enough ability to muddle along, but have never been something very comfortable with. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl was an education for me, a window into the world of maths. I was good at English at school, a subject which I believed was an altogether vaguer affair. But what did I know. Lucy loves the constant known as pi - a number which you get in dividing a circle’s circumference by its diameter. This simple calculation comes out as a number that goes on forever, beginning 3.14159…. with as many numbers after that as you want. Pi is constant, applying to any circle of any size. But you can never say precisely what pi is, because you can never get to the end of it. There is something fundamentally dependable about Lucy’s favourite bit of maths, something that always remains the same. But there is also an unknowable quality about it. I imagined there was a big difference between the precise world of maths and the uncertainties of life which people write about in stories. That, however is not really true. Maths and more artistic pursuits are not so far apart after all.The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a good novel for school children. It will teach them about maths and show how it can be used to solve real world problems that will mean something to them - like boosting the chances of adoption of dogs at a dog shelter. There are also a few lessons about dealing with difficult social situations. Beyond that, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is, as I say, a good novel. It says something about life that is relevant generally.

Compré el libro porque leí las primeras páginas y me hizo gracia. Luego lo vio mi hija de 12 años que es muy lectora, lo empezó, le enganchó y lo leyó entusiasmada. Dice que es un libro muy bueno. Yo creo que sí es un libro adecuado para esa edad.

This book has a wonderful message to share. I think it really relates to the feelings 12-13 year olds have. It brings your hopes up, and teaches you that everything is going to be ok, even though it seem really scary in the beginning.