The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

2020 Texas Bluebonnet Nominnee 

Bluebonnet novel 

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl: McAnulty, Stacy: 9781524767587: Amazon.com: Books

After being hit by a lightning strike, 12 year old Lucy is now a genius in math, but she now has OCD. Her grandmother pulled her from school initially due to the lack of challenge, but now she has finally decided that Lucy needs some amount of social interaction so she enrolls her in middle school. Lucy must now navigate middle school and hide her uniqueness which proves to be quite unpredictable and difficult. In the end, Lucy has a different perspective on life (it isn't all about math) and she realizes that everyone has problems of their own. 

I think this novel would be suitable for students in fourth grade or older, depending on their reading level and interests. It could be used within the curriculum of a middle school English/Language Arts classroom. It introduces different viewpoints that students this age may not be familiar with such as having OCD, family structure differences, and having savant syndrome. These, along with other difficulties of middle school, can be discussed among students and used to gain a deeper understanding of how the novel applies to life. Unless I taught English and could use the book within the curriculum, I would include this book in my classroom as a book shelf book for students. 

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