The Miscalculations of Lightening Girl ~ Stacey McAnulty

Lucy Callahan is not like her classmates. In fact, she hasn’t had any classmates in years. After she got struck by lightning in elementary school and became a math genius (and an OCD cleaner), school felt like a hassle she didn’t need to experience. She could handle schooling on her own, and she was happiest in her bedroom, which was sanitary and had her beloved computer, where she could talk math with other online whizzes all day long. 

But one day, Lucy’s grandmother insists that before she goes to college (which, at age 12, Lucy is academically ready for), she must experience one year of middle school. 

Seventh grade is tough for most everyone, but it’s especially difficult when you have to wipe every surface with Clorox wipes before touching it, classmates call you “cleaning lady” and “freak,” and your ELA teacher seems out to get you. 

Things start to look up, though, when Lucy is assigned to a group to work on a school community project. Her partners, Windy and Levi, have their own quirks, but together, the three of them make an exceptional team. Lucy begins to learn that not every problem in life can be solved with numbers. Some problems are solved in the heart.

This book is heart-wrenching and heart-warming, as most coming of age stories are. Lucy’s character is beautifully crafted and her development throughout the book makes it highly engaging. This is not a book I’d recommend to reluctant readers, but it is perfect for students who are either empathetic or struggling to fit in, themselves. If a student is motivated to read, but struggles a bit with vocabulary or complex plots, this book would be perfect! 

Maturity: 1/4

This novel is ideal for age 11+. It contains no mature content. 

Pages: 283

Lexile: 530L

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.

If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!