THE MISCALCULATIONS OF LIGHTNING GIRL

Ana Isabel's youthful narration creates a convincing picture of innocent 12-year-old Lucy. At 8, Lucy was struck by lightning and transformed into a math genius and germaphobe, but she's far from gifted in the ways of friendship. Aside from her uncle and grandmother, she prefers virtual relationships. Narrator Isabel affects an older, caring voice for Nana, who has raised and homeschooled Lucy since her parents' deaths. Now Nana requires Lucy to attend one year of middle school, make real friends, and get involved. Lucy's story develops primarily through scenes of her experiences at school: her OCD behavior, her friendship with two girls who overlook it, and the painful bullying by a cruel peer who doesn't. Listeners hear a tender tone when a situation involving an orphaned dog requires that Lucy overcome her emotional problems. S.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2018]