Review: The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
- amiller8979
- Aug 21
- 6 min read
By Amber & Gigi
August 19, 2025
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.
From the Author
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?
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl has the power to engage and resonate with young readers.
There are times when you begin reading a book and from the first few pages you know that it is going to be great. For me, this was one of those books. This feeling was solidified when my nine-year-old daughter, Gigi, picked up this title and requested to read longer than her mandated 20 minutes per night. She devoured the 40-chapter-long novel in four days!
Gigi and I had a great time discussing the book's plot, debating the characters, and clarifying a few terms that were new to her, such as Pi and savant. I thought it would be fun if we collaborated for this review using the outstanding Educators' Guides provided on Stacy McAnulty’s website. I was especially impressed by the Penguin Random House (PRH) Teachers' Empathy Guide that was designed for use with this title and a few other PRH titles.
My interview with Gigi
Me: What makes Lucille Fanny Callahan extraordinary?
Gigi: Things that make Lucy extraordinary are that she was struck by lightning, she’s unbelievably good at math, she has OCD, and her parents died when she was young, so her grandmother is raising her.
Me: How does Lucy describe herself?
Gigi: She calls herself a savant (but don’t tell the teacher).
Me: What is acquired savant syndrome?
Gigi: You can’t help that you are really talented, intelligent, or extremely good at something.
Me: What are some characteristics of a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Gigi: They have to do things in patterns, like when she has to sit and stand five times, clean everything before she touches it - like the desk at school, and has to tap her toe three times or she gets all the numbers of Pi stuck in her head. She has to do her routines always, or it upsets her.
Me: Why does Lucy live with her nana?
Gigi: Because her parents died.
Me: Why does Nana send Lucy to East Hamlin Middle School?
Gigi: Because she has to meet her goals, be social, and make friends.
Me: Why does Nana say that Lucy is “100 percent ordinary. Normal. Plain. Boring.
Average.”? (p. 204)
Gigi: She says this in front of Mr. Stoker at their parent-teacher conference because they both know that Lucy doesn’t want to stand out. She wants nothing more than to be plain, boring, and average, which is why she purposely gets things wrong on her homework and “forgets” to turn in her assignments.
Review
Lucy is self-conscious about what makes her unique. After being struck by lightning at the age of 8, part of the left lobe of her brain completely stopped working, which resulted in the right lobe working overtime. As a result, Lucy has genius-level math skills, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and has been homeschooled since the incident. Now, at the age of 12, Lucy is academically ready for college; she needs to get past middle school and all of its social requirements to pass the test!
At school, Lucy makes two new friends with whom she works on a school project and meets a dog whom she comes to love, but cannot keep. During her middle school years, Lucy realizes that school is more than just academics, and, contrary to her previous beliefs, she starts to enjoy it. She learns invaluable life lessons on being empathetic and maintaining friendships.
Lucy also experiences difficult lessons about being different and feeling left out. While McAnulty’s character of Lucy is a hyperbole - both a savant and severely OCD - the reality is that we have all felt left out or strange at some point in our lives. It is especially challenging in upper primary and middle grades, when friend groups are forming and identities are being shaped. Having a “mean girl” character like Maddie who uses peoples’ weaknesses as a part of her power, is the norm we have come to expect in a novel like this, but what I love and admire is the tools McAnulty provides young readers with on how to (and how not to) deal with a real life Maddie.
Even with her quirks and genius, the character of Lucy is relatable and undeniably easy to connect with. Like many, she feels more comfortable online where there is anonymity and where she can surround herself with people who share her interests. But when Lucy does make school friends, they are the best kind of friends. Windy only sees the good in people. This world could use a few more people like her. She becomes Lucy’s first friend because it is easy for her to see past Lucy’s quirks. Levi is a kind and quiet boy who struggles in math, but who has a big heart. While Windy can see past Lucy’s eccentricities, Levi understands them and figures out how to help her.
In Lucy and her other brilliantly written young characters, Stacy McAnulty has captured the feelings of young readers not only in the middle grades but also (from my experience as teacher and parent) beginning as young as grades 3 to 5. Insecurities surrounding the qualities that make us talented, special, and extraordinary are magnified during this time in our lives, and we want nothing more than to be just like everyone else. 100% ordinary. Normal. Plain. Boring. Average. The abilities and qualities that adults compliment, praise, and desire to see developed are often what become the middle schooler's most significant insecurity.
After completing this review, I asked Gigi if there were any other details we should include. Her answer was an emphatic “YES! You must include that even though she could not keep the dog, she was able to find a home for Pi. Her teacher, Mr. Stoker, adopts Pi and saves him from being put to sleep, but maybe you shouldn’t say the part about him almost being put to sleep in there, it’s sad”.
Many sad things happen in The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, which is why it is such an engaging and essential novel to read with your students. It creates many opportunities to explore and embrace what makes us different while learning to be accepting and empathetic of others. As educators, it is our duty and responsibility to advocate for all students by creating a school culture free from stigma and bias, where each individual is visible, accepted, included, and safe. We can change the cultures of our schools by promoting empathy and acceptance through literature.
Many of your students will benefit from additional social and emotional support, which can be provided through class lessons, whole-group discussions, small counseling groups, or book clubs. I highly recommend using The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, as well as the following middle-grade novels, to explore themes of diversity and inclusion and to build empathy.
Similar middle-grade novels explore themes of diversity and inclusion to build empathy:
Just Under the Clouds by Melissa Sarno
Lemons by Melissa Savage
Lily & Dunkin by Donna Gephart
The Secret Life of Lincold Jones by Wendelin Van Draanen
The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly
Stacy McAnulty is a former mechanical engineer turned kid lit author, who dreams of someday being a dog therapist, a correspondent for The Daily Show, an astronaut, and a Green Bay Packer coach. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl was her debut middle-grade novel.