The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

By Stacy McAnulty

Lucy Callahan is a math genius.  After being struck by lightning at age 8, Lucy became a “savant”.  Her math skills are phenomenal!  She is only 12 years old, but already she has finished high school courses and can begin applying for university.  But after doing all her schoolwork at home, she is still unfamiliar with the ups and downs of school life. 

Although she has super powers when it comes to math, she has never really made a friend.  Much to Lucy’s chagrin, her Nana wants her to spend one year in middle school before she goes to college.  Lucy wonders what she could possibly have to learn.

Lucy agrees to attend grade seven at East Hamlin Middle School.  She quickly becomes known for her quirky habits of standing up 3 times before sitting and cleaning every surface with cleansing wipes.  In an attempt not to draw more attention to herself, Lucy tries to act like an average kid in math class and even gets answers wrong on purpose.

Lucy soon makes friends with Windy and Levi, and they team up to work on a volunteer project to help pets at the Pet Centre.  But it turns out that friendship is tricky in middle school.  Another classmate, Maddie, is constantly making fun of Lucy and trying to get Windy away from her.

Despite the problems, Lucy does learn a lot in middle school and might not even want to leave.  If you’ve ever felt a little different from the crowd, this book is for you!

Blood Mountain

Blood Mountain

By James Preller

Carter and Grace are on a hike with their dad and their dog, Sitka.  They’ve been on hikes before and are comfortable in the woods.  So comfortable, in fact, that they both race ahead of their father.  Their dad, meanwhile, is getting slower and slower, having trouble making his way up the mountain.  He doesn’t mind letting his energetic kids run ahead.

Carter and Grace know they must stick to the trail, but it’s easy to make a wrong turn if you’re not really following the markers.  By the time they realize they are lost, they have no idea how to get back to the trail.  Although they believe that their dad will catch up and find them, they don’t know that he’s having his own medical problems.

When the siblings decide to make their way to the mountain summit off-trail, they really get lost, not to mention injured.  Eventually, the children separate, but neither knows how to get home.

Luckily their mother reports the missing trio and an astute forest ranger heads out to look for them.  But there is someone else in the woods as well – a mountain man, rumoured to live on his own in the bush.  There is also a mountain lion on the loose, out of its usual territory.  No one knows how these two forest inhabitants will react to a couple of lost children.

If you have ever been lost yourself, or just love a good, suspenseful survival story, Blood Mountain is for you!