The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

I saw The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty on a Facebook group I follow called A Mighty Girl. It is about 12-year-old Lucy who has acquired savant syndrome after getting struck by lighting as a child. As a result, she is a math genius and ready for college after being homeschooled by her grandma for a few years. However, her grandma decides she needs the experience of middle school and sends her for a year. The book follows her year at middle school as she copes with her OCD and the everyday issues that middle school brings.

This was a great book. The story really drew me in, and I was anxious to finish reading it to see what happened and how things resolved. I loved the three main kid characters and felt like they were really well developed. I also just thought it was a clever story, and I liked some of the aspects of the story that helped develop the plot and characters (like the Pet Hut stuff, the online math board, etc.).

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

PIecing Me Together

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson is another 2018 Newbery Honor book that I wanted to read. This book is about Jade, a high school junior who lives in a poor neighborhood but attends a private school on scholarship where she doesn't feel like she fits in. The school offers her an opportunity to join Women to Women, a program for at-risk black girls to meet with black mentors. While Jade is a little bit sick of all the "opportunities" offered to her, she knows she has to take advantage of this and give it a chance.

I LOVED this book! It engaged me from the start, and then I just wanted to read it all day long. Jade was such a strong, real character, and I was just rooting for her. I loved following her development and learning from the side characters and their choices. It was just a beautiful book, one I'd enjoy re-reading.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Long Way Down

I read Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds because it was one of the Newbery Honor books for 2018. It tells the story of 15-year-old Will, whose brother was just killed. Will knows the rules of the street are 1) don't snitch, 2) don't cry, and 3) kill the person who killed your friend/family member. So that is Will's plan, and as he's going down the elevator, he finds himself face-to-face with people from his past who have died.

This was a really good book. I really admire Jason Reynolds as an author for the subject matter he addresses and the audience he reaches out to. This was a thought-provoking book. It didn't really pull me in until about halfway through or so, but then I got more into it.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)