The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In some ways, Lucy is an unusual person, but in other ways she is just like everyone else.

• Which of Lucy’s struggles in middle school are typical of everyone, and which of her struggles are related to her unusual circumstances? (topic sentence)
• Give two pieces of evidence from different parts of the story that show that Lucy is facing struggles that most middle schoolers face.
• Give two pieces of evidence from different parts of the story that show that some of Lucy’s struggles are related to her individual circumstances.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this is related to the story’s thematic concerns with Coming-of-Age: Discovering and Accepting Oneself, The Struggles of Friendship, and More than Just Numbers.

2. Although she makes a mistake when she shares Lucy’s private information with others, in general Windy is a good friend to Lucy.

• What does being friends with Windy teach Lucy about The Struggles of Friendship? (topic sentence)
• Give at least two pieces of evidence that becoming and staying friends with Windy is sometimes a struggle for Lucy.
• Give at least two pieces of evidence that Windy’s friendship is a good thing that is worth the struggle for Lucy.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the friendship between Windy and Lucy also supports the book’s themes of Coming-of-Age: Discovering and Accepting Oneself and More than Just Numbers.

3. Sometimes, a book deliberately does not answer all of the reader’s questions. This is called ambiguity, and it can be used to help convey thematic messages.

• What message does the text convey by leaving the contents of the envelope from NCASME a mystery at the end of the book? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three pieces of evidence from different parts of the book that support your interpretation.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this ambiguity supports one of the book’s larger thematic concerns.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Is Lucy most fully herself in her online math forum, at home with Nana, at The Pet Hut, or at school? What does it mean to be “fully” oneself? What would Lucy say about this? Would her answer change at different points during the story? How does this support the book’s thematic concerns with Coming-of-Age: Discovering and Accepting Oneself, The Struggles of Friendship, and More than Just Numbers? Write an essay in which you analyze what it means for Lucy to be fully herself and how the different settings in this book impact her growth in this area. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the text and be sure to cite any quoted evidence.

2. What is the difference between things that are “fair” and things that are “equal”? What does Mr. Stoker tell Lucy about this when he gives her an advanced math problem that the other students do not have to solve? How does this relate to the children’s choice of which dogs to profile at The Pet Hut? Which other parts of the story demonstrate the difference between these two ideas? Write an essay in which you analyze the ways in which The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl shows how things that are fair are not always equal. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the text and be sure to cite any quoted evidence.

3. What does Maddie’s character convey about bullies and their motivations? How much does Maddie’s behavior toward Lucy change by the end of the book, and what do you think has caused any changes that you observe? Write an essay that analyzes the motives behind Maddie’s behavior throughout this story. Show how her character’s circumstances and actions relate to the book’s theme of Coming-of-Age: Discovering and Accepting Oneself. Support your ideas with evidence drawn from throughout the text and be sure to cite any quoted evidence.