You don't know what you've got until it's gone -- in this case, that means LIBRARIES!
I had the pleasure and blessing to see the author in person at a library event several months ago. I got to hear the process she went through as she came up with the idea and characters and did the research for all the calculations and "tricks" of Lucy, our middle school heroine, who is a math genius, but somewhat handicapped when it comes to dealing with people.
Sometimes I do get irritated with the trend that I've noticed on TV and movies, portraying brilliant people as arrogant to the point of stupidity, and refusing to change to get along in the "real world," but rather demanding that everyone change to accommodate them.
Lucy, however, knows she has problems. She's trying to get along, even as she grumbles that it's a waste of time, that people will never accept her. She admits her quirks and OCD and the damage in her own brain from the lightning strike that made her a math genius (hence her name). She simply doesn't understand the reasoning of her age group, and she would much rather retreat than be hurt again, and mocked. But her grandmother loves her enough to refuse to let her hide from the world. And in a lot of ways, Lucy finds out she's a normal kid when it comes to mistakes and squabbling and being afraid and wanting to be liked.
You'll laugh, you'll sigh, you'll want to clobber the bullies, you'll cringe. And in this day of social distancing ... you'll agree with Lucy more than the author probably intended! The book is real. Enjoy.
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