The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl: Chapters 11–20

by Stacy McAnulty
After she was struck by lightning at the age of eight, Lucy became a mathematical prodigy and developed obsessive compulsive disorder. Now, Lucy prefers to stay at home and solve equations, but her grandmother insists that Lucy tackle the most complex problem she's ever faced: middle school.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–20, Chapters 21–27, Chapters 28–40
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tactic
    a plan for attaining a particular goal
    My revenge tactic has mostly been not talking to Levi for the last 45 hours.
  2. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    My walls are decorated with images of the Fibonacci spiral in nature: flower petals, pinecones, nautilus shells, far-off galaxies. But Windy would probably assume I love nature, not numbers.
  3. compulsive
    having obsessive habits or irresistible urges
    “Then just stop.”
    “I can’t.”
    “It’s an OCD thing, right? Obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
  4. exposure
    the act of subjecting someone to an influencing experience
    Dr. Walsh set up a treatment plan and said that with some mild medication and “gradual exposure to your triggers,” we could control my OCD.
  5. trigger
    an act that sets in motion some course of events
    Dr. Walsh set up a treatment plan and said that with some mild medication and “gradual exposure to your triggers,” we could control my OCD.
  6. antidote
    a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison
    “That’s weird, but at least you have a way to stop it. You have the secret antidote or the weapon that stops the aliens. Sit 3 times or tap your foot 3 times and you’re fine.”
  7. flourish
    make steady progress
    At East Hamlin Middle, we expect our students to flourish not only in the classroom but also in the community.
  8. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    She waves at the screen with 1 hand and uses her other hand to press a button on a laptop that sits on the podium.
  9. confirm
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    I’m not talking about the words but the count. I need the count. My eyes move quickly over the 1st few lines, reconfirming their totals.
  10. reluctance
    a certain degree of unwillingness
    “Do you want to explain your reluctance to participate in class?”
  11. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Ms. Sitton walks into the foyer before Windy can share any family secrets.
  12. sanitation
    the state of being clean and conducive to health
    There are plenty of things that I would never do. Like share a fork or eat in a restaurant with a sanitation rating lower than A.
  13. tsunami
    a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave
    She wants to build a library in downtown Baltimore or open a women’s hospital in India or run a search-and-rescue team that would rush to victims of tsunamis.
  14. bisect
    cut in half or cut in two
    I see circles and bisecting triangles that form equations in my brain.
  15. optimal
    most desirable possible under a restriction
    I know optimal stopping theory. It’s a way to calculate the best time to do something, to figure out the best odds. It’s usually used in finance or pricing, not romance.
  16. essentially
    at bottom or by something's very nature
    “Say, as an average adult, you date 20 people. And 1 of those 20 is your best fit for a spouse. Each time you date a person, you essentially must decide do I marry this guy, do I marry this gal, or do I move on. The next person could be better, or he or she could be worse. Optimal stopping theory proposes this solution—Get it? Proposes?”
  17. obsolete
    no longer in use
    “Mathematics is even being used in the courtroom. With enough data from similar cases, a verdict can be determined with amazing accuracy. Maybe lawyers will eventually be obsolete.”
  18. slump
    fall or sink heavily
    Windy slumps back in her chair.
  19. outrageous
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    “Fine. Here are my suggestions.” Windy opens her notebook. She has 2 new pages of ideas, and she reads each outrageous proposal.
    Levi groans. “Do you have anything reasonable in there?”
  20. industrial
    suitable to stand up to hard wear
    “I suggested picking up cans on the side of the road.” Assuming I can find industrial-grade rubber gloves.
  21. discriminate
    treat differently on the basis of race, sex, religion, etc.
    “Are you discriminating against snakes and turtles? Do they not need loving, caring forever homes?”
  22. imprecise
    not sharply exact or accurate
    I hate imprecise descriptions like lots, few, and hardly any.
  23. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    “This is turning into a really morbid project,” Levi says. “Counting dead animals.”
  24. muffled
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    Muffled barking echoes through the walls.
  25. kennel
    a building or cage that serves as a shelter for a dog
    We walk past 8 large kennels on the right. Each has a wild-looking dog inside. On top of the big kennels are 10 smaller cages with smaller dogs.
  26. lurk
    be about
    Who knows what germs lurk in those circles?
  27. mean
    an average computed by adding some function of the numbers
    “What’s the average?” I ask.
    Claire shrugs. “I’m not certain, sweetheart. 3 or 4?”
    “Is that the mean, median, or mode?” Most people use mean for average, but I want to be sure.
  28. median
    the value below which 50% of the cases fall
    “What’s the average?” I ask.
    Claire shrugs. “I’m not certain, sweetheart. 3 or 4?”
    “Is that the mean, median, or mode?” Most people use mean for average, but I want to be sure.
  29. mode
    the most frequent value of a random variable
    “What’s the average?” I ask.
    Claire shrugs. “I’m not certain, sweetheart. 3 or 4?”
    “Is that the mean, median, or mode?” Most people use mean for average, but I want to be sure.
  30. verify
    attach or append a legal confirmation to
    “This woman is trying to surrender an unverified dog,” Noah explains. “She thinks she can drop the animal off without following procedure.”
  31. euthanasia
    the act of killing someone painlessly
    “This happens a lot. I’ll drive the dog over to animal control.”
    “Really?” Levi asks.
    “But they might kill him,” Windy says.
    “Euthanize. And that’s a last resort,” Claire corrects.
  32. antiquated
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
    “So the problem is that the shelter has an antiquated filing system, and the solution is that you are going to update it?”
  33. trend
    a general direction in which something tends to move
    But I’m really excited to get all the numbers and data. By looking through only 57 applications, I’ve already seen trends. Small dogs are adopted almost 2 times as fast as big dogs, at least in my sample.
  34. designate
    indicate a place, direction, person, or thing
    “Or the shelter always needs people to take the dogs for walks so that they get exercise.” The place has a designated walking trail in the back.
  35. telepathic
    communicating without apparent physical signals
    I’ve never been so happy to hear her voice. Did my brain send a telepathic message? This is a new skill.
Created on Thu Aug 22 10:46:23 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Sep 04 15:08:42 EDT 2019)

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