The Lightning Circle

Name: The Lightning Circle
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Vikki VanSickle
ISBN: 9781774885932

Author: Vikki VanSickle

Narrator: Alex Cairns

Unabridged: 2 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tundra Books

Published: 03/26/2024

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Coming Of Age, Recreation, Camping & Outdoor Activities, Novels In Verse

Synopsis

An intimate coming-of age novel for teens, told in verse, chronicling the beauty, magic and transformative power of summer camp, for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Judy Blume.

After having her heart broken, seventeen-year-old Nora Nichols decides to escape her hometown and take a summer job as an arts and crafts counsellor at an all-girls' camp in the mountains of West Virginia. There, she meets girls and women from all walks of life with their own heartaches and triumphs. Immersed in this new camp experience, trying to form bonds with her fellow counselors while learning to be a trusted adviser for her campers, Nora distracts herself from her feelings, even during the intimate conversations around the nightly campfires. But when a letter from home comes bearing unexpected news, Nora finds inner strength in her devastation with the healing power of female friendship. Presented as Nora's camp journal, including scraps of letters and spare poems, The Lightning Circle is an intimate coming-of-age portrait.

About The Author

VIKKI VANSICKLE is the author of a number of acclaimed novels for children including Words That Start With B; Summer Days, Starry Nights; the award-winning The Winnowing; and picture books If I Had a Gryphon; Teddy Bear of the Year; and Anonymouse. A former bookseller and marketing director at Penguin Random House Canada, Vikki is a full-time writer, as well as a regular guest on the CTV network talking about books, a children's literature columnist at Open Book Ontario, as well as the education coordinator for The Period Purse, a charity focusing on menstrual equity. She lives in Toronto with a cat named Barb.LAURA K. WATSON is a drawer, printmaker, embroiderer and writer from Georgetown, Ontario. She acquired her B.F.A. from Mount Allison University in 2015 and currently lives in Sackville, New Brunswick.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ash on February 18, 2025

This was a stunning escape. A vacation to girlhood and simplicity and was written so sweetly and with so much care. (Context: This was recommended for girls at our local shelter and I was reading for situational appropriateness and TWs, but was absolutely surprised at the depth and soul of this)......more

Goodreads review by Lauren | Wordsbetweenlines on March 27, 2024

This was a beautifully written and drawn YA coming of age story that is told in verse. I have never read anything quite like this and I mean that in the best way. The short form verses tell so much with every word and the illustrations tied it all together. It felt like we lived the whole summer at ca......more

Goodreads review by Erin on October 08, 2024

This book made me so sad that I didn't go to summer camp. Seriously. It's so nostalgic and magic and so heartfelt. This teen novel written in verse is loosely based off the author's experiences being a teen counselor at a summer camp and it's so charming. Fraught with teenage emotion and wonder - it......more

Goodreads review by Cherlynn | cherreading on October 31, 2024

Kara says I give other people's words too much weight. Maybe the problem is that some people don't give them enough. 3.5⭐️ I loved the overall vibe and aesthetic of this novel-in-verse. Very summery and quaint and charming. The book introduces characters from different walks of life as well as the healing......more