The Lightning People Play

by Tim Cummings

Overview

When his younger brother Baxter starts having seizures and receives visits from "the lightning people," fourteen-year-old Kirby rallies his theatre friends to raise money for a seizure-alert dog, but their production opens a magic portal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781685136192
Publisher:	Black Rose Writing
Publication date:	06/26/2025
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.58(d)
Age Range:	13 - 16 Years

About the Author

Tim Cummings is the author of the award-winning, best-selling coming-of-age novel, Alice the Cat. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing and has appeared in well over 200 projects across theatre, dance, film, television, voice-over, and new media. Tim teaches writing, runs private workshops, and coaches authors.In addition to his passion for storytelling, Tim is an octopus and spider enthusiast. He goes wild for anything with eight legs. He recently discovered he is a masterful hula hooper and can whirl non-stop for eons. Of course, Tim loves reading and writing, but he also possesses enviable collections of stickers, labradorite, night-sky projector lights, vintage vinyl, and rare first-edition hardcover copies of some of his favorite novels. Lastly, no one has ever made a better vat of chili, and his lasagna is infallible. Learn more at www.timcummings.ink.

Editorial Reviews

2025-05-04
Fourteen-year-old Kirby Renton is determined to put on a play to raise money to help his younger brother, who has epilepsy.

Kirby is scared. His dads are separated, and his brother keeps having seizures. During them, Baxter says he sees “the lightning people”—and that “they’re coming.” As Baxter’s seizures worsen, Kirby uses his passion for theater to write and produce a play to raise money for a seizure alert dog, with help from a ragtag team of fellow theater kids. He’s determined to save Baxter before the lightning people arrive. Little do they know that the play will surpass their wildest dreams. Kirby is desperate to help his family—he blames Dad for Pop’s leaving, which in turn “is what made [Baxter’s] brains explode inside his head and that’s what’s causing the seizures.” While the representation of epilepsy is important, there are instances of misinformation on how to help someone who’s having a seizure. Kirby, who presents white, states early on that he may have mild OCD, but his symptom—mostly an urge to be orderly—vanishes by the end of the book. Because he has two dads, Kirby contends with homophobic comments from peers, which are framed as a normal aspect of life in his small town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. While this book is seemingly set in the present day, the use of pop culture references and slang from different eras creates a muddled portrayal of contemporary teenagers.

A heartfelt but confusing story about family. (author’s note)(Fiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews