The Lightning People Play

by Tim Cummings

Overview

"There are kinda heroic teens confronting mysterious symbols from the other side (maybe?). It's absolutely everything you'd want in a YA novel and then some." -Josh Berk, Edgar Award nominee, author of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

Fourteen-year-old Kirby Renton is a gifted theatre kid who wants to fix things: his dads' marriage, his younger brother's epilepsy. When ten-year-old Baxter's seizures start involving visits from "the lightning people," who descend from the sky and show him strange symbols, Kirby knows he needs to protect his brother, but how? He thinks he's found the answer when the neurologist advises his family to consider a seizure-alert dog, but the cost is too much for his family to afford.

Determined to raise the money himself, Kirby enlists his best friends and a crew of brilliant teens from his theatre troupe to put on a play in his epic forest of a backyard. At first, the play brings its own pressures as the drama between Kirby's dads worsens and his fears for his brother intensify. But little does Kirby know of the magic that awaits him and his friends-and the portals that will open-from his daring to make a difference.

From the award-winning author of Alice the Cat comes another intriguing tale set in the fictional town of Weirville, where more strange magic transforms the lives of the inimitable teens who live there.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781685136567
Publisher:	Black Rose Writing
Publication date:	06/26/2025
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(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