When Lightnin' Struck

by Betsy Rosenthal

It's not every day that a boy's father is killed by lightning and his mother gets thrown in jail for drunken behavior, but that's James's lot in life. In his small Texas town, James is treated as a pariah at school, taunted as being cursed because of his family's bad luck, but has found a friend in a fellow outcast, a Russian immigrant boy. As their unlikely friendship deepens, family secrets are revealed, and James discovers what just might be his true purpose in life.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Martha Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

1928 Odessa, TX - 11 year-old James lives with his Pappy since his dad was killed by lightning when he was 5 and his mom is in jail for drinking and depression. James makes friends with a new kid, Paul, whose family are Jews from Odessa, Ukraine. James's abeula was a healer who died 6 months ago. He eventually finds out that her ancestors were conversos who left Spain during the Inquisition. James likes knowing he has Jewish ancestry and learning about Jewish holidays from Paul's family. This is an enjoyable story with a new perspective. James is a likable kid, who helps Pappy at the diner and is bullied by mean Virgil, until the sandstorm changes everything.

[Ellen Wolintz-Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaches important lessons - life lessons and history lessons.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good children’s novel, my biggest pet peeve was how into the early 1900s Texan dialect the author got. Also it was quite predictable. Overall - 3.5/5.