2.5 What I loved about this book is the utter nostalgia I felt while reading it. Although I never went to a sleep-away camp, I always dreamed about it. The 2000s era was obsessed with it, it felt like. Thank you, Camp Rock and The Parent Trap and Mary Kate and Ashley.

Reading about Nora's camp first camp experience as a counselor to a bunch of adolescent girls brought up many poignant themes of what it means to be a girl, and their kinship and those fabled summer camp bonds resonated with me.

The misses of this book lie primarily in its use of verse and lack of narrative. The novel makes use of sparse verse to tell the story of these girls, however it does not make artful use of poetics. The verse, then, feels like an arbitrary, and perhaps "on trend" decision. For this book to be more impactful to this reader, I need more rich verse or more rich narrative. Because of this lack of richness and a lack of relatability for my current students, I would not use this book in a classroom setting.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first novel in verse and the experience was so much fun.

This is a story about seventeen year old Nora (soon to be Nova) who decides to spend her summer as a camp counselor so she can put the boy that broke her heart in her rearview window.

This book was all female friendship and how summer feels so contained and important to being young. This story explored Nora evolving into her camp identity of Nova, how she comes out of her shell. How she watches her charges grow up, sometimes faster than they realize they should.

This felt like nostalgia in a read and it felt like you could almost TASTE the s'mores and smell the sunscreen.

I loved this.

The only thing that would have made it better is if it were queer, which is the direction that I thought it was going.

Whoa. This is one of those books that makes you want to drop everything and go on an adventure (to camp). Magical, lyrical writing. Sisterhood / friendship / camp / cozy vibes all the way though. This was an ode to community, friendship, and youth. I *loved* it.

This is coming-of-age story about a seventeen year old camp counselor and the girls/women she meets at camp. The story is told in verse, which gave the words a whole new and deeper meaning. The illustrations and the poetic structure added rhythm and emphasis to the text in a way I enjoyed. I’ll absolutely be purchasing a copy and gifting copies to friends when this is published.

A huge thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

The Lightening Circle was such a beautiful and fun read! It follows 17 year old Nora through her first summer as a camp counselor, told through her journal entries. It had huge Parent Trap summer camp vibes, and I loved that! The illustrations are adorable and totally fit with the whole feeling of the book and helped visualize the characters and details really well. If I didn’t have to attend to my children, I would’ve read it in one sitting.

Vikki VanSickle's novel in verse, The Lightning Circle, is a nostalgic and hopeful coming-of-age story, sure to capture the hearts of both teen and adult readers. Narrative poetry and illustrations work together to tell the story of Nora's time as a counselor at an all-girls summer camp. She grows into a new version herself over the course of the summer, forming bonds with other counselors and her young campers that allow her to form a new perspective,
VanSickle has managed to capture the nostalgia of childhood summers, sleep-away camp, of high school love and loss, in this novel. The illustrations are simple but beautiful in their honesty, and the stories told in the poems reflect the complexity of adolescence in both its early and later stages.
Both adult and young adult readers will appreciate The Lightning Circle for its honest relatability, idyllic nostalgia, and reflections on love, friendship, and change.

Needing a break from her life at home, Nora Nichols takes a job as a counsellor at Camp Cradle Rock, an all-girls sleep away camp in West Virginia. Between getting to know her fellow counsellors over long talks around the campfire and mentoring the 13-year-olds assigned to her cabin, Nora is given the opportunity contemplate who she is as a person and what makes her strong, especially when an unexpected letter arrives from home. The Lightning Circle is written as Nora’s camp journal and features sketches she completes throughout the summer.

VanSickle has expertly captured the summer camp experience. This book is steeped in nostalgia. If you have ever been to a sleep away camp, reading this novel will bring you right back to your time there from bunks with “plastic pancake” mattresses to swim tests and dining hall meals. I found myself fondly reminiscing over my own summers at camp on many occasions while reading.

As a novel-in-verse, The Lightning Circle has a beautiful poetic flow to its writing that helps to build the atmosphere of the story. Nora’s line art sketches also add to the reading experience—giving readers visuals of the characters as well as places and things around the camp.

I read The Lightning Circle in one sitting. It drew me in from the start and didn’t let me go until I was finished. I do wish it was longer though as there were plot points I would have liked to further explore. I gave this book 4 ½ stars and I will absolutely be recommending it to my friends—especially the ones who went to camp with me—when it comes out on March 26th, 2024!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Summary
Nora is a seventeen-year-old girl who is new to being a camp counselor. She is escaping her regular life for a summer of distraction. Along the way she finds comradery with her fellow camp counselors and lessons from the girls she helps care for. This is a story written in the form of poetry.

Big Picture Plot
Summer camp is a place where girls come together and discover sisterhood and adventure. A group of camp counselors and camp girls explore what it means to be a girl, a woman, a friend, and a dreamer; all from the perspective of Nora.

Individual Character Musings
Nora is heartbroken and appears to lack confidence in herself and her ability to be a good camp counselor. Along the way she develops her sense of self, finds confidence, and struggles as a teen in a group of different personalities.

My Take
I must not have read very closely and began this book without the knowledge that it would be a set of poetic musings from a seventeen-year-old girl at an all-girls summer camp. I felt really connected to the story, but also felt so disconnected. This book made me want to be a teen girl again and go to summer camp; but also made me so thankful I am out of that stage of life. VanSickle greatly captured the beauty of being a teen girl.


Would I Recommend?
I would recommend this to most people, especially girls and women. It was such a quick read (less than one hour) and took me on a trip down memory lane and through many emotions.


Rating: 4 stars

4.5
This is a beautiful novel in verse with illustrations in black and green that tells the story of Nora a girl who takes a job in a Summer camp told in the first person. At first, she is not confident about it. She uses this job as an excuse to run away from pain. She needs change, she reinvention, she needs sisterhood, and this read made me feel part of this group of young women who support each other no matter what. It's uplifting and teaches us to not dwell in pain and move forward, or feel shame and alone, there can be change and positive experiences in taking risks and doing something out of the box.
Great mood and a fast read.
The cover is interesting, although crafts and arts are not the main activity. It's an outdoor summer camp.
Thank you, Publisher and Netgalley for this eArc.

A beautiful coming-of-age story told in verse. I read this in one sitting and didn’t want it to end. The story-telling is smooth and rhythmic and lovely. The illustrations make the perfect compliment to the poems. And I love the nod to “What My Mother Doesn’t Know” by Sonya Sones - another lovely novel in verse.