The Lightning People Play

Tim Cummings

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Paperback

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English

Black Rose Writing
26 June 2025

""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.

By: Tim Cummings
Imprint: Black Rose Writing
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 349g
ISBN: 9781685136192
ISBN 10: 1685136192
Pages: 258
Publication Date: 26 June 2025
Recommended Age: From 13 to 16 years
Audience: Young adult , Preschool (0-5)
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

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.

Reviews for The Lightning People Play

""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 ""Tim Cummings weaves vivid, gripping tales filled with heart and irreverent humor, and told in an electric, irresistible voice. They're pure fun to read and The Lightning People Play is a perfect showcase for his talents."" -Jeff Zentner, Morris-Award winning author of The Serpent King and In The Wild Light ""Sheer magic. The magic of the theatre, the magic of community, the magic of being one's truest self all shimmer from the page like stars. This book will change lives-it's a breathtaking celebration of creativity and neurodivergence and connection. The Lightning People Play will forever sizzle inside me."" -Gayle Brandeis, award-winning author of The Art of Misdiagnosis and My Life with The Lincolns