The Electric Life of Lavender Lewis

Gr 8 Up–An incredibly moving YA ­speculative fiction story about Lavender Lewis, a teenage girl with epilepsy, coming to terms with the death of her mother from early onset multiple sclerosis and with her own condition as she continues to have multiple seizures daily. Grieving and resenting the reappearance of Aunt Tammy, who ghosted her family when her mother was diagnosed, Lavender meets another epileptic boy in a dream state during her seizures. Determined to find out who he is, she enlists the help of her tarot-reading, crystal-­loving mystical aunt. The ­author writes about living with epilepsy so authentically in this book, no doubt because she writes from her own experience with the ­neurological disorder. It’s relatable, heartfelt, and deals with ­important topics, such as ­self-acceptance, loss, depression, ­anxiety, and agency regarding one’s condition and medical options. ­Lavender has pale skin, dark hair, and ­hazel eyes; her father has “golden” skin; her mother has blonde hair and blue eyes; and Aunt Tammy has blonde hair. ­