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by Kari Webb (Author), Margarita Sikorskaia (Illustrator)
When a powerful Iowa wind tears through the halftime show at Spirit Lake's first home football game of 1992, fourth-grader Lyda Lee wakes to a world shimmering with new light. She can suddenly see invisible colors, heat glowing and ultraviolet sparking, and must figure out what this strange new vision means.
Set in the 1990s Midwest, Lyda's New Light is a STEM chapter book for upper elementary readers. Blending historical fiction with environmental science and real wind turbine history from Spirit Lake, Iowa, the novel supports learning about renewable energy, electromagnetic waves, and engineering thinking through story.
As Lyda and her classmates take on a school engineering challenge, the adults in their community wrestle with whether wind could help power their schools. The book also addresses school relationships and bullying, making it a strong choice for classrooms, families, and young readers interested in science and real-world problem-solving.
