Spelling Bees: Middle Grade
Yes, I’m still on spelling bees. Today: middle grade!
Middle grade books with a major spelling bee plot point:
Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia, by Barbara O'Connor
Bird is looking to accomplish two things: Get noticed by the other kids at school, and also, go to Disney World. She decides to compete in the state spelling bee, and then sets her sights on a new kid in town to be her partner… but finds that convincing him to join her might be more of an uphill battle than expected. If it’s anything like the other Barbara O’Connor books I’ve read, it’s bound to be warm and quirky.
Spelldown: The Big-Time Dreams of a Small-Town Word Whiz, by Karon Luddy
South Carolina, 1968. With the help of a new Latin teacher, thirteen-year-old Karlene is hoping to break her streak of choking in the final round of spelling bees. But, as the Nationals get closer, there are distractions: romance is in the air (or at least, in Karlene’s heart), and her father starts drinking again.
I Put a Spell on You, by Adam Selzer
Mystery about the weeks leading up to a big spelling bee, in which some of the sixth-graders start to suspect that the adults around them—including the principal!—might be trying to rig the contest.
White Bread Competition, by Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez
Interconnected stories that tell the story of Luz, a 14-year-old Mexican-American girl, who’ll be representing Texas at the National Bee.
Middle grade books with a minor spelling bee plot point:
A Friendship for Today, by Pat McKissack
1954, Missouri. A semi-autobiographical novel about a sixth-grade girl who is the only Black student in her class at her new school. There’s an episode with a spelling bee prize that is a gift certificate to a whites-only restaurant.
The Friendship Riddle, by Megan Frazer Blakemore
After her best friend ditches her for more popular kids, Ruth decides to keep to herself. While studying for a spelling bee, she finds a riddle in an old book—but she’s not going to be able to solve it without help.
Mostly Michael, by Robert Kimmel Smith
Diary of an 11-year-old, in which he recounts his feelings about life, his family, school, and yes, a spelling bee.
The Cat that Could Spell Mississippi, by Laura Hawkins
The description at Amazon says, “Desperate to make the fourth-grade girls of her new school like her, Linda Cappanelli cheats on her spelling test, feuds with a classmate, and consults a psychic cook.”
Obviously I am dying to read this, even if it’s a spelling test and not a spelling bee. (A PSYCHIC COOK!!!)
Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy, by Jay Williams
Number THIRTEEN in the Danny Dunn series, this one involves Danny using invisibility tech to… catch another kid cheating at a spelling bee??
Also dying to read this, and according to Wikipedia, Ezra Jack Keats illustrated the first four books in the series!
As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President!, by Donna Gephart
Apparently the main character’s feet are so big that she trips in front of the whole school during a spelling bee.
