Spelling It Out

Gr 4-6–Twelve-year-old Ben Bellini, a competitive speller, spends the summer of 1985 staying with his grandmother in San Francisco so he can be tutored by a former national spelling bee champion. As the summer progresses, Ben grows disillusioned with his irascible tutor, befriends fellow speller Asha Krishnakumar, and savors the freedom of exploring the city alone, away from his protective parents. His delight in his newfound independence is shadowed by a growing awareness that his grandmother, once a famous architect, is exhibiting symptoms of dementia. Readers who enjoy the lighthearted humor of the early chapters may be disappointed when it is eclipsed, first by Ben’s contemplation of what it means to be a “real man,” and ultimately by his worry and sorrow over Nan’s cognitive decline. With an intersectional cast of characters, the book probes questions of feminism, race, masculinity, and community, but its scant 200 pages don’t allow for any of these to be explored in satisfying depth. Narrated by an adult Ben in the present day, the past-tense framing dampens the emotional impact.