It's MMGM with a review of Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan

Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan
Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Format:  E-ARC
Number of pages:   208 pages
Publishing:  May 15th, 2025
Source:  Blue Slip Media

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Opening Lines: "Picture it: 1985.  There I am: Ben Bellini.  Sixth grade, but probably looking closer to fifth. (why? because my parents threw me into kindergarten when I was four and a half years old, and I was a shrimp to boot.)" 

Ben really enjoys competitive spelling, it gives him a jolt to stand on stage and visualize each word before spelling it out.  He doesn't even mind that he has to answer quickly; it prevents him from getting tongue-tied when there's a time restraint.   However, competitive spelling is not something that Ben feels comfortable sharing with his friends because he worries about getting teased, laughed at or called a nerd.  Especially after placing twelfth at the Southern California Regional Spelling Bee.  Ben feels it's one of the hardest things that he's ever done, but his friends still wouldn't understand.

Ben is all but ready to abandon spelling competitions until his grandmother proposes he spend the summer at her place in San Francisco, where he can be coached by the former national spelling bee winner, Roger Nott.  Initially, Ben's parents aren't up for the idea but with some persuasion they eventually agree to let him go.

Upon Ben's arrival in California things get off to a rocky start when his grandmother is not at the gate to meet him.  After a short while, Nan finally arrives, and they return to her house. As he gets settled, Ben begins to notice some changes around Nan's house. It is a little unkempt, and a few things are broken. However, Ben pushes these troubling thoughts aside and plans for his first meeting with Nott's.  Once again, Nan is nowhere be found when it's time for Ben to leave.  He takes it upon himself to find the bus route to Nott's bookstore but arrives late for his appointment and is convinced that he has ruined his chance with Nott.

Disgruntled with his bad luck, Ben wanders into a nearby library where he meets Asha who proceeds to tell him jokingly that she's going to beat him in the next spelling bee.  He takes this to mean he doesn't have a chance, but Asha says that doesn't mean he should give up.

Nott finally agrees to train Ben, and they begin by learning about prefixes, suffixes and the origins of words.  Ben also continues to meet up with Asha at the library where they practice reciting flash cards.  Ben finally feels like he has met someone who understands him.  However, strange things take place at Nan's and Ben and Asha have a minor falling out.  Nan has forgotten the deal that she made with Nott's and her once scattered thoughts are becoming more memory lapses, frightening Ben.  In order to better help his grandmother, Ben ultimately makes the difficult decision to ask his mother for help.

Spelling it Out is set in 1985 and includes enough references to movies and music to evoke the 80's vibe that I so enjoy. Ben is a wonderful main character; he's grappling with his identity and the kind of person he wants to become. He finds being a competitive speller to be isolating, as it's something that no one else seems to understand or is interested in. He questions the idea of what it means to be a "real man" and is self-conscious about others' perceptions.  Not being perceived as a nerd is important to him.  Asha helps him understand that he can fit into more than one category and the importance of pursuing one's passions.  Ben, in turn, helps Asha understand that she should not let someone's racist views prevent her from playing basketball, an activity she loves doing.

Finnegan wonderfully fleshes out each of her characters and I love all the little details that make each one of them stand out, from Mrs. Sunabe's translucent pink glasses to the specific details about the design of Nan's house.  Nott's character on the other hand really began to frustrate me to no end.  How he felt so belittling and bullying.  Was he trying to get Ben to persevere?  Did Nott even realize that he was making things worse? He really made my blood boil, until Ben happily stated that "my power is mine to give."  I so rallied with him in that moment.  A lovely story that emphasizes believing in yourself, following your passion and asking for help and support when you need it.  Spelling it Out is very timely as this year is the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee   Margaret Finnegan has also created a series of activities to help celebrate Spelling and her books release.  I hope you'll check them out.  

Finally, I really enjoyed the inclusion of the Memory Palace technique, something that I used before in working with individuals who sustained a brain injury.  If you're not familiar with it, it's a way of connecting something that you want to remember to a pre-existing memory.  We used to say it's like walking through the rooms of your house where each room holds an item that you want to recall.  If the room to item pair is strong, it helps the person recall the information. I'm glad I was reminded of this technique again.  

**A huge thank you to Blue Slip Media for the E- ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE