Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan

Image: Simon & Schuster

Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan. 208 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, May 13, 2025. 9781665969673. Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.

This story takes place in 1985, but is narrated by an adult Ben Bellini, who reminisces about his summer of freedom spent in San Francisco with his grandmother. After twelve-year-old Ben wins his sixth grade spelling bee, then his school's bee without much preparation or worry, he finds himself disappointed to lose the regional bee. He worries that liking spelling might get him labeled a nerd, but he really likes the adrenaline rush of competing. 

He lives in Southern California with his older sister and younger brother and rather overprotective parents. When his grandmother, a retired maverick architect, calls with the offer of having Ben stay for the summer so that a friend of hers can coach him, his parents are appalled and Ben is intrigued. This friend of Gran's actually won the National Spelling Bee some time ago! 

After his parents secure promises that Ben will be well supervised, Ben is placed on a plane to San Francisco. Only, his Gran isn't at the gate, and doesn't arrive for quite a while. This is just the first of many little slips to come.

And Gran's friend, Roger? He is nasty and abusive and doesn't seem interested in coaching Ben at all. When he finds refuge at the public library, he meets a kindred spirit. Asha spends her days there studying for the spelling bee!

I'm not sure why this coming-of-age novel had to be narrated by adult Ben, but readers who enjoy character-driven, gentle novels will find him very relatable. He's insecure, but smart and perceptive. He wants to do the right thing, but it takes him a while to realize what that is. He needs to learn to stand up to Roger. He needs to learn how to be a good friend. Most of all, he needs to realize that something is truly wrong with his grandmother. 

Contemporary readers' minds may be blown by Ben's freedom in a big city as much as by life before cell phones and gps. They will also appreciate the humor and heart. 

Spelling It Out will be released on May 13. Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday: Popcorn by Rob Harrell

Image: Penguin Random House

Popcorn by Rob Harrell. 288 p. Dial Books/ Penguin Young Readers Group, September, 2024. 9780593697924. Review of book borrowed from public library.

It's picture day for seventh grader, Andrew Yaeger and he's anxious. It doesn't take much for Andrew to feel anxious. He even has a scale of anxiety, with a kernel of popcorn as the barometer for how anxious he feels. His mom is anxious as well. She wants a good school picture and has even gotten Andrew a new shirt. She's also starting a new job that day as well, one that pays better. Maybe the family will even be able to move to a larger apartment. Things have gotten a bit cramped since G., Andrew's grandmother moved in. He loves G., but sometimes she doesn't recognize Andrew and now he has to sleep on the couch.

This charming, touching, often hilarious novel is told from Andrew's POV and accompanied by spot art and comic panels that add humor to the narrative. It takes place during one school day. Andrew's voice is authentic and immediately relatable. His best friendship with Jonesy is changing, thanks to her being a star on the basketball team, but they are trying to keep things going. Thankfully, he has teachers and the school nurse around who notice and care. 

I can't think of a reader who wouldn't love this book. Popcorn won the Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grade Fiction this past January. I think it will begin showing up on many state book lists soon. Highly recommend!

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord

218 p. Scholastic Press, February 25, 2014. 9780545035330. (Review from arc received at Scholastic Preview ALAMW)

Lucy and her parents are moving household, again. This time from an apartment in Boston to a cottage on a lake in New Hampshire. Her dad is leaving on another photography assignment, again. This time, he'll be shooting endangered insects in Arizona. At the end of the summer, she'll be starting a new school, again. 

When she sees that there are children her age in the neighboring cabins, she's thrilled at the possibility of starting a new school WITH friends. Unfortunately, Nate and Megan are just here for the summer and Megan doesn't seem to keen on sharing her summer friend with Lucy.

She and Nate hit it off though, and soon she's accompanying him and his sister, Emily on Loon Patrol. Nate's grandmother, Lilah, has been recording data for a local conservation group for many years, but is no longer able to get into a kayak to get close enough to observe the loons. Lucy has never paddled a kayak, but soon finds her rhythm and enjoys the outings. She also finds many opportunities to take intriguing photographs. Each time she frames a shot, her mind is on what her dad might say or think.

When Lucy learns of a national photography contest, she's interested in participating. But when she finds out that her father is the judge, she wonders about the ethics of it. Would he dismiss her work? Would he judge it more harshly? Nate helps her with her project by making suggestions and helping to set some photos up. She wonders if he could consent to having his name on the application instead of hers. Would that be ethical? 

Lucy confronts another ethical dilemma when Nate objects to her using a photo of Lilah looking lost and frightened in the portfolio. She understands his feelings, but it's an artful shot, one that really grabs the viewer's attention. It's honest. She debates with herself about who owns the shot, her because she took it or Lilah because she's the subject. She reasons that Nate doesn't have a say, but doesn't want to jeopardize their budding friendship.

This quiet coming-of-age story doesn't have dramatic, edgy issues. It's gentle and totally relatable with deep themes - interpersonal relationships, identity, conservation, friendship and loss. Lucy is likable, introspective and arty as well as a tad competitive. Her hero-worship of her dad is becoming a bit tarnished, which is good because he's a bit of a self-centered twit. The boy-girl friendship is realistically drawn; the dialogue is authentic; and the imagery and descriptive language is lovely. The cover is gorgeous.

Give this to your thoughtful readers, your artistic readers, your readers wanting something a bit sad. They won't be disappointed.