Ben Bellini gets the Spelling Bee bug when he becomes his school’s champ and advances to regionals. That’s where he finds out that people take the competitions seriously, and most contestants study for them. Ben’s friends don’t really get his newfound interest, which makes him unsure if he wants to pursue it. That is, until his grandmother invites him to spend the summer with her in San Francisco and train with a professional spelling coach.

But Ben finds that all is not as he expected when he arrives in the city. His grandma frequently forgets things, the spelling coach is kind of a bully, and he befriends a girl at the library who is also spending her summer studying spelling. As the summer goes on, he gains confidence by being in charge of getting himself around town and making sure he and his grandma have food to eat.

Yet when all his relationships start to spiral out of control, Ben will need to configure out what’s most important to him as well as how to ask for help when he needs it.

Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan is a tender coming-of-age story about a boy who isn’t sure of himself and his evolving relationships with his friends and family. Ben really likes spelling even though he thinks his friends see it as nerdy. He likes the freedom he has to come and go as he needs to in the city without his grandma, but he worries about the times she forgets he needs her to take him somewhere. He likes spending time at the library with Asha, but she’s working through friendship issues of her own.

Over the weeks Ben learns a lot about himself, which helps him figure out the right thing to do when a crisis occurs. There are lots of issues for moms and daughters to discuss in Spelling It Out. I recommend it for ages 9 to 12.

Also, if your inclined to learn more, check out info on the 100-year anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Plus, the author has some fun activities to check out on her website.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.