Spelling It Out

by Margaret Finnegan

A rising seventh grader visits his grandmother in San Francisco for a whirlwind summer of spelling bee training, only to begin suspecting she has Alzheimer’s, in this witty and compassionate middle grade novel for fans of Al Capone Does My Shirts.

Ben Bellini didn’t mean to become a champion speller—after all, he’s not a nerd—but he sure does like spelling bee glory now that it’s found him. He might even be good enough for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC! And what better way to prepare than to train with a professional spelling coach in San Francisco, where his nan lives?

Through his adventures, Ben gets to know the city—and competitor Asha Krishnakumar, who’s equally determined to spell her way to victory. But Ben also starts having odd interactions with his nan that leave him feeling like he’s missing something. Where is Nan’s forgetfulness coming from? And will anyone even believe him if he tries to get help?

Between showing up for his loved ones and pursuing his own dreams, Ben will need to spend this summer figuring out what he owes others…and what he owes himself.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Juvenile, Book Club

208 pages, Hardcover

Published May 13, 2025

About the author

Margaret Finnegan's work has appeared in Salon, LA Times, FamilyFun and other publications. She is the author of the middle-grade novel, WE COULD BE HEROES (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)--NOW A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION!

She lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and her dog, Walt. She loves baking, soft-serve ice cream, and walking her dog.

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa. For a short book, this one packs a punch.
Ben recently discovered something new about himself. He unexpectedly won a school spelling bee, and the farther he advanced, the more he liked winning! Now he has a chance to possibly enter the Scripps’ National Spelling Bee in D.C., if he buckles down and really practices. His grandmother Nan has the perfect solution; Ben can spend a few weeks with her in San Francisco, and she’ll hook him up with his own spelling master tutor. Ben has always enjoyed visits to his Nan’s place, so after finally persuading his protective parents to let him go (providing he follows all their rules), he’s off, spelling word flash cards in hand!
But on this visit things seem…different. Ben can’t put his finger on exactly what has changed about his Nan, but she is in her 70’s. Maybe it’s normal for older people to be forgetful and confused sometimes, he thinks. What with practicing with his very grouchy tutor, and helping his Nan out a lot by doing what she asks him to, Ben is busy, and doesn’t let himself think about things getting out of control, until they do…
This book was just so, brilliant! The nostalgic 1985 setting (No cell phones! People using VCRs! Johnny Carson doing monologues!), brought back memories. I loved the hyphenated spelling words and definitions at the beginnings of the chapters, which pertained to the plot. Nan’s neighbor Mrs. Sunabe was a rather mysterious character, in that she took special care of Nan without being asked, and also in the giving of an inadvertent history lesson about Japanese internment during WW2. Even the overprotectiveness of Ben’s parents pulled a heartstring for me. This was the time of children being warned of “stranger danger”, in response to highly publicized kidnappings like Adam Walsh’s, a time I well remember. And lastly, the cover art was beautiful and so spot-on(Ben with his 80’s hair past his shoulders, and feathered!)

[Erica Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spelling It Out follows spelling bee competitor Ben's experience staying with his grandmother during the summer before seventh grade. After placing twelfth in the 1985 Southern California regional spelling bee, Ben convinces his parents to let him spend the summer with his Nan in San Francisco studying for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. However, when he arrives, he sees that not everything is what it seemed: Nan is acting strange, and his coach is a bit of a jerk. He befriends a fellow Scripps hopeful, Asha, and has a whirlwind of a summer learning about prefixes, suffixes, and the South Asian American experience; reckoning with concepts of masculinity and memory; and working out what is going on with Nan.

This was lovely. Spelling It Out wrestles with lots of important, relevant topics: memory (collective memory, rote memory, the loss of memory); racism, sexism, and their interlacings; the fallible bully vs the strong "web" of one's inner circle; the inevitable grasp toward freedom made by many a rising seventh grader; the sickness and imminent death of a family member. On top of feeling very grounded in its 1985 San Francisco setting, the novel's prose shifts effortlessly to frame the story as appropriate. We variously hear the voice of 12-year-old Ben narrating events as they happen, and an older, adult Ben looking back, telling his story. As a framing device, I loved this, and felt that it really helped drive home the theme of memory, aging, and family. It reminded me a lot of an oral history project, actually. I can picture this book being an edited version of a transcript from a grandchild's college oral history project; at times you can hear the fondness creeping through from Adult Ben as he describes what must have been a truly transformative summer.

Ben grapples throughout with so many themes, but the one that sticks out most to me now is his process of discovering his definition of masculinity, and the responsibility that "comes with" being a man. It was delivered in a way that made a lot of sense to me - there's this recurring comparison of three stereotypes of men in three films released in 1985-6ish that I (a 2003 baby) know at least peripherally - but I wonder how that will resonate with today's 12-year-olds. Are the kids still watching Back To The Future? They'd better be. Parts of Ben's musings also came about after having heard about Asha's experiences as the only South Asian student she knows in the area, and those she gained as a girl growing up on that intersection of being othered for her race and her gender.

The only minor gripe I had was that the ending seemed to sneak up on me, and I wanted a little bit more developed closure for Ben, Asha, and the family. And, I know what happened to Nan, but I think it's an interesting choice not to really delve into it. I don't think it would have been the hardest sell of the themes in this one.

Overall, beautifully done, and I'm excited to have read it now, since I'll just have returned from my first trip to San Francisco when this one releases. :)

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Finnegan (Susie B Won’t Back Down, We Could Be Heroes, New Kids & Under Dogs) gives middle grade readers a book about far more than simply two competitive spellers. True, Ben and Asha both have their sights set on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, but during this summer before 7th grade, the two will discover far more than how to spell and use difficult words; they will search deep within themselves and learn to take joy in what they love and realize that their “people” are out there and will be the ones who embrace that joy with them.

Ben never realized how much he would enjoy competing against other excellent spellers but here he was, a 12th place regional finisher who doesn’t want to settle for that level again. His grandmother, called Nan by her grandkids, has offered to cover the cost of his trip to San Francisco to stay with her and prepare for future competitions with a former winner of the Scripps bee. However, when he arrives, he finds that his new coach is a bully, a potential challenger may make a better friend and his Nan may be more than simply forgetful and “scattered.”

What a wonderful look at the very real struggle for all of us, but especially young people, to live up to everyone else’s expectations even when those goals, standards, pursuits are not what they want. Another strong thread is the importance of family and friends, especially in the face of challenges like Alzheimer’s.

Highly recommended for library collections serving grades 4-6, especially those with high circulation in realistic fiction that warms hearts such as titles from Barbara O’Conner, Jordan Sonnenblick, Gary Schmidt, Amanda Rawson Hill, Gillian McDunn and others. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. Representation: Asha is South Asian American, strong and supportive family groups

Thanks for the dARC, Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books

“I could tell-it was written all over her face-that Asha wasn’t convinced. My words were just a tiny drop of water in the sea of her life. Like me, she’d so quietly and persistently told herself that she had to be the person people expected her to be that it was hard to see another way. But I did. Because I’d had Asha. I’d had Nan. I’d had my family. We might not have made up a very big island. We might not have even been an island that cared about the same things. But it turned out that those things didn’t matter. What mattered was that our island stayed together-and it would stay together, because it was tied together in a web of love.” (93% thru book)

“You know who else had my back? My friends at home…Still, over time, their interests led them to make new friends, and mine led me to make my own. We haven’t stayed in touch. But that’s okay. In the memory palace of my life, they hold a good spot, and I can still see them all so clearly…As for those other classmates I was so worried about? They take up so little room in my memory palace. Over time, their voices got dimmer and dimmer, until they were just little whispers that I hear sometimes when I made a mistake or did something stupid.” (From the epilogue/afterword)

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ben Bellini enjoys spelling, but in 1985, surrounded by tough-guy movie images of Rambo, he’s concerned that spelling’s not something men do. Then Nan invites him to spend the summer with her in San Francisco to train with Roger Nott, a Scripps National Spelling Bee–winning coach. He can’t say no!" [Kirkus]

[Brenda Kahn]

What an absolute delight. While it is sad that Ben's grandmother is slipping into the grips of Alzheimer's, Ben's coming of age is so sweet and endearing. I loved this.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about more than spelling. Yes, it is about spelling, but it is about more than that. It is about finding your passion, growing up, and family. Ben truly gets the chance to figure himself out when he is sent alone to be with his grandmother’s house; especially when his Nan is exceedingly absent from his day-to-day. The struggle Ben has to determine out how he fits into the world is one that many readers will connect with, and if they don’t, they’ll connect with his friend Asha’s similar struggles. Kirkus calls it “a thoughtful coming-of-age story,” and I agree with this sentiment.
I also loved the extra aspects that just truly added to the story:

With Ben, we get to explore San Francisco in the 1980s, which is the perfect background to his story.
Asha, like I shared above, is struggling with fighting prejudice as an Indian American girl, specifically in basketball.
Through Nan’s story, we get to learn about women in architecture and struggles of women in male dominated careers in the early 20th century.
Mrs. Sunabee, Nan’s neighbor, was in Japanese internment camps during WWII.

And to add extra fun, this year is the 100-year anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee! It is a perfect year to celebrate spelling and Scripps!

Full review with educators' tools: https://www.unleashingreaders.com/28958

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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**

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's 1985, and Ben Bellini lives in Southern California with his parents and younger siblings Erin and Mark. He is interested in studying more to participate in the spelling bee, and even buys the first volume of the Runk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia at the grocery store for 99 cents. He worries that his friends will make fun of his spelling obsession, so when his grandmother arranges for him to study with a former champion, Roger Nott, and live with her in San Francisco, he really wants to go. His mother is reluctant, but relents, and soon Ben is ensconced in his Nan's cool house that she designed and built in 1954. Nan was a pioneer in home design and architecture, but Ben notices that things are a little... off. The house is a mess, and Nan seems to be having trouble remembering things. He arrives late at Nott's bookshop, and thinks that the man won't work with him. He wanders into the nearby library and meets Asha, who is also studying for the bee. He meets Nan's neighbors, like Mrs. Sunabe, whose family were in internment camps during WWII. He does study with Nott, and hangs out with Asha, but when his grandmother has a crisis, he finally gets a hold of his mother (calls are expensive, and there are no cell phones!) and has her come. His mother decides to stay and help ready the house for sale. An epilogue tells us more about Ben and Asha's life.

I don't know that I've seen too many books that include spelling bees (other than Selzer's 2009 I Put a Spell on You, Blakemore's The Friendship Riddle , Howell's Second to None, Bowling's Dust, and Mills' Simon Ellis, Spelling Bee Champ), but the real draw here is San Francisco in the 1980s. Something about Ben's family life and siblings was so realistic that I was very surprised at the author's note that said this WASN'T based on her real life. The details about Nan's architectural work are fascinating. This goes well with Camiccia's The Memory Keeper or Li's Ruby, Lost and Found, which are both set in San Francisco and about grandmothers with memory loss.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben loves competitive spelling. He stumbled on it by accident after winning the class spelling bee, then the district bee and finally ending up at the regional spelling bee - and all of those wins without any preparation. What would happen if he actually prepared? His grandmother, Nan, wants him to come to San Francisco for the summer to train with her friend. Ben’s mom remembers Nan when she was growing up; Nan who always put her architecture career first, Nan who was late for her wedding. Mom is certain Nan will just let Ben run wild in the city and Dad thinks it costs too much for the flight, but somehow Nan convinces them.to let Ben go.

This story, set in 1985 in Southern California and San Francisco, tells how Ben learned to navigate San Francisco on his own and how he learned to stand up to a bully. It’s also the story of how he came to the realization that he needed to persist in loving what he loved, and ignore those who were putting him down. And finally it’s the story of the memory palaces Ben learned to build to help both his spelling and to help Nan as her memories began to slip away.

The characters and their stories captivated me in this middle-grade book, and the setting made me feel as though I was trudging up and down the hills of San Francisco during the summer of 1985. I admired Ben's courage and resourcefulness, and enjoyed imagining Nan's life as an architect. I appreciated how Ben's family united to support his summer with Nan and helped him to build her memory palace.

This is a book that belongs in every elementary, middle school, and public library. It's perfect for readers seeking a captivating read, as well as for those dealing with a loved one's battle with dementia.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Bellini finds out unexpectedly that he is good at Spelling and Spelling Bees. And just as unexpected? He enjoys it. Without even trying, Ben makes it to the Southern California regional spelling Bee and comes in 12th. Now a whole world opens up to him (one he didn't know existed before), where people study words and hire coaches to train for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. But is this what he wants to be known for? Won't his friends tease him for being so nerdy?

When his grandmother learns of his success, she quickly invites him to stay with her in San Francisco for the summer and train with a professional spelling coach. After a lot persuading of his overprotective parents, Ben is off to the city.

Ben is quickly faced with challenges related to his "flaky" grandmother. He has to navigate the city and the cantankerous coach on his own. With the help of a new friend, he slowly starts to gain confidence and become comfortable with who he truly is. He also realizes that sometimes you have to ask for help. He finally realizes the truth about his grandmother's memory loss and calls for reinforcements because some challenges are too big to manage on your own.

This will be a great book to recommend for students who love words, spelling, and needing to love yourself for who you are, no matter how quirky others think your gifts are.

Thank you Edelwiess Plus for the eARC.

[Luv2TrvlLuvBks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can a female author accurately capture a young boy's voice?

Not just in words contemporaneous with the time period, but in tone and emotion?

This book answers those questions with a resounding "YES".

The author captures a snapshot of Ben's childhood with a trip to his Nan's in SF. An opportunity presents itself to hone a craft that seemed to set himself from his peers. He's at that age where his circle of friends finds their interests diverging. Perhaps this trip will sharpen his skill set. Turns out the trip will be more than he bargained for.

The discerning reader (young and old) will enjoy the clever connection between how a chapter is entitled and what is contained in the chapter. They will hear Ben's "voice" in the numerous use of italics for phrases and sentences. Reality contains some harsh truths as to illness. When you encounter a book like this that takes those harsh truths and packages them in a thoughtful, careful way, a reader whose life is upended may be left with feeling more understood.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Atheneum Books for Young Readers, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Pete Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sixth grader Ben Bellini is one of those kids who never studies but still manages to win his school's spelling bee. After he finishes 12th in the regional spelling bee, and with his grandmother's encouragement, he begs his parents to allow him to spend the summer with Nan in San Francisco and work with professional spelling coach Roger Nott, a former winner of the national Scripps Spelling Bee. His overprotective parents aren't keen on the idea at first, particularly since they think Nan's childrearing style is lax, but they reluctantly agree.

Ben's summer is full of new adventures and experiences. He finds out that Roger Nott is more of a bully than an encouraging coach, makes an Indian American friend named Asha who teaches him the importance of persistence when pursuing any goal, and learns that Nan's forgetfulness is far more serious than anyone in the family realizes. Asha and Ben encourage each other to follow their dreams and not let anyone's discouraging words get in the way.

I have not read too many children's books that touch on the subject of dementia as skillfully as author Margaret Finnegan does in her novel. It's sensitive but real. Having been through many of the same experiences with my own mother, I found it very relatable.

[Allison Turkish · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

There were a lot of things I liked about this book: the friendship between Ben and Sasha, the interest in spelling and information about spelling bee competitions, and especially how Ben matured during the summer he spent with his grandmother in San Francisco.

Ben learned that some grown-ups are snarky and not necessarily worth liking (Roger the former spelling champion, used book owner, and "tutor").

For the above reasons, I think this is a good book for middle schoolers.

I didn't like the book's sort of abrupt ending which summarized years of his grandmother's dementia although I'm not sure how I would have ended the book instead.

Oh, and at first I loved the author's use of a "s-p-e-l-l-e-d o-u-t" vocabulary words for the title of each chapter but there's inconsistency in some very defined and some having a comment attached. The latter just annoyed me.

The author's note mentions the phenomenon of South Asian kids winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee for almost all the years between 1985 and 2024. Plus a documentary called Spelling the Dream which I look forward to watching.

[LS Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot I liked about the book - the friendship between Ben and Asha, all the great vocabulary, Ben's love for his nan, and the format of the chapters which added a lot of interest to the story. I also appreciated the book length which is great for the intended audience. But there were also things that felt disjointed and took me out of the story. I thought Roger, the spelling coach, was an abuser. His interactions with Ben were grooming him to accept the abuse (mean one day, nice the next; gaslighting Ben; making Ben question his judgement about things; raging after Ben sets boundaries, etc.) I thought the grown-ups in his life dismissed Ben when he tried to share concerns about Roger and Nan. Why were there comments about a named character (Steven) who "wondered which girls were wearing bras"? That character is named twice in the book with the same comment but Steven is not related to the plot at all and never appears anywhere in the story. And the ending was so abrupt and seemed random. I was excited for a book about a spelling bee but this one isn't it for me.

[WKPL Children's/YA Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Lori enjoyed revisiting the 1980's in this story about a boy who finds he really likes spelling competitions and thinks he might even be good enough to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington DC. His grandmother invites him to San Fransisco to train with a former Spelling Bee champion, who he finds to be mean and argumentative. While in SF, he meets another Spelling Bee Champion "wanna be" and they become friends. He learns he can lean on her as he realizes his beloved Nan's (grandma) forgetfulness is getting bad and could be dangerous.

This is a good middle grade story that touches on believing in yourself and your talents, despite what others might think of you. Aging and dementia and how is affects a family are in the forefront of this tale as well. If you like spelling, there's a bit of that in the book as well.

I recommend this for 5th and 6th graders, boys and girls alike.

[Erin Buhr]

This middle grade is perfect for summer. The main character, Ben, goes to stay with his grandma in San Francisco for the summer to prep for his next big spelling bee with an eye on qualifying for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

In San Francisco, Ben meets Asha who is also determined to win the National Spelling Bee. They form a friendship while he navigates the city, endures a crabby tutor, and worries over his increasingly forgetful Nan. Lots of spelling, vocabulary and studying are sprinkled throughout.

This is a story about figuring out who you are and pushing through difficult things. From Asha he learns to “Persist, persist, persist” and their friendship helps them both do just that. It is also a story about memories and how they shape our lives and who we are. A carefully layered story with lots of interesting characters.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting middle school novel dealing with some real issues with an unusual approach. Coming of age and finding your place in the world is an important concern for this age group as is finding your strengths in the face of peer pressure. Here 7th grader Ben has discovered how much he enjoys competitive spelling after placing 12th in a huge regional bee, he gets a chance to sped the summer with his much loved grandmother and study with a spelling national champion.

Ben worries about being bullied at school but over the course of the summer he finds his courage and self-confidence.

A charming but equally determined girl teaches him to persist. persist, persist and also aids him as he copes with his grandmother as she struggles with dementa - something his parents hadn't realized

A sweet stry with some difficult subjects at its heart,

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben wants to be the National Spelling Bee Champ and stays w Nan, who is very forgetful, who knows a man who can help him study. Ben makes a new friend,Asha. #dementia

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well certainly ALOT of issues addressed here, and yet an interesting juxtaposition. Did not care for open-ended guess @ end, but that aside the story was engaging.

[Roberta]

Sweet middle reader book