Spelling It Out by Margaret Finnegan

Spelling It Out
Author: Margaret Finnegan
Published May 13th, 2025 by Atheneum

Summary: 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.

About the Author: Margaret Finnegan is the author of the Junior Library Guild Selections Sunny Parker Is Here to Stay, New Kids and Underdogs, Susie B. Won’t Back Down, and We Could Be Heroes, which was a USA TODAY bestseller. Her other work has appeared in FamilyFun, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and other publications. She lives in South Pasadena, California, where she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dog, and baking really good chocolate cakes. Visit her online at MargaretFinnegan.com.

Find Margaret Finnegan on social media!
Instagram: @finneganbegin
Facebook: @Margaret Finnegan
Bluesky @finneganbegin

Review: 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!

Educators’ Tools for Navigation: Attention, word nerds! Check out these fun activities for Spelling It Out!

And I LOVE teaching students word parts. I think it is one of the best strategies to help students with unknown vocabulary, and in the case of this book, in spelling. We do a schoolwide Word Parts list where the word parts are shared on our news, weekly update, and newsletter and is supported throughout the school to build on vocabulary.

Discussion Questions:

What were some signs that Nan’s memory issues were dementia before Ben figured it out?
How does the story taking place in 1985 San Francisco affect the story (vs. it being set in modern times)?
Why do you think the author chose to have Asha in the story?
What does Ben’s family mean by the web analogy after they come to Nan’s house?
Why did Ben need to go to San Francisco alone for the story to happen?
Why do you think the author made Roger Nott such a bully?

Flagged Passages:

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