Spelldown

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in a folksy South Carolina town in 1968, this heartrending and funny debut novel deftly evokes place, time and character. Karlene, a gutsy eighth-grader determined to win the Shirley County Spelldown, narrates in a charming voice that exudes her love of words. Mrs. Harrison, her new Latin teacher, brings the dead language alive, for Karlene and for readers. The woman volunteers to be her spelling coach and warmly welcomes Karlene into her heart and her home. As the teen spends time in their seemingly perfect household, babysitting for the two Harrison children, Karlene envisions her teacher and loving husband as her "pretend parents." Theirs is a different world from Karlene's: her father's soul has become "trapped in a liquor bottle" and her increasingly dispirited mother labors long days at the mill. In one especially moving scene, the girl hauls a Christmas tree through the woods to her younger twin brothers waiting at home, musing, "the way it looks around here, it's up to me to make the holiday happen." Readers will revel in the heroine's much heralded public victories, yet her private triumphs—among them a longed-for first kiss from a kind older boy and her reunion with her father at a treatment center—are even more moving and memorable. Peppering her narrative with copious references to '60s songs (Karlene observes that a sad teacher "probably keeps her face in a jar by the door like Eleanor Rigby"), Luddy has composed a resonant, applause-worthy work of fiction. Ages 10-up. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Karlene's parents work at the mill in Red Clover, SC, but spelling talent will afford their 13-year-old greater opportunity. Even with her sister's marriage to "El Creepo," the chaos brought on by twin younger brothers, and the stirrings of affection for a local boy, Karlene manages to become the Shirley County Spelldown champion. The eighth grader's natural acumen gets a real boost from an amazing Latin teacher whose love of language, zany approach to learning and life, and vast knowledge make her a mentor at school and beyond. When Karlene begins babysitting for her teacher, she soaks up the peace and intellect in the woman's home, which is so different from her own, where there's a hardworking mama and a daddy who can't seem to stay with the Twelve Step program. This novel takes readers to the state bee and the 1968 national competition in Washington, DC. Months of training and competing form the centerpiece of Karlene's pursuit of success, occasionally becoming the backdrop to painful family issues that demand her attention. Fans of Akeelah and the Bee will enjoy this literate and moving tale and its audacious and endearing protagonist. This book is a natural fit for those bright, verbal readers who frequent the library. With chapters introduced by story-related vocabulary words, it celebrates the music of the era, the flavor of the South, and the magic of words to empower young people.—Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.