Spelling It Out

“Spelling It Out” by Margaret Finnegan follows main character Ben Bellini as he sets out on a summer adventure while spending time with his grandmother in San Francisco. The mid-1980s setting and spelling bee plot are intriguing to begin with, but when coupled with Ben’s grandmother’s increasing forgetfulness, the story becomes so much more. The depth that is added by exploring Ben’s relationship with his grandmother and how he learns, little by little, that her memory is diminishing, is sad and deeply realistic. Anyone who has experienced memory loss in someone close to them will understand the heartache and confusion that stems from this disease.

When Ben first arrives in San Francisco, he plans to study with a spelling coach whom his grandmother set up for him. He meets the man and does learn from him, but his relationship with his coach is often volatile. The man is not as friendly as he could be, and the times Ben feels like they have a breakthrough are often overshadowed by the man’s disregard for Ben’s feelings.

It’s only when a girl named Asha comes along, whom Ben meets at the library, that he begins to feel like the idea of persistence (which Asha constantly promotes) is worthwhile. They plan to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee together, and Asha plans to win one year so that Ben can win the next. Their relationship, however, is not overly competitive. Rather, they help build each other up and learn from each other as they discover things about their lives that they didn’t realize before, such as Asha’s basketball past and Ben’s grandmother’s sickness.

The story will make readers smile, tear up, and become nostalgic for past times in their lives. Margaret Finnegan has written a story with an engaging, emotional plot.

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.