How Do You Spell Geek? [Hardcover]

Julie Anne Peters (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Kimberly and Ann are not thrilled with Lurlene, the geeky new girl at school, but their opinions quickly change when they realize she is an equally good speller and find themselves competing together at the National Spelling Bee.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Conflicts multiply as three eighth-grade classmates vie to make it to the Colorado state spelling bee. Will the winner be Kimberly with the pushy parents and brilliant spelling ability? Or Ann, whose secure world has been shaken by her parents' rancorous divorce? Or Lurlene, the miserably out-of-place, home-schooled student from South Dakota who wears braids and knee socks? Actually, this is just the scaffolding of this minor but solid book, whose interior plot has far more to do with trying to spell out feelings than spelling words. Peters (The Stinky Sneakers Contest) skillfully interweaves the competition with a story of friendship and shifting alliances. Ann, asked to show Lurlene around, first tries to think of ways to escape the odd, clumsy new girl. But when everyone ridicules Lurlene as a "geek," Ann realizes not only who her own real friends are, but that she can be a better person than she imagined. Believable dialogue testifies to the casual cruelty and stumbling kindnesses of middle-schoolers, as well as their saving humor. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8?A clever title, snappy dialogue, and common middle-school problems make this an appealing read. Two eighth-grade best friends have been competing for years in school, county, and state spelling bees. Their dream: to compete together in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Despite eating lunch in the school cafeteria daily with their dictionaries open and quizzing each other nightly, the two haven't quite been labeled full-fledged nerds by their peers. A new girl, however, has. Ann, the narrator, is assigned to show the newcomer around. She ends up not only befriending the misfit, but also "de-geeks" her and discovers in her a potential champion speller. Of course, the thorny problem of a threesome now thickens the plot. Although Peters paints her characters in broad strokes, she manages to skirt creating stock stereotypes by introducing compassion and wit into their personalities. The thoughts and attitudes of the narrator are especially well developed. There's a proper sprinkling of current slang and references to move the story along. A breezy, satisfying read with a not-so-subtle message about fitting in, acceptance, and friendship.?Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 139 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Juv); 1st edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316702668
• ISBN-13: 978-0316702669
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,852,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For the last 20+ years, I've been writing books for young readers. My YA novel, Luna, the story of a transgender teen beginning her transition from male to female, was a National Book Award finalist and an American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults. (Thank you award committee members.) My other books about gender queer youth include Keeping You a Secret, Far from Xanadu (which is now Pretend You Love Me), Between Mom and Jo, grl2grl: short fictions, Rage: A Love Story, and She Loves You, She Loves You Not... My newest title, published in 2010, is By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead. I have a new book scheduled for 2012 titled, It's Our Prom (So Deal With It).

I'm a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Pen America, the Authors Guild, and the Colorado Authors' League. I live with my long-suffering partner, Sherri Leggett, in Lakewood, Colorado. (We're celebrating our 38th anniversary this year. Seriously, I don't know how she stands living with a neurotic writer.)

More information about me and my books can be found on my Web site: www.JulieAnnePeters.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A funny, true, inspirational book., December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: How Do You Spell Geek? (An Avon Camelot Book) (Paperback)

This book is about how a new girl came to school, and another girl taught her how to not be a geek anymore. It turned out that that girl turned out to win the State Spelling Bee.