Spellbound

by Janet McDonald

Raven Jefferson never expected she’d be a mother at sixteen like her best friend, Aisha. Now she’s stuck being just another high school dropout, a project girl with few prospects. Or maybe not; Raven does have ambition. Still, when is she going to find the time to finish school? All her time is spent looking for a job or taking care of her son, Smokey. Then her older sister, Dell, tells her about a spelling bee that promises the winner a full college scholarship. But spelling? There isn’t a subject she’s worse at! Yet Raven is fiercely determined to find a way to get her life back on track. So she starts memorizing words. There’s no reason not to try. . . .

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Cultural, Teen, African American, Coming Of Age

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Janet McDonald was an American writer of young adult novels as well as the author of 'Project Girl', a memoir about her early life in the Brooklyn projects and struggle to achieve an Ivy League education. Her best known children's book is Spellbound, which tells the story of a teenaged mother who wins a spelling competition and a college scholarship. The book was named as the American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults in 2002.

In addition to books, McDonald also wrote articles for publications such as Slate, including one in which she paid psychic Sylvia Browne $700 for a telephone reading. McDonald was a member of Mensa, the high IQ society.

After graduating from Vassar (1977), Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (1984), and New York University Law School (1986), McDonald practiced law in New York City (1986-1989) and Seattle (1989-1991). She took a position as an intern at a Paris law firm (1991-1993) before moving to Olympia, Washington to work in the Attorney General's office and teach French language classes at Evergreen State College. McDonald settled in Paris in 1995 to work first as an international attorney and then as a writer, until she died of cancer in 2007


For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/janet-mc...

Reviews

[slewan · Rating 2 out of 5]

kändes som att ploten hade potential men författaren försökte trycka in allt på 160 sidor o då blev det ganska dåligt

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raven was a smart girl who made one too many mistakes. Now she is a teenage mother and a highschool dropout living with her mother. Her best friend is Aisha, another dropout with a child. It's what happens in the projects. Raven isn't ready to give up just yet, though. Her older sister tells her about a scholardship she could get if she wins a spelling bee. Raven decides to go for it, and gets Aisha's help preparing. She must take this last chance to make her dreams come true.

[Miss Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about friendship, identity, assumptions, discrimination, acceptance, responsibility, respect, pathways, and making the most of it.
It is set in the projects highlighting some of the issues like broken elevators and some of the benefits like the music and "godmothers". 'Old women often appointed themselves godmother to a neighbourhood child, whether the kid wanted her or not. It was one of the things Dell still loved about the projects.'
The author's realistic use of dialogue immediately reveals the true character of both Raven and Aisha. Their humorous yet honest banter shows their support of each other through trying times. '...they kick you off welfare after five years, no matter what.'
Raven is faced with rejection and the words that are uttered stay with her, perhaps as an incentive to carve a new pathway: 'It goes without saying that you need a diploma to get a job, any job. And we certainly don't provide day care.'

[Adora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is unbelievable... in a bad way. Raven, a high school student, who can't spell basic words suddenly learns how to spell and wins a spelling bee after all of these years? Also, toward the end feels like we barely reached the climax. I enjoyed Aisha, the loud baby mom stereotype and hearing about the project culture, but that's about it. Don't get me wrong. I think Janet McDonald is a great writer. There's a reason why I made it to the end (not the very end, 'cause I got sick of it). But... seriously? If this is supposed to be motivating, she failed. When writing a book like this, the road to winning HAS to be believable. Rest in peace, Janet. She was a member of Mensa and I can see that, but the plot could've been much better.

[Radish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book about teenage mothers beating the odds and forging their way to a brighter future. Spellbound focuses on identity, social class, friendship, and family dynamics. The book also shows how people negatively view people who live in the projects. It was interesting to read how Raven’s sister, Dell, did not want to be associated with the projects despite growing up in it. The characters were likable. I rooted for Raven to achieve her goals and I loved Aisha’s quips about the world around her. I did wish the book explored more of Aisha’s life. She’s such a fun character and I wish there was more development for her.

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Black Girl Magic

This story spoke to Black women’s ability to make something out of nothing. It spoke to our determination and resilience. That made the story more enjoyable for me. It started off like it was going to bash disadvantaged teens. At times, it felt like a caricature of what a teen growing up in the projects would be like. It got better as the story went on. I found myself rooting for Raven to succeed.

[Bari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than Cjill Wind with the depictions of hope and direction. But needs some awarness of US culture and the social class disparity, birth control poverty and educational disparities in different communities to be fully appreciated.

[Elaine Pelton · Rating 2 out of 5]

“She heard Dell saying, 'Employers can tell a project girl from a mile away. Ghetto hips.'”

At the age of 17, as a result of her first and only sexual encounter, Raven Jefferson becomes a mother and drops out of high school. She enjoys her baby and clowning around with her best friend Aisha, but aspires to do more in life than flip burgers. Her older sister, who has managed to move on from the projects and land a position as a paralegal assistant, encourages Raven to enter the Spell Success contest, offering a college-preparatory program and full four-year scholarship to the winner of their spelling bee. Although Raven believes that spelling is her biggest weakness, with her eyes on the prize, she buckles down and accepts the challenge.

Honestly, I thought the overall plot was kind of hokey. It hardly seemed believable that there would be some program out there where winning a spelling bee earns you an automatic ticket to college, regardless of whether or not you meet the most minimal requirements. It seemed even less believable that a young single mom in the ghetto who admits her biggest weakness is spelling, succeeds in sounding out the word “puerile” and heroically wins the contest. That aside, this book was pretty sweet and funny, the dialogue was craftily written, and the characters were fairly three-dimensional. It was inspiring, and showed a sympathetic, lighter side to the urban projects. I found it enjoyable to read and would recommend it to younger urban teens.

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

[ReGina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of Raven Jefferson, a sixteen-year-old new mother who lives in the projects and has dropped out of school. Her best friend, who is also a teen mother who dropped out, helps take care of her baby when Raven is working her horrible fast-food job. But her older sister tells her about a chance for her to go to college by winning a spelling bee. Raven needs a new chance, so she starts studying words.

I had really mixed feelings about this book. There is a lot of colloquial talk in this book, which I have mixed feelings about. There are mild references to sex and Ai, the best friend, is pregnant with baby number two. This is a real-life situation for some kids, and this book might be easy for them to relate to. On the other hand, it consistently trashes boys and men, and it completely glosses over how difficult it is to study for these spelling bees. No mention of etymology or even understanding that different language origins affect spelling. I did like that they had several references to what these girls thought having a baby would be like as compared to what it actually is like, but I still didn't see enough of the struggle.

I don't know that I would recommend this book to a kid. If I did, it would have to be exactly the right one - definitely middle or high school.

[Salsabrarian]

At 16, Raven has dropped out of school to have her baby boy, Smokey. Her best friend Aisha is also in the same situation. Raven had been making payments on her class ring and graduation gown but that's all out the window. Dell, her older sister who's gone to college and works as a legal assistant, feels Raven could have done better than become a welfare mama with a project booty. She wells Raven about Spell for Success, a spelling bee in which the winner wins a four-year college scholarship. Raven thinks Dell is crazy especially since Raven can't spell. She finally decides to give it a try. In the meantime, Raven runs into Jesse, the baby's father. Jesse had no idea Raven was pregnant and now Raven faces eating dinner with Jesse and his upper-class parents and wondering if Jesse can save her from a life with no prospects.

[David Ramirez]

The book so far is good . The book got a little hard in the middle since i lost the book & i stopped reading it for a little bit so I am going to re read some chapters . But the book is pretty good . It talk's about a girl named Raven & Her life . And about how they are broke , Living in the project's , And her famaly . She Doesen't want to be another girl who screwed up , so she goes out & looks for help and end's up finding out her mom was a person she could have asked for help after all . What Ive Noticed is that as a reader Ive been getting better , but at the same time worst . I don't read as good as I used too . But once I keep practicing & participating im pretty sure I will have the confidence I need .

[Rad · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I picked this up prepared to be enthralled by a spelling bee and spelling bee practice, timelines, what not. (I'm fairly interested in spelling bees. What are they? How do they work?) This turned out to be ... not that. But I wasn't disappointed, because the dialogue came right off the page, the characters were all likable, and I genuinely felt concern for the main character.

That's about it. Oh, and my cover has a bunch of girls at the bottom and I can't figure out who any of them are supposed to be in the novel. Part of me thinks the designer put them there to cover up some empty space or something.

[Manisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book was very exciting because there was a large amount of foreshadowing that made you want to read on.Spellbound really gave you a true life example of how you shouldnt get caught up with peer pressure and sex at a young age because the main character, Raven had a child in High School and had to drop out. I really believe that other students should read spellbound because they should have at least an idea of how life is.

[Alex Ratas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty good. It shows how we all encounter difficulties in life, some extremely tough, but if you are determined for success you will overcome those difficulties. Rav had it tough getting pregnant at 16, and although she didn't finish high school, her mom (Gwen) sister (Dell) and best friend (Ai) helped her reach her dreams of going to college by winning the spelling contest to earn a scholarship to a 4 year college.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I would not enjoy this book and found it was indeed enjoyable. The author lives overseas but portrays the reality and emotions of the pregnant young teen in the inner city projects with amazing insight.

[Demetris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book,it is also a great encourament/pick-me-up for anyone who is thinking about giving up.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME!!!! It will remind you of Akeelah and the Bee...but maybe better.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

great urban -but not trashy- young adult novel / series.

[Ashlee]

love

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, thoughtful, and at times funny young adult novel about a teenage mother trying to get her life back together.

[Monique Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super easy read with such an inspirational message. It wasn't overly dramatic, but very eventful. I liked it :)

[Israa Ismail · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an inspiring book fun to read
it's a short but complex book
you won't want to leave it until ur done!

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective of how a teenage mom sets and achieves a college dream.

[Mrs Tupac · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great realistic book ! Janet Mcdonald is a great author who writes books that speak the truth with relatable characters I was very proud of raven she came a long way !

[Illey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being able to relate to this story on a certain level, I found it to be quite motivating for young teens who've made a few mistakes. Overall, I would recommend this story for young readers.

[Tenecia Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great motivational book for young teens. Good read!

[Max Ostrovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable to the point of painful and lack of focus on the rising action and climax, which not enough print was dedicated to. Yes, the characterizations were fantastic. The characters were fantastic. But the build up and end were rushed and it felt more as an after thought.

Could be find for younger readers.

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally this a really great book. It shows you how a project girl; Raven, had a baby at 16 and was a drop-out made it out the hood. It shows you a lot of things, how you can make a change.

[Dyamond]

Spellbound by Janet McDonald

Raven is a smart teenage African American girl who grew up in the projects. She went to a party and gave it up to a boy at a highschool part and ends up with a baby and drops out of school. Her best friend Aisha already wasn’t going to school but she was okay with not going, Raven wasn’t. She tries to look for jobs but nobody wants her because she doesn’t have a highschool diploma, instead it’s a baby. Raven joins a group and they have a good diploma to whoever wins the spelling bee. She works her butt off to make sure that she can win the spelling bee.

Spellbound is a very influential story. It’s shows that even though you have a struggle in your life doesn’t mean you can’t get through it. As long as you work hard you can get to where you want to be in life.

Readers that like to read African American books that have a struggle that they get through then they would love Spellbound because it’s the perfect example.

Dyamond Anderson