Spelldown: The Big-Time Dreams of a Small-Town Word Whiz

by Karon Luddy

Thirteen-year-old Karlene Bridges is the best speller in her family, her hometown, and maybe even all of Shirley County, South Carolina. The trouble is, every time she makes it to the final round of a spelling bee, she chokes. But when Mrs. Harrison, the new Latin teacher, offers to coach her, Karlene's spelling jinx miraculously disappears. The year 1969 is turning out to be her best ever, especially since she develops a surprising crush on her best friend, Billy Ray. But as soon as Karlene aims to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C., her father's drinking begins to spell trouble. How is a girl supposed to hold her family together, savor her first kiss, and become the best speller in America before the end of eighth grade?

Debut novelist Karon Luddy spells out adolescence with unwavering faith and sass in a novel about big dreams and the people who make them happen.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Teen

211 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2007

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a really great book! I loved that there were twists in the book and that she had so many problems to solve by a specific timing. I liked how she never gave up and tried her best on everything especially spelling. This lesson would be that practice makes perfect and never give up!

[Judy W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of a thirteen-year old girl in 1969, who reaches beyond her circumstances with excellent spelling. Growing up in a small S.C. town, 8th grader Karlene is is befriended and encouraged by her Latin teacher and is informed by songs playing on the radio. Nice "slice of life" story, growing up less priveleged (lint-head -> mill town) with distracted parents (one is an alcoholic), but gaining confidence through independence and achievement (spelling bees). References to songs and BIG WAYS AM radio out of Charlotte were fun and meaningful for me, but probably not so for today's students. Similarly, with textile mills gone and probably too recent to study in "history", I wonder if the setting will be unfamiliar. However, the context of problematic parents, budding love interests, and realizing personal potential will not be unfamiliar. Each chapter starts with a word and definition which frames the chapter, which I found interesting.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended for gr. 5-9. This is a charming story about a gifted speller from a small town in South Carolina. The story takes place in 1969, which is reflected in the music that Karlene listens to. The story is told in the first person, and Karlene often thinks about the words and ideas in the songs she hears. Many of the references will be lost on younger readers, but those of us "of a certain age" will smile at them. Karlene's life is difficult due to low income and her father's drinking, but she doesn't realize how bad things are due to her loving mother. A new Latin teacher becomes her spelling coach, mentor and second mother and as she spells her way to the National Spelling Bee, Karlene becomes her own person and continues the difficult process of growing up.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure that if I'd read this at age 12-14, I would have been OBSESSED. I mean, it's a novel about a spelling bee girl, and IT HAS A GLOSSARY. I love books for children and teens that are all about the vocabulary building!

The story is fun, and while I was reading for the spelling bee action, Karlene and her relationships with family and teacher are the main plot, and the spelling bees give you a sense of time and growth.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason, I never did fully get Karlene's character. The pieces of her personality didn't coalesce for me. A couple of times she has these strange visions which didn't fit the flow of the story or her character. A disjointed read in my opinion. Lib notes: Mentions of sex, her own horniness, drunk adults.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

13 yr old Karlene is the best speller in the county, but has many home issues to deal with. Her new Latin teacher, Mrs. Harrison, takes Karlene under her wing things begin to change in a big way. Funny, Great

[Reita Pendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The author created characters that are flawed, but lovable and loving. Karlene Bridges is very smart, funny, kind and sensible. She is wise beyond her 14 years. I can't wait to read another book by the author. Her prose is more like poetry.

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have... no idea who this book is written for. The cover looks middle-grade, but the content? Nobody puts that much cursing (mostly d--n, but a fair amount of s--t, too) in a book for middle schoolers, not to mention all the crassness about sex and periods, starting almost from page 1. I picked this book out from a school library discard cart (had the school realized what was in it, I wonder?) mostly because I was in the Scripps National Spelling Bee as a kid and I still really love spelling bees. But the main character was so unlikeable and irritating, and the content was so gratuitously dirty, that I gave up on the book before I'd had a chance to enjoy very much of the spelling competition aspect.

[Em Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED.

[cleo s · Rating 5 out of 5]

A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

I love learning about cool words! I'm not super at spelling but I still loved this book. Karon Luddy described small town life more realistically than any other author I know.

[West Region,]

Spelldown: the big-time dreams of a small-town word whiz. By Karon Luddy.

Myth/o/poe/ia 1. the making of myths and legends
Thirteen year-old Karlene Bridges wants to show the world she is somebody special, a legend in her own time.

Spell/down 1. to defeat in a spelling bee
Not only does Karlene want to win the local spelling bee, but she wants to win the regional one as well, and then continue on to compete in the national spelling bee in Washington D.C., and win that too.

Meg/a/lo/mania 2. a delusional mental disorder that is marked by infantile feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur
In the past, however, she has always choked in the clutch at the very first level.

Per/snick/e/ty 1. Fussy about small details.
Now, to overcome her past failures, Karlene studies a different letter’s entries every day from the two volume dictionary set her mother gave her.

Mu/nif/i/cence 2. Characterized by great liberality or generosity.
Her Latin teacher, Mrs. Harrison, not only offers to coach her, but takes her under her wing, encouraging Karlene to believe not only in herself but in the possibilities before her.

Thau/ma/utr/gy 1. the performance of miracles or magic
Everything seems to be going according to plan, especially when she starts winning spelling bees.

Dis/equi/lib/ri/um 1. Loss of stability.
Then her dad falls off the wagon, and has to be hospitalized and her mom must work even harder to make ends meet.

Can Karlene stay on track and prevail or is she doomed to remain a small-town nobody? To find out, read Spelldown by Karon Luddy.

AHF-9719. Grades 6-9. Fiction.
Carolyn D. Reed, 2/12/08

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Remember spelldowns? This book is way bigger than a classroom spelldown. Karlene Bridges is a phenomenal speller. She studies what she calls "chapters" in the dictionary, like the "Tt chapter" and the "Kk chapter." She lives and breathes spelling.

Karlene's home life is held together by her mother and her burning desire to be the National Spelling Bee champion. Life with an unpredictable alcoholic father makes her world a bit of a roller coaster ride. There are times she recalls tender memories, but mostly there are erratic drunken moments filled with disappointment.

The arrival of Mrs. Harrison, a new Latin teacher, fills Karlene's life with hope. A lover of language, Mrs. Harrison becomes coach and mentor to the young speller. Karlene is welcomed into the Harrisons' home and encouraged in her efforts to excel. With Mrs. Harrison's guidance, contests are won, and Karlene inches closer to her dream.

In SPELLDOWN, Karon Luddy brings the spelling world to life for readers. Her story is filled with intriguing characters and terrific vocabulary words. Even the chapter titles will increase your knowledge of words. Luddy keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they observe each spelling contest and watch Karlene grow.

[Tamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FOLLOWING BOOK RECEIVED ITS FIRST STARRED REVIEW IN THE DECEMBER 1, 2006 ISSUE OF KIRKUS REVIEWS. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR THE REVIEW:

SPELLDOWN

By Karen Luddy

(SSBFYR; IBSN 1416916105; January 2007; fall catalog page 16)

"An ambitious teen with a voluminous vocabulary beats the odds and spells her way to success. Thirteen-year-old Karlene Bridges lives in Red Clover, S.C. in 1968, where her “heart aches for some…freedom.” Karlene would rather “be tumbling down Niagara Falls in a big, stinking barrel than stuck in Red Clover” for the rest of her life. She has big plans to win the Shirley County Spelling Bee, and her free-spirited eighth-grade Latin teacher, Mrs. Harrison, offers to coach her. Reinforced by Mrs. Harrison and her budding sweetheart, Billy Ray, Karlene sweeps the county and state spelling championships, earning a chance to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. But when her alcoholic father ends up in rehab, Karlene wonders if she has what it takes to be a real champion. Karlene’s engaging personal journey from word whiz-kid to winning young woman is artfully glossed with the emerging feminism of the late 1960s. This first-rate spelldown will have readers spellbound.”

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love the spelling bee. But this book is not really about the bee.

Setting itself up for some accolades, the book is set in the past (1969), and the protagonist has an alcoholic dad, who keeps falling off the wagon. And in order to make itself more inaccessible to kids (the target audience) the book is peppered with 60s song references.

So 13 year old Karlene is good at spelling, and she likes words. They do bring some order to the chaos that is her life with the alcohol, and the blue collar and the bleh... But of course there's hope. Her Latin teacher. Yes, the 13 year old has a Latin teacher in school, who takes on poor Karlene as her cause. Shows her life isn't all blue collar worries. In addition, theres some budding feminist nonsense about not being fufilled by her perfect life, job, husband, kids...

And since it's a kid's book, everything magically works out in the end.

If you want a good spelling story, try a DVD, Akeelah or Spellbound...If however, you looking for a story about sad people from the past, this is it. Also, it's probably good for book reports.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't really about spelling - that serves as more of backdrop to get readers' attention. But the story is really more about how Karlene deals with her somewhat dysfunctional family, particularly her alcoholic father, as she enters adolescence. It's set in 1969, which is only hinted at through most of the book through references to cuttent music (Ringo comes up a lot) and is only directly mentioned once in the last 10 pages of the book. The story was much more mellow than anticipaged and felt somewhat disjointed. I really wish that the spelling bee had been more directly tied to the rest of the story.

Some of the disjointedness may come from the fact that I read this at work 2-3 chapters at a time on breaks over the course of a week and a half. I may have enjoyed the book more if I could have enjoyed it in larger, more substantial chunks.

[Cinnamon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I got into it pretty quickly, but then got pulled away in the middle. The ending diffinitely made the book worth reading.
Karlene is a fun character. She has a rough life, although most of it doesn't come out until the middle of the book (Dad's drinking, poverty). The thing that really kept me hanging on was not the spelling bee (I found myself skimming through some of that), but rather wanting to see if Karlene and Billy Ray finally got their kiss. And the whole appendix/ gastritis scene was a hoot!!
I will probably recommend this book to my 7th grade girls.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice story about a girl who wants to be more than her family. She has an alcoholic father and a mother who has to work all the time. Her teacher takes a special interest in her and shows her a world of culture and refinement that she wants for herself. She sets her sights on being the county spelling bee champion. It is a good story for kids to read to see how setting a goal requires more than just wishful thinking. Achieving means having to work for the goal.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karlene, an eighth grader is a spelling champion. She lives through her spelling and at times finds comfort in words. Life at home can be tough because her father is an alcoholic. Story is set in 1968-1969 with lots of music references that young adults will not be able to relate to. Karlene is a strong character who seems mature for her age. She is beginning to fall for her best friend Billie Rae, and has lots of outside support to make it to the National Spelling Bee.

[Debrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

CIP: “In 1969, the town of Red Clover, South Carolina, led by an enthusiastic new Latin teacher, supports thirteen-year-old Karlene as she wins her school spelling bee and strives to qualify for the National Bee, despite family problems and a growing desire for romance.”

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, but would not recommend it for its target audience age (preteens.) The writer is wonderfully talented with an addictive voice.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A teenage girl makes her way to the National Spelling Bee, despite an alcholic father, with the help of good teachers and friends. The characters are real, not as quirky as those in "Bee Season."

[jump86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about spelling and learning how to cope with a drunk dad and a family that has not much money.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kind of weird. It's hard to get into the head of the character. Lots of different things going on, but thankfully most of it seems to work out.

[Mary Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the author. This is a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed the character and the story. I hope to read more from Karon Luddy!

[Peyton Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It was funny and detailed. Karon Luddy wrote it to where you could understand it easily. I would recommend it to girls (or boys) in 5-8 grade. I loved it. Happy Reading. :)

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, it's a teen book--but that didn't make it any less enjoyable for me. The main character was so likable that I couldn't help but cheer her on. Four stars!