SuitabookAchievement pressure
Jennifer is overscheduled because her parents are focused on college applications, while the spelling bee is televised and highly sought after.
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Book details
Adam Selzer - Author
This is a character-led school mystery built around a televised spelling bee, with contrasting pupils handling pressure, public attention and a suspected problem involving the principal.
COME SPELLING BEE season, the tiny town of Preston erupts in excitement: the bee is televised, and the hottest ticket in town. This year, an assortment of sixth-grade miscreants is going for the top prize: Jennifer, an overscheduled free spirit whose parents are obsessed with her college applications; Mutual, a previously home-schooled outsider who's enrolled in public school for the first time in order to participate in the bee; Harlan, the class clown who has spectacular plans for making the most of his time in the spotlight; and Chrissie, the constant observer, who suspects something is off at the bee and will stop at nothing to get to the truth. Principal Floren is acting shady to everyone--but, as he insists, "I am not a crook."From the Hardcover edition.
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a character-led school mystery built around a televised spelling bee, with contrasting pupils handling pressure, public attention and a suspected problem involving the principal.
Jennifer is overscheduled because her parents are focused on college applications, while the spelling bee is televised and highly sought after.
Mutual, previously home-schooled, enrols in public school for the first time in order to participate in the spelling bee.
Chrissie suspects that something is off at the bee, while Principal Floren behaves suspiciously to the other characters and denies being a crook.
The central tension appears to involve suspicion and investigation rather than clearly described danger.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
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