The Spelling Bee Before Recess

Written by Deborah Lee Rose · Illustrated by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis

Three spellers face off in a tense bee. Who will win with a surprise twist looming?

5.5/7 Bookroo experts·3.9/5 Goodreads · 114 ratings

32 pages· 585 words· Est. 5 min read-aloud

$16.95Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

In a tense school spelling bee, three contenders—Cornelius, Ruby, and The Slugger—battle word by word. With recess looming and no winner in sight, the final word holds the key to victory. As the clock ticks, an unexpected twist could change everything. Will The Slugger hit a grand slam or finally strike out? This whimsical tale combines humor and suspense, inviting young readers to spell along and discover the power of words.

From the publisher

The students were squirming

but none made a sound,

as the spelling bee entered

its championship round.

It’s right before recess, and the annual school spelling bee is down to just three spellers: Cornelius the Genius, Smart Ruby, and The Slugger, who never strikes out. Round after round, the words whizz at them, but with one minute left until recess, there’s still no winner. Who will triumph? It all comes down to one final word, and a curveball that no one sees coming!

Deborah Lee Rose’s clever rhyming text packs a laugh-out-loud wallop with words that young readers will enjoy spelling and reading aloud again and again. Fun and whimsical illustrations by Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis provide the perfect balance of humor and suspense as readers find out whether The Slugger will hit a grand slam or finally strike out.

The book includes three spelling lists that can be used for spelling bees at home, in school, at the library, or for community events. An author’s note describes why and how words were chosen.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Words: 585
Reading age: 5–8
Audience: Picture
Lexile: AD500L

Themes & topics

Books about school Books about losing Books about diversity Books about vocabulary Books about coping with failure

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.5

out of 7

5.3

“To the meter of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, this zingy book about a spelling bee is an enjoyable read aloud with a great lesson... sometimes the main character of your story DOESN'T WIN, because they haven't worked hardest, don't deserve it, or just have bad luck... and that's ok. You can learn a little something from your loss, move on, and maybe even give it another shot in the future! The illustrations for this book were a little so-so for me, but the story is so excellent that it makes up for it.”

Marmee

Trusted reviewer

6.3

“I love this book. The rhyme and vocabulary use are fantastic, and the lessons in this book are wonderful without being overly obvious or literal. I think it's great that the main character *SPOILER* didn't win the spelling bee, and that was ok. This book shows that winning isn't everything, and that reading is one of the best things we can do. Plus, there's a list of spelling words used throughout the book in the very back so that you can try spelling them yourself!”

B is for Bookworm

Trusted reviewer

For readers who can't stop at one