Akeelah and the Bee
Grade 4-6–Akeelah Anderson, 11, is accustomed to hiding her intelligence from the other students at Crenshaw Middle School. All this changes when she is coerced into participating in the school's first spelling bee. Words have always fascinated the seventh grader, a passion she shared with her late father. When she wins and moves on to the district competition, her principal's old friend, university professor Dr. Larabee, begins to coach her. Both are stubborn, and they take some time warming up to one another, but their sessions begin in earnest once Akeelah qualifies for the next level. Beyond learning thousands of words, she has a major problem–her mother wants her to concentrate on summer school instead of entering the competition. Determined to go, the girl forges her father's signature on the application. Of course Mrs. Anderson discovers the truth, but is persuaded to let her daughter continue. Along the way the girl finds that she has become a symbol of pride to her South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. This novel, based on the screenplay of the same name, tends to tell rather than show much of the action, but this will probably not deter young readers.–Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.