Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah and the Bee by James W. Ellison & Doug Atchison:  My second grader was interested in starting a gathering with a few folks from his class - to read a book and then watch the movie based on the book.  A book/movie club of sorts.  His best buddy chose this book as their first read.  It's technically a book based on a movie - rather than a book that a movie was made about - but they are 8-years-old and I wanted to encourage the independent spirit.  This book turned out to be a perfect selection, as spelling in the second grade seems to be quite an obsession.  Akeelah and the Bee is the story of a girl from a low-performing school in Los Angeles - a place where no one has even heard of a spelling bee, much less competed in one.  But Akeelah has a gift for spelling - and her principal is counting on her to bring some much needed positive attention to their school.  While Akeelah struggles with finding her confidence and pride, and learning that being a "smart" kid doesn't have to mean turning your back on old friends or who you thought you were.  My son and I read this book together - reading level-wise, I think this is perfectly appropriate for a second grader to read on their own.  But, I'm glad we read it together because there were so many themes to tease out - and the book lead to some wonderful discussions between us.  I'm looking forward to talking about the book with a small group of second graders, and can't wait to see the movie.  I'm also hoping to do a screening of the documentary Spellbound which explores the real world of the National Spelling Bee - one of my old favorites that I think my son will really appreciate.