The Homeschoolers Adventure Words Spelling Book: Detective Edition

I Put a Spell on You: From the Files of Chrissie Woodward, Spelling Bee Detective

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  • Books by H.E. Marshall (Author of Our Island Story)
  • Books by H.E. Marshall
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    Wood Block Word Games - Spelling Fun - Episode 3

    Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. I Put a Spell on You: 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.

    Hardcover , pages.

    To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about I Put a Spell on You , please sign up. Lists with This Book. Jul 02, Nat Walton rated it it was amazing Shelves: I was borderline obsessed with this book throughout late elementary school and early middle school.

    I think I checked it out from the library at least once a month. Just seeing the cover makes me so happy. Oct 09, Joenna rated it really liked it Shelves: The all school spelling bee is just around the corner and the town is going nuts! This is the one event everyone looks forward too and there is some fierce competition. Chrissy, the school detective, is finding some alarming evidence, which makes her believe the spelling bee is being sabotaged. Jennifer, whose plan to win is just to read Shakespeare, has crazy parents who try to break into the school to find the master list.

    Mutual, who was previously homeschooled, is super smart, but is a bit o The all school spelling bee is just around the corner and the town is going nuts! Mutual, who was previously homeschooled, is super smart, but is a bit overwhelmed by the new public school. Marianne is crazy competitive, reading only the dictionary, and declares war on Jennifer. Even principal Floren is acting strange. Chrissy is determined to find out what's going on with the bee, and to know if certain students are being set up to win or lose. Each chapter is a from the view of a different character mentioned above, along with a few other students not mentioned.

    Jul 20, Lynn rated it it was ok. Cute 6th grade mystery with some nice touches - a spelling word heads each chapter with a funny defintion that relates to the story. Short chapters make this a fast and fairly engaging read. I think the young set will enjoy this a lot. Chrissie Woodward, a hall monitor wronged by her school's administration, is looking for the truth behind the spelling bee melee. Told via Chrissie's case files, this book is a hilarious look at the sordid inner workings of spelling bee politics. Oct 29, Elizabeth added it Shelves: The story is told several ways.

    First, Chrissie Woodward, who has been investigating the odd events surrounding the annual spelling bee, tells her story through her observations. Second, Chrissie has taken depositions of a number of the kids in her class. Third, series of interoffice memos between the principal, his assistant, the sixth grade class teacher, and all school.

    Each chapter is one of these narratives. Finally, through notes passed between Jason and Amber. Not only does this make the story a little more interesting to read than a single, straight narrative, it gives you insight into a variety of the characters involved. It adds depth to them in a type of story that usually chooses plot over character. And these characters were funny! She uses the spelling bee to get out the activities and studies by reading Shakespeare.

    Mutual has nutty parents who have homeschooled him to protect him from corruption. Harlan is looking to be a class clown so people remember him because he keeps thinking about his own mortality. Then there are the two goth kids who sit in the back of the room and befriend Mutual. Principal Floren is a shady character who bribes kids and staff with extra cookies from the lunchroom. So while the story is very funny, the characters really make the book.

    I have grouped this into my Kidlit pile based on the ages of the kids in the book sixth grade , but I would say it could appeal into the middle grade area too. Just in case you want to hand this book to a younger audience or have a more conservative community. The mixed narratives reminded me a lot of The Westing Game, too.

    Books by H.E. Marshall (Author of Our Island Story)

    Sep 19, Despair Speaking rated it it was amazing Shelves: I am honestly confounded by this book. How can I even begin to explain how hilarious and insane this book is? How can I ever describe how Adam Selzer had made such a normal situation into something absolutely extraordinary. How can I express my heartfelt gratitude for making my life a teeny tiny better with this book?

    This may seem like an ordinary children's mystery book to you, but don't be fooled!

    Books by H.E. Marshall

    Within these pages lies a story about I am honestly confounded by this book. Within these pages lies a story about courage, corruption, and the very picture of spelling bee insanity!!! The characters here are so fleshed out, so unique, so CRAZY that you can't help but be at least fond of most of them! The young detective herself is terribly nosy to the point that she is highly disturbed if she doesn't know what kind of underwear a person is wearing.

    It never occurred to her that she might be completely disturbed, period. I think of all the characters mentioned, Jennifer is the most normal one. Her and a certain teacher. Oh sure, Jake wasn't THAT bad, Mutual would have been normal if it weren't for his parents, and the class clown's dream was natural but still. They had their moments of "unnormalness". At least she didn't in MY opinion.

    Maybe you have stricter rules of normalcy. I do not know. Anyway, if you're in for a hoot, then you're looking at the perfect book. I honestly did not plan to finish this today. But after three chapters I was absolutely hooked. I couldn't wait to see what happened next and by the time I knew it, it was already midnight and I only have a few hours left to finish a paper.

    And these few hours is slowly being reduced since I have just used some of it to write this review. Adam Selzer, from here on, I am a fan. Thank you for your wonderful contribution to the Children's Section. Wait, scratch that, to the literary world!!! You are not some obscure and very strange- I mean, imaginative individual.

    You are, for lack of finding a better word although you certainly deserved it here, a certified genius. May you win a Nobel Prize for Peace as you have brought me inner peace from my paper. The question is how long it will last. Feb 27, Ms. Yingling rated it liked it. It is the rare author whose books I will purchase without reading, but Adam Selzer tops the list. There is something pitch-perfect about his characters and his humor that invariably has me laughing until tears stream down my face.

    His newest is no exception; if nothing else, buy this for the "motivational" songs in the appendix. To the tune of America the Beautiful, the chorus: And they take their bee seriously-- everyone from Mutual a home schooled child who enrolls so he can take part, even though he doesn't have to , to the principal who is essentially evil and involved in questionable activities , to the parents one of whom breaks into the building , to the workers at the nearby Burger Baron who are running a betting pool.

    The chapters are from the point of view of different characters, which was slightly confusing for me because I have comprehension problems, but this gives wonderful insight into all of their personal vicissitudes. That's the appeal of Selzer's books. The plot is fine, and moves quickly who will win the bee, and what are all the interpersonal conflicts that will emerge in the meantime?

    They all have their flaws and quirks, but I still would like to know them all, even Chrissie, who is leading the investigation into the scandal AND knows what kind of underwear everyone in her class wears! There's something sympathetic about the portrayal of each character that all young adult authors should note well-- you can have characters who are weird as long as they know this, and know how other people perceive them!

    A great, funny book for ALL middle school students!

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    Jan 07, Brandy rated it really liked it Shelves: Chrissie Woodward is up in arms: She presents her case notes to the school board, along with interdepartmental memos from staff and depositions from her fellow students: Jennifer, whose parents want her to win so badly her dad breaks into the school to steal the master word list; Mutual, the homeschooled kid who just enrolled at their school, despite his parents' fears of germs, corruption Chrissie Woodward is up in arms: Jennifer, whose parents want her to win so badly her dad breaks into the school to steal the master word list; Mutual, the homeschooled kid who just enrolled at their school, despite his parents' fears of germs, corruption, and immorality; Harlan, the class clown; and Jake, who has a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    The whole town is caught up in the excitement, but there's something fishy going on--why is Principal Floren so intent on leveling the field for Mutual? And who are the two old ladies around town, grilling all the kids on their chances in the bee? Leave it to Chrissie Woodward to find out! This is a light, funny middle-school mystery.

    Each character has his or her own part in the conspiracy, and as the chapters unfold, their contributions and motivations become clear. The pacing is excellent, with clues dropped at appropriate intervals to assist the crime-busting readers. Each chapter is told from a particular character's point of view, but this is the only real problem with the book--the characters' voices aren't distinct, so readers must rely on context and chapter headings to know who is speaking. The mystery is wrapped up relatively neatly without any big leaps of logic, keeping it accessible and realistic to amateur sleuths.

    Middle-school readers will enjoy this quickly-paced mystery, and will be glad to hear that Selzer is already drafting a sequel. May 11, Madeline Smoot rated it liked it Shelves: I must confess that I originally became intrigued by this book because of the cover. I mean look at it. So I added it to my list and started reading it last week. The note that sets up the premise of the book turned me off.

    And then the first page of the first chapter had more of a ram I must confess that I originally became intrigued by this book because of the cover. And then the first page of the first chapter had more of a rambling tone than I like in a book. By this point I was seriously getting worried. So far I had liked all the books on my Should Read List. The characters all grew on me and even the caricatured adults were amusing. Overall, it was an interesting read and a fun mystery as well.

    It turned out to be my kind of thing after all.

    The mystery and some of the words are probably to complicated for someone with a below 4th grade reading level, and the multiple first persons does make this harder to read than your average kid book. Also, the kids say crap numerous times which might not make it an appropriate classroom read aloud. Nov 08, BookKids rated it really liked it Shelves: I must confess for about 3 pages I thought I had made a mistake.

    In the end, the answe I must confess for about 3 pages I thought I had made a mistake. May 03, Erica rated it liked it Shelves: Every year in a small town where nothing much else happens an inordinate amount of attention is giving to the local elementary school spelling bee. This year the hall monitor Chrissie uncovers the seedy underbelly of the whole affair and compiles her evidence through transcripts of interviews with the participants and intercepted memos to present to the school board.

    I enjoy the portrayal of some of the students, for example the over-stressed Jennifer, the home-schooled Mutual, and the surprisin Every year in a small town where nothing much else happens an inordinate amount of attention is giving to the local elementary school spelling bee.

    The new kid a homeschooler whose parents have sent him to school just so he can be in the Bee comes in expecting riots, shootings, and general mayhem. Chrissie Woodward is up in arms: Escape the drudgery of endless workbook grammar review by switching to The Great Editing Adventure series. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Stories of Roland Told to the Children by H. A History of Germany by H.

    I enjoy the portrayal of some of the students, for example the over-stressed Jennifer, the home-schooled Mutual, and the surprisingly good-natured goths and pranksters. However, it fell into the classic children's literature trap of writing adults who are entirely good for nothing and incapable of making any sort of a good or rational decision. This always vaguely concerns me--do we really want our children to be taught that adults are stupid and unreliable and it's best not to go to them with your problems?