Ms. Spell

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 4, 2016

Review

In a brightly colored, busy classroom, Ms. Spell uses a magical spelling stick to assist her students in remembering tricks that will help them spell the various words that the general population misspells on a regular basis: there, their, they're, were, we're, where. Long uses quick, slapstick dialogue between teacher and student as a vehicle for listing the various spelling rules and tricks for spelling. The illustrations are cartoon in style with a mix of bright pastel colors reminiscent of stylized cotton candy. The end pages provide a list of frequently misspelled words, how to study them, 3 spelling rules and memory aids. The actions in the story include nose bubbles, students becoming flying monkeys with lasers shooting eyes and a class that responds with similar negative comments at the end of the books as they did in the beginning. There is some disconnect between the format which is picture book and the age of students who are learning spelling rules. The structure of call and response in dialogue bubbles between the teacher and the many students on a page will work best for an independent reader or when sharing one on one. The layout will be challenging in a large group. Of the many useful tricks presented for spelling, " 'School' is a hard word to spell, but remembering that it has a 'choo' in it as in 'choo choo' train might help" seems to be a confusing item since it is referencing similar spellings, but not similar pronunciations. The book's purpose is a way to support students in an effort to spell certain designated words correctly. As a tool for teachers, this has been met successfully, but re-reading for enjoyment may be limited.

Overall Book Score: fair