How Do You Spell Geek? (A Story of Friendship and Shifting Alliances) UNABRIDGED [Ages 10 and Up]

(3 Audio Cassettes/3.25 Hrs.) Best friends Ann and Kimberly are spending every spare moment of eighth grade drilling each other in preparation for the county spelling bee--both hoping to qualify for state competition. Then Ann is asked to befriend geeky new student Lurlene, who turns out to be a dynamite speller. As Ann gets to know and like Lurlene, Kim feels threatened, and Ann must juggle her loyalties. She undertakes the "de-geeking" of Lurlene, and is dismayed to lose Kim's friendship altogether. Ann's dry humor in dealing with her own feelings and the conflict between her two friends makes an enjoyable, realistic story. The suspense builds until all three girls end up together at the state contest. This is a funny, wonderfully written tale about friendship and competition, with secondary messages about parents and families dealing with divorce.