June 26, 2018
SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE PRESENTS
GREAT WORDS, GREAT WORKS
READING LIST
CINCINNATI
—
The Scripps National Spelling Bee has released its 2018-2019 Great Words, Great
Works book list for students to spend time reading, spelling
and comprehending, starting this
summer.
The list is now available on the Bee’s website,
spellingbee.com
.
The Great Words, Great Works list includes 49 titles for students spanning first through eighth
grades and all genres from contemporary fiction to classics to nonfiction. The books are carefully
selected by the Bee’s editorial team for their engaging and age
-appropriate content as well as their
rich vocabulary. The books on the list are the source of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
’s annual
School Spelling Bee Study List
–
450 words to help students prepare for a school-level spelling bee.
“Our Great Words, Great Works list
strengthens the connection between reading and sp
elling,” said
Paige Kimble, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. “
Studying spelling words in the
context of a great story gives them incredible staying power. The list can serve as the go-to source for
parents who are looking for books that will inspire and benefit their children throughout the year and
for teachers who want books that challenge their students and prepare them to be great spellers.
”
Here is a sampling of the 2018-2019 Great Words, Great Works list:
•
“Benny Doesn’t Like to Be Hugged”
by Zetta Elliott (first grade) is a gentle story of
a child’s
experience with autism that encourages children to appreciate and accept differences.
•
“Give Bees a Chance” by Bethany Barton (
second grade) helps children understand how extra
special and important bees are to the world.
•
“
Worst
of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud”
by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain and Larry Day (third grade) draws readers into the
friendship and
rivalry that grew between two Founding Fathers.
•
“
CatStronauts: Mission Moon
”
by Drew Brockington (fourth grade) tells the story of space
cats on a mission to set up a solar power plant on the moon. This is the first time the Great
Words, Great Works list includes a graphic novel.
•
“
The Magic Misfits
”
by Neil Patrick Harris (fifth grade) shares the adventures of a young
street magician who gets the help of friends to stop the thieving ways of villainous illusionists.
•
“The Player King” by Avi (
sixth grade) is a historical fiction novel about the boy who falsely
claimed to be Prince Edward, the heir to the throne of England, in 1487.
•
“
My Brigadista Year
”
by Katherine Paterson (seventh grade) follows a young
Cuban teenager
in the 1960s
as she volunteers for Fidel Castro’s national literacy campaign to teach others
how to read.
•
“
Red Queen
”
by Victoria Aveyard (eighth grade) is about palace intrigue, class hierarchy and
deception as a woman of humble beginnings is thrust into the elite class.
Click here
for the complete 2018-2019 Great Words, Great Works list.
“
Nothing makes me feel more inspired than being surrounded by the books that I love because
nothing has shaped me more as a person than the words that I’ve read,” said Shelley Johannes, author
of “Beatrice Zinker,
Upside Down Thinker
,
”
a third-grade selecti
on on this year’s list.
“I have always
been a huge fan of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I have so much respect and admiration for
anybody who goes after a goal with enthusiasm and obsession, and I think that the Bee is so good at
that. I will be rooti
ng for all the spellers as they go along on their journey.”
“It is such an honor that the
Bee has selected my book
as a first-grade fiction recommendation
,” said
Zetta Elliott, author of “Benny Doesn’t Like to be Hugged.” “I’m excited that so many kids a
re going to
be using books to help improve their vocabulary and their spelling skills.
”
While the book list is available to the public, schools that enroll in the Scripps National Spelling Bee
program get exclusive access to additional materials including comprehension guides for select titles;
activities directly from the authors; and the School Spelling Bee Study List to help
students begin
their spelling journey to the national finals. For more information on enrollment or to sign up, go to
spellingbee.com
.
About the Scripps National Spelling Bee:
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and longest-running educational program.
The purpose of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase
their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.
Visit
spellingbee.com
for more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is
administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company.
About Scripps:
The E.W. Scripps Company
(NASDAQ: SSP) serves audiences and businesses through a growing
portfolio of local and national media brands. With 33 television stations, Scripps is one of the nation’s
largest independent TV station owners. Scripps runs a collection of national journalism and content
businesses,
including
Newsy
, the next-generation national news network; podcast industry leader
Midroll Media
; and fast-growing national broadcast networks
Bounce
,
Grit
,
Escape
and
Laff
. Scripps
produces original programming including “
Pickler & Ben
,” runs an award
-winning
investigative
reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and is the longtime steward of the
Scripps National
Spelling Bee
. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, “Give light and the people
will find their own way.”
###
Contacts:
For questions or general inquiries:
513-977-3040
Spellingbee.com/contact
Twitter.com/ScrippsBee
For media inquiries only: