How to Be Awesome at Life, from a Winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
March 15, 2023
Avant-garde, who in 2021 became the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, offers guidance to readers eager to follow their own dreams. Though the author's many achievements--among them two basketball-related Guinness World Records and being named SportsKid 2021 of the year by Sports Illustrated Kids--may look effortless, she stresses that it's been hard work. In this chatty book, the 16-year-old shares her recipe for success. "Being on a team is part of what makes me a champion," she says. As a home-schooled student, she's almost always around her family, and she watches out for her younger brothers. Avant-garde believes that a willingness to embrace being different (her curiosity and love of doing math in her head set her apart) is another important factor. She encourages readers to learn as much as they can about the things they care about and to choose, and understand, their opponents, though she adds that an opponent isn't necessarily a person (for her, it's the dictionary). Working hard is a major part of her equation, as is asking for help. Avant-garde reminds readers that they can learn just as much from setbacks as from triumphs and advises them to find ways to recharge. Finally, she notes, persistence is crucial. Avant-garde's advice is solid, and her peppy, casual tone will speak to readers. An upbeat volume that encourages young people to reach for the stars. (Memoir/self-help. 8-12)
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Starred review from March 27, 2023
Avant-garde, the first African American Scripps National Spelling Bee champion and a two-time Guinness World Record holder, shares tips and tricks that helped her “level up” in this instructional guide. The teenager details each suggestion via conversational prose; chapter titles reference the advice presented therein, and compact sections burst with anecdotes that depict how Avant-garde applies each tip to her own life. In chapter one, Avant-garde details the tip “have someone else’s back” by delving into her experiences with homeschooling, and how being constantly surrounded by her family helped her learn how to thrive in an ever-bustling environment. “If you want to level up, I think you can’t start with yourself,” she writes, asserting that if she didn’t have a support system, she would not have found success. Subsequent advice—such as how to ask for help, roll with the punches, and show up for oneself—offers up what the author believes to be crucial practices for achieving one’s goals. With intelligence and insightful humor, Avant-garde delivers an inspiring how-to manual that compels readers to lean into what makes them different and to never be ashamed of acknowledging their wins. Ages 8–12.
June 21, 2023
Grades 4-7 Some readers may recognize Avant-garde as the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021; others may know her as the holder of multiple Guinness World Records for her basketball skills. But anyone who's heard of the teen probably wonders how she's done it all. In this first-person account--part memoir and part motivational text--Avant-garde addresses young readers directly in a chatty, reassuring tone to explain her successes and how readers can achieve their own. Throughout nine short, linked, topical chapters, the teen emphasizes individuality while also having others' backs, making the effort, competing against oneself rather than specific opponents, and, equally important, knowing when to ask for help and when to simply chill. While most readers won't have the same time or access to resources as the homeschooled Avant-garde (who studied 13,000 spelling words per day for seven hours using two computers), they can still glean helpful strategies for setting and reaching personal goals. Divergent thinkers will relate most to Avant-garde's story and keep-it-weird tips in this inspirational guide.
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