Claudia Mills

Claudia Mills, whose books range from picture books to middle-grade fiction, turns a spelling contest into a test of friendship in Simon Ellis, Spelling Bee Champ. The fourth Franklin School Friends book follows third-grader Simon, an eager and highly capable speller whose best friend Jackson is tired of losing to him. Simon must decide whether to spell every word correctly for his team or make a mistake on purpose to ease Jackson’s resentment. Margaret Ferguson Books at Farrar, Straus and Giroux published the illustrated chapter book in 2015, with artwork by Rob Shepperson. Mills often uses ordinary school dilemmas to examine fairness, confidence, and friendship. Her official bibliography records the title as a Junior Library Guild selection.