In a small Australian town called Yungabilla lives India Wimple with her family. A talented speller, she crushed the competition in The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee (2018) and has now been invited to the International Spelling Bee in London, England. Her family manages to raise enough money so that they can all come and support her as she competes. At the bee, India gets to see her spelling friends again ch child is trying to overcome an obstacle in their lives, and though they may be each other's competition, they realize they are special together. But as the big night approaches, some suspicious accidents begin to happen. It's clear that someone wants to stop the bee, and it's up to the group of kids to find the culprit. The diverse characters, high vocabulary, teamwork, and perseverance present in this sequel make it a wonderfully classroom-friendly adventure. Fun characters and subtle lessons make India and her friends' second outing a terrific addition for classroom and library shelves.

The irrepressible Wimple family returns.India Wimple, Australia's champion speller, has returned home from her victory at the Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee in Sydney. Now that the mayor has awarded her the Yungabilla Medallion and giant plastic zucchini in commemoration of her feat, she just wants to get back to her quiet life. But then a letter arrives: an invitation to the Most Marvelous International Spelling Bee! Soon, the Wimples are off to London, where a mystery arises when a saboteur strikes. India is on the case, joined once again by her sweet and kooky family and pals Rajish and Summer, Australia's other two top spellers. New competitors-turned-friends include bullied English boy Peter and a neglected Canadian girl named Holly, both of whom are looking for acceptance. Absurd humor abounds: When the contestants and their parents meet the queen, Holly's fitness-guru parents try to sell her their Beaut Butts and Guts exercise program; the Wimples can't understand why no-nonsense Nanna Flo keeps giggling (she's smitten with Peter's grandfather); and the bee's special guest is the only three-time world champion, a grown man resembling Liberace. Combine this with Bitskoff's spot cartoons and lots of vocabulary that will be new to many young readers, and much merriment and edification mark this story of bravery, friendship, and logophilia. The cast is primarily white or assumed white; Indian-Australian Rajish and his family are notable exceptions.Another round of laughs. (Fiction. 7-11)