Chapter 1 Summary

The story begins by introducing the reader to Mrs. Eva Olinski, who is the coach for a sixth grade Academic Bowl team from Epiphany, New York. The four members of this team call themselves The Souls, and the team is extraordinary because, as sixth graders, they have made it to the finals by beating teams of seventh and eight graders.

Bowl Day is the final championship, beginning with eight regional champions in the morning and ending with The Souls from Epiphany and an eighth grade team from Maxwell. Mrs. Olinski shivers in the minutes before the final round of questions, either because of the air-conditioning or because of the anxiety of waiting. The commissioner of education of the state of New York begins the round by asking the teams to define "calligraphy" and to tell from what language the word is derived. When...