Christopher Serrao, Speller 348 and a New Jersey sixth grader, is out.
He misspelled "grunion," a small silver-striped fish of the California coast notable for the regularity with which it comes inshore to spawn at the time of a nearly full moon.
“At first, I was really nervous,” he said after making the finals.
Christopher tied for 41st place last year.
“It was my second year,” he said. “I wanted to work harder.”
When he's not spelling, Christopher likes to swim and read fantasy novels.
