Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia, by Barbara O'Connor, 2003

Bird's looking for a friend, and when gangly, squinty-eyed, tight-lipped Harlem Tate moves into town to live with can-scavenging Mr. Moody, Bird figures he's unaccounted for and might be won over. With the help of her neighbor / fairy godmother Miss Delphine, she persuades Harlem to be her partner in the sixth-grade spelling bee. A surprising, satisfying, funny, believable, oh-so-Southern middle-grade novel as warm and fragrant as Miss Delphine's apple pie. Strongly recommended.