Zoe Evans

Every once and I while I find a book that I remember being on a shelf in some store during my youth and I go... yes, I will read this one.

I found Confessions of a Wannabe Cheerleader on sale at a local establishment and figured, why not give it a go? It was a time to jump back into my childhood nostalgia. My inner child who wanted to be a cheerleader LOVED this book. I did cheerleading as an extracurricular for a few years and I absolutely loved it. It was positive, fun and energetic! It was a perfect sport for me. This book brought back the smiling and happy memories from those years, even if that wasn't the intention for this book.

This screams mid 2000s middle grade/pre-teen. It dates itself with references to P!nk, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, so I'm not 100% sure how it will stand up today. These singers are still relevant, but Rihanna hasn't come out with new music in ages. It might hold up... but I doubt it'll be as mainstream as just using simple references to fun pop tunes instead.

The book itself? It's middle school drama at it's finest. Girls being snobby to one another for liking boys, girls being super competitive over trivial things, and lots of "big issues" that us adults don't see anymore. It is literally perfect for the middle grade audience. It brought me back to those high emotion times back in grade school. It's a great read for that age group and I applaud Zoe Evans for making it enjoyable (even to my adult self!).

While I won't be continuing on in this series (unless I accidentally stumble upon a few more books in the series by accident), I think it's absolutely wonderful and it made me smile. It was such a blast from the past and I highly recommend it for those cheerleading loving middle school readers.

Three out of five stars!… (mehr)

Madison is a cheerleader, or make shift cheerleader, who is apart of the Grizzlies squad. This group was formed so that anyone wanting to become a cheerleader and show their team spirit could participate if they weren't exactly accepted on the actual school cheerleader squad. Madison fills us in on who's hot and whose not around the school. It really doesn't help her current situation that her mom is the Grizzly coach. It's pretty embarrassing when she is called “sweetie” during practice. Madison learns that the Grizzly squad, who never really cheer at real games, are going to the Regional Qualifier, with the Titans. Madison finds juggling a new boyfriend, whom she hasn't had a real date with yet, getting the Spirit Rules book, which will help her squad learn how to cheer and assisting her best friend with an article, can keep a girl really busy. On top of that her mother is dating a fellow teacher. Readers will have fun reading Madison's journal in which she describes in great detail the day-to-day activities of a cheerleader. Quirky pictures give readers a clear view of what's on her mind. Whether your a cheerleader or know of one you will giggle and cheer for Madison and the Grizzlies. Young readers will flip the pages while learning about life in school and will be interested in those they can relate to.… (mehr)