The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading

Originally posted at: [...] I thoroughly enjoyed this modern, teenage take on Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this novel, as I haven't read a Young Adult novel in quite some time. I did however get snagged by the title. The rest of the book kept my attention from the first chapter to the end. Bethany is... well she's a geek! And she's proud of it, which I loved about her. So often we hear about young women who just want to be someone else. Bethany was perfectly happy in her geekdom... well, except for having to run The Gauntlet. Nope, not gonna tell you, you'll have to read to find out what I'm talking about. When Bethany's best friend Moni, a fellow geek, convinces her that the two of them should try out for the Varsity Cheerleading Squad she is willing to go along for the ride, all in the name of supporting her best friend. Thinking that they'll be denied a spot on the squad she is a bit stunned when they both make the squad. What follows is a rather funny, and emotional journey into another world... at least for her. Bethany was a rather interesting girl, who didn't always understand what was going on around her. While perceptive to a point, she was a bit unsure of how to deal with changes in the familiar as well as behaviors of her friends. Let's face it, that's not something we magically grow out of, at least this young woman is smart enough to admit to herself when she has no idea what is going on. I felt for Bethany as she navigated a completely alien territory with quite a few stumbles, and even some bruises, but she came out on the other side a better person, and amazingly a pretty good cheerleader. Jack is the star of the high school basketball team and he has a reputation... for never dating. It didn't matter what "type" of girl she was, he doesn't date her. My feeling was that he wanted to be with someone who could be themselves and who he could be himself with. He just hadn't found that person, so he waited and just didn't date. He seemed like a sweet enough kid in my opinion and we are eventually given a lot of backstory as to what has happened in his life to mould him into the person he was. I saw hidden depths in him, and it's not always easy to find depth in a teenaged boy. This book deals with some issues that are unfortunately things young people have to deal with. When does the desire to be cool and one of the in-crowd lead to completely undesirable situations? What can one person do to change things and take a stand? Sadly, these things do happen in your average everyday high school. Some issues brought up were peer pressure--to laugh and make fun of others in lesser circumstances, but the hot one was underage drinking. I will make it known right now that I was pretty proud of the way Bethany handled it. Other than that issue, which greatly added to the story, I can't think of anything that would give others pause. This dynamic duo of authors display a dry humor that had me snorting

I loved reading this book. It's like a modern Pride and Prejudice story written primary for young adults but I enjoyed it a lot although I'm not longer a teen. Bethany is pretty happy with her life. She has great friends, she loves her family and enjoys school - at least the classes. Because she is a geek her social status at school isn't very high and people more often than not laugh about her. When her best friend Moni (another geek) decides to try to get in the varsity cheerleading squad Bethany is there to support her. But when both girls make the team things change a lot. Nobody at school is ready for geeky cheerleaders and both girls have to go through some hard times. Not only the popular kids but even the other geeks aren't happy with the girls. Everyone wants them to get back to what's "normal": geeks only concentrating on geeky things and not on popular stuff like cheerleading. But Bethany is not ready to stop because she has worked hard to become a cheerleader. And when she and her crush Jack (one of the popular boys) finally become a pair life seems to be perfect. However when Moni changes and beliefs into lies told by others things get very complicated and hard for Bethany. All of a sudden she has lost both her boyfriend and her best friend but thankfully some old and new friends are there for her. I really enjoyed reading this book. Bethany is a great heroine. She's an intelligent and honest person who doesn't really care about being popular. She's also a great friend and doesn't understand why her being a cheerleader changes so much. Her personality never really alters throughout the book and that's just great because she's one of the few persons in the book who is truly happy with her life and who she is. What I also enjoyed is that the book shows that most people don't like changes of certain things. It's not only the popular kids but also the geeks who aren't happy with the "new" Bethany. The relationship between Jack and Bethany is very sweet and it becomes clear that although Jack may be popular his life is hard and not so happy compared to Bethany's. The book emphasizes that it's not really important to be popular but to stay true to who you are and to stand by your friends. IMO that's a great message not only for youths but also for adults.

I initially bought this book for my high schooler...I ended up reading it after she and my college sophmore raved about it...I loved it as much as them. It was cute, realistic, entertaining...and made some crush memories come back after all these years!!

At Prarie Stone High School, Bethany and her friend Moni usually navigate the halls and gauntlet of popular kids and cheerleaders holding their breath. When Moni's "geek" friend Brian makes is so apparent that anything in a cheerleading uniform is worth watching, Moni "encourages" Bethany to try out for the winter varsity squad. Bethany never dreams they will actually make it, but of course, they do. From Coach Shelia's surprise help, to learning how the other half lives, this story deftly shows both sides of the high school battle lines. Moni's difficulty with her parents divorce cause her to look blindly at wrestling superstart Rick, while we wonder if the handsome, star basketball player Jack will really fall for Bethany? The girls learn that cheering takes a lot of hard work, along with keeping up with all their honors classes. I both cheered and was saddened with various decisions the characters made, and really enjoyed what I think is a super novel. As with many teen novels these days, there's a touch of Pride and Prejudice in the mix, plus some Minnesotan common sense (and a tuna noodle hotdish).

Everyone knows there are hierarchies in high school, but what happens when you infiltrate one? Bethany and her BFF, Moni, decide to try out for the cheerleading squad -mostly as a joke. When they actually make it, they're stunned, but no more so than their friends and family. Cheerleading involves so many rules, but Bethany's questions aren't answered in the massive rule book. What happens when your best guy friend is mad that you've turned cheerleader? Why does the most popular guy in school start talking to you? Does he actually like you? When will the rest of the cheerleaders treat you as one of them? Bethany and Moni are almost humiliated when they show up to cheer at a wrestling match and no one else for the team is there. Instead of giving up, the girls cheer through the match, though it's hard when you don't understand the rules of wrestling. But that match just might have gotten them noticed by two super-hot guys. Now they're both dating boys, but also trying to navigate through the waters of high school without being attacked by a shark. Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance team up to create a world where geeks mix with the popular crowd. While the characters bring up several social questions, the story is really just pure fun. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel