Game On (A Varsity Novel)
Gr 5-9-This series starter introduces a junior varsity cheerleading squad and highlights the athleticism and competitiveness of this contemporary sport. The Northside High JV squad members have known one another for years and they are ready to compete for regional and state honors. Chloe comes from a family of captains and she fully expects to head up this year's squad. A new girl and gifted athlete, Devin, arrives and quietly challenges Chloe's leadership. They end up as cocaptains, and an envious and conniving teammate works to drive a wedge between them, a move that threatens the team's chances of success. A narrative that shifts focus among four or five team members results in shallow characterizations while cheers and stunts are described in great detail, making cheerleading itself the star of this book. Unfortunately, the constant pettiness and jealousies that the girls display and a very homogenous group of young teens hark back to the stereotypical trappings of another time, undermining the book's success as contemporary sports fiction. While there is sure to be a following for this book, it is an additional purchase.-Martha Baden, Prescott Public Library, AZα(c) Copyright 2013.  Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.