The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading [Paperback]

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.

High school cliques and the whole `looks can be deceiving' concept completely knocked on its head.

Told in first person narrative from the point of view of Bethany. All round smart girl, honors list, volunteer extraordinaire, school newspaper columnist and self proclaimed geek. She is a fabulous character, so ultimately comfortable with herself, she has a self deprecating inner monologue that I'm sure we can all relate to. She's a loyal friend, adorable big sister and just so so so nice, even when she is trying to be mean, lol.

Bethany has hidden depths and when she tries out for cheerleading to support her best friend Moni, her dance classes as a child really pay off. Although it all starts out as a bit of a joke, Bethany takes her cheerleading seriously, supporting the less popular sports as well as the star basketball team. Her innate niceness endears her to people. Bethany is the catalyst to blending the geeks with the poplars' while finding a new appreciation for both sides as well as herself.

Enter the hot basketball star, Jack, Bethany has been secretly crushing on him for years, although he sits next to her in Independent Reading (I am loving the sound of this class) she always gets tongue tied around him plus he has a reputation for avoiding girl drama concentrating on getting a sports scholarship instead. Becoming a cheerleader seems to tip the scales where Jack is concerned and they start dating. However, it's not that simple, there's a nagging doubt at the back of Bethany's mind as to the `real' reason Jack noticed her after all this time.
The use of Pride and Prejudice within the story as well as the parallels in the plot were wonderful to follow and added depth to the story. How different are the divides in society really from Austen's time?

All of the characters are deliciously quirky and well rounded. The interactions are believable. I adore the idea that people can't be stereotyped; people are a blend of lots of things so why should they be labeled as just one thing. The lines between cliques blur as you get older and become comfortable with who you are, so why shouldn't this apply to High School. It's all about accepting yourself for who you are and having the confidence not to bend to peer pressure.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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