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Cheer Power
Catelyn Cross has everything going for her; an amazing best friend, cute boyfriend and a passion for cheer leading. Yet her world is turned upside down when her dad takes a promotion that moves the family across the country. Even worse, she misses varsity cheer try-outs at her new school, leaving her squad-less and devastated.
But not as devastated as her cheer mom who is pushing Catelyn to join a private cheer squad of girls who didn't make the cut.
Catelyn is missing her old friends, longing for her boyfriend, and trying to find her classes in a school the size of her new home of Texas.
Will Catelyn cave from the pressure or will she find her CHEER POWER and help her less-than-polished squad rise to the top at Regionals?
But not as devastated as her cheer mom who is pushing Catelyn to join a private cheer squad of girls who didn't make the cut.
Catelyn is missing her old friends, longing for her boyfriend, and trying to find her classes in a school the size of her new home of Texas.
Will Catelyn cave from the pressure or will she find her CHEER POWER and help her less-than-polished squad rise to the top at Regionals?
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2013
2 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Deen
9 booksLauren Deen was a dancer as a child who developed a passion for cheerleading while getting a Fine Arts degree at Duke. She has combined her love of cheer and writing to bring The Cheer Series to life. When she is not writing she can be found running on the beach, hiking the local trails, and playing the role of Volvo-driving soccer mom to her growing brood of children. She is hopeful that at least one will follow in her footsteps and love to cheer.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 25, 2018
I can file this one under 'well, at least I didn't expect much from it'. There's something really fun about cheerleading and gymnastics fiction, and if you're judging a book by its cover (which, sure)...this looks peppy. So.
It's not terrible or anything—just really flat. It falls into the trap of backgroundless drama (I'm sure there's a better term for this)—for example, the cheerleaders in the school team don't like Catelyn because she's a good cheerleader who isn't on their team; the cheerleaders in Catelyn's private team don't like Catelyn because she's a better cheerleader than they are; the cheerleaders in the school team further don't like Catelyn because she turned someone down because she already has a boyfriend. Oh, also because her mother bulldozes her way into a school-team tryout for Catelyn, and then because Catelyn doesn't want that tryout. It's just...pretty thin, as far as conflict goes.
Naturally, Catelyn manages to whip her private team into shape (turns out that all they need to go from toe touches so sloppy that she can't recognise them as toe touches to a finely tuned cheering machine is a little bit of conditioning...also turns out that her coach has never heard of conditioning) and win everyone over. Except maybe her one-note mother? Oh well.
It's not terrible or anything—just really flat. It falls into the trap of backgroundless drama (I'm sure there's a better term for this)—for example, the cheerleaders in the school team don't like Catelyn because she's a good cheerleader who isn't on their team; the cheerleaders in Catelyn's private team don't like Catelyn because she's a better cheerleader than they are; the cheerleaders in the school team further don't like Catelyn because she turned someone down because she already has a boyfriend. Oh, also because her mother bulldozes her way into a school-team tryout for Catelyn, and then because Catelyn doesn't want that tryout. It's just...pretty thin, as far as conflict goes.
Naturally, Catelyn manages to whip her private team into shape (turns out that all they need to go from toe touches so sloppy that she can't recognise them as toe touches to a finely tuned cheering machine is a little bit of conditioning...also turns out that her coach has never heard of conditioning) and win everyone over. Except maybe her one-note mother? Oh well.
February 13, 2014
Catelyn is forced to make the journey from Pittsburg to Texas leaving behind a close best friend Misty and a loveable boyfriend Luke. The first few months in Texas were far from enjoyable. Catelyn had met the nasty Monarch’s cheer team whom her mother was so aggressively trying to convince to allow her daughter to join the squad well after tryouts. Catelyn then was introduced to a sub quality cheer squad called CHILL which she has reluctantly joined at the pressure of her mother. Catelyn is catapulted to the main lead of the squad very quickly due to her cheer background, which causes a lot of animosity with certain squad members. Even though her presence was met with opposition in the beginning, Catelyn started building a kinship with the girls on the squad. Catelyn had an opportunity to try out for the Monarch’s squad but respectfully declined due to her moral obligation and loyalty to the CHILL squad. Once the girls realized that Catelyn was nice, talented and giving, they all naturally started to accept her into the group. Then there’s the dreamy Josh, a soccer player who has caught her eye. Josh is a friend who would like more, but is extremely patient and respectful with Catelyn. Catelyn is then torn between being true to Luke who is many states away or to follow her instinct which is to get to know Luke a little more. This teenage angst story paints an accurate picture of what a teenage girl in high school goes through socially, whether you are on a cheer squad or not. This Young Adult novel is especially written for the preteen/teenage girl target market and has tapped into something special.
One of the things that I appreciated about the book was the many references of pop culture. It really can make this novel a period piece or a cult classic. There was even a reference to "What does the fox say?" You can totally tell that this teenage girl comes from generation Z with her cyber chatting with friends, making reference to her phone all the time and other mobile devices. The setting was very well described and places the reader right into Catelyn’s world.
I also enjoyed the many episodes of teenage angst. Catelyn is bothered for having to move. She misses her friends in Pittsburgh. Her parents, especially her mother, are getting on her nerves. Nothing ever seems to be right. How is she ever going to survive without Misty and Luke? I think all females can relate to this frame of thought. We have all lived it and empathy was a continual feeling throughout the book. I am so excited to see how Catelyn progresses in the second installment. There are a lot of social challenges she was able to overcome towards the end of the book and I am excited to see how she will capitalize from them.
The book was a great quick read and I can find anything negative to say. I can’t wait to read the second book to see if Catelyn can take CHILL to nationals, what happens with her and Luke and most importantly, will Josh be more than just a friend?
One of the things that I appreciated about the book was the many references of pop culture. It really can make this novel a period piece or a cult classic. There was even a reference to "What does the fox say?" You can totally tell that this teenage girl comes from generation Z with her cyber chatting with friends, making reference to her phone all the time and other mobile devices. The setting was very well described and places the reader right into Catelyn’s world.
I also enjoyed the many episodes of teenage angst. Catelyn is bothered for having to move. She misses her friends in Pittsburgh. Her parents, especially her mother, are getting on her nerves. Nothing ever seems to be right. How is she ever going to survive without Misty and Luke? I think all females can relate to this frame of thought. We have all lived it and empathy was a continual feeling throughout the book. I am so excited to see how Catelyn progresses in the second installment. There are a lot of social challenges she was able to overcome towards the end of the book and I am excited to see how she will capitalize from them.
The book was a great quick read and I can find anything negative to say. I can’t wait to read the second book to see if Catelyn can take CHILL to nationals, what happens with her and Luke and most importantly, will Josh be more than just a friend?
February 5, 2014
A Cheerful Good Time
Cheer Power is a young adult novel about a young cheerleader, forced into the worst of horrors for a popular high school cheerleader, to create a new life for herself as she is uplifted and moved across the United States to a city where cheer is not just a past-time for young ladies. It is a way of life.
After leaving friends and a boyfriend behind in Pittsburgh, she must find a new squad to cheer on and fit in among a group of girls that are chalk-full of southern hospitality in a small Texas town. Catelyn Cross attempts to maintain her dignity and not lose touch with her old existence while carrying on long distance relationships. She finds herself struggling to find new friends and a new way of life in the epicenter of the cheerleading world.
Fiction or non-fiction, you decide which. This could very well be the coming of age story of any young girl. The story gives you no indication of its true nature and it could be just as real as any item you might put your finger on.
Robert J Horner
Cheer Power is a young adult novel about a young cheerleader, forced into the worst of horrors for a popular high school cheerleader, to create a new life for herself as she is uplifted and moved across the United States to a city where cheer is not just a past-time for young ladies. It is a way of life.
After leaving friends and a boyfriend behind in Pittsburgh, she must find a new squad to cheer on and fit in among a group of girls that are chalk-full of southern hospitality in a small Texas town. Catelyn Cross attempts to maintain her dignity and not lose touch with her old existence while carrying on long distance relationships. She finds herself struggling to find new friends and a new way of life in the epicenter of the cheerleading world.
Fiction or non-fiction, you decide which. This could very well be the coming of age story of any young girl. The story gives you no indication of its true nature and it could be just as real as any item you might put your finger on.
Robert J Horner
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews