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From Horn Book

January 1, 2025
Soontornvat's graphic-memoir adventures (The Tryout, rev. 11/22) continue as she enters her second semester of eighth grade. She's still one of the few Asian American students in her small Texas town and still longs to be a cheerleader, but many things are changing; she and best friend Megan now include classmate Leanne in their group; she is close with the kids in her art class; and most notably, her parents are getting divorced. Despite the upheaval at home, Christina tries out for the cheerleading squad and makes the team. But with a new routine and social circle, she faces even more changes; and bottling up her resentment and sadness makes her uncharacteristically bitter and mean. In this second installment, Soontornvat lays bare the difficulties of girlhood, showing both vulnerability and growth, in an approachable text accompanied by lively illustrations. Ultimately, the lesson is finding strength in community: "I didn't need life to be perfect...I just needed my squad." Gabi Kim Huesca

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

October 18, 2024
Grades 4-7 During the second semester of her eighth-grade year, Christina is sure her life is everything she wants it to be, everything that is, except for being part of the cheerleading squad. And that her parents are splitting up. And that she has a crush on a boy who already has a girlfriend. And that maybe being half white and half Thai means she's only half a person. An avid classic movie buff, Christina decides that the show must go on, keeping her feelings to herself and acting like everything is fine. But between trying out for the freshman cheerleading squad, juggling different groups of friends, and trying to get her parents back together, pretending to be fine isn't at all like it seems in the movies. Picking up soon after The Tryout (2022) ends, Soontornvat's words and Cacao's art work together seamlessly to bring to light the different ways adults and tweens communicate and view the world. A solid addition to the middle-grade graphic memoir genre.

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