Squad Goals

Synopsis:

“Camp is in session in this cheer-tastic middle-grade novel about making new friends, finding your place, and learning to embrace your inner Magic. 

Magic Olive Poindexter has big shoes to fill. Her mother was a professional cheerleader, her father is a retired NBA legend, her big sister is the new face of the oh-so-glamorous Laker Girls, and her grandmother was the first black cheerleader ever on Valentine Middle School’s HoneyBee cheer squad. Magic wants nothing more than to follow in their footsteps. But first, she has to survive Planet Pom Poms, the summer cheer camp where she’ll audition for a spot on the HoneyBee squad. But with zero athletic ability and a group of mean girls who have her number, Tragic Magic is a long way from becoming the toe-touching cheerleader heroine she dreams of being.

Things start to look up when her best friend Cappie joins her at camp—until Cappie gets bitten by the popularity bug, that is. To make matters worse, Magic’s crushing hard on football star Dallas Chase. Luckily, Magic’s not alone: with the help of a new crew of fabulous fellow misfits and her Grammy Mae’s vintage pom poms by her side, Tragic Magic might just survive—and even thrive—at cheer camp.”

Review:

If you’re looking for a book about cheerleaders that doesn’t follow the typical mean girl trope, you’ve got to check out Squad Goals. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did! That mean girl trope is very much a cheerleading thing in books and movies. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got a couple of mean girls in this story. But what I loved is that this story is about making healthy choices to reach your goal. Practice at camp, extra workouts in the gym, surrounding yourself with kind people, these are all ways in which Magic works her butt off to make HoneyBee cheer squad.

Honestly, though, my favorite part was to see a coach stand up for her team and not accept the bullying. Granted, it’s amazing how devious kids can be when adults aren’t around. But, when it goes too far, the coach steps up and makes a choice that could affect the team’s winning streak. But as she should, believes that bullying should not be tolerated. I did feel as though Magic and her friend Cappie were able to resolve their differences extremely quickly. I liked how they found their own friend groups, but it seemed a little rushed to me toward the end. But overall, this is an awesome title for kids looking for books about sports and choosing the right friends!

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Verdict:

Squad Goals is about pushing yourself to reach your goals and having the right friends by your side to cheer you on!

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Need to Know:

Title: Squad Goals
Author: Ericka J. Kendrick
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
Page Number: 304 pgs.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.