I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader

Sophomore Annisa has moved from New Jersey to Florida, where she gets off on the wrong foot almost immediately, especially with the cheerleading squad. She attracts one girl's boyfriend, moves into another's recently vacated home, and hits a third in the nose with a door. So when she makes the squad, the welcome mat is not exactly out. Her most visible difference is her dark, short hair; even the team's African American coach is a blonde. In generalities, the story is predictable. By the end of the book, Annisa, the narrator, is spouting lines such as, "It didn't even matter how we did at regionals on Saturday because at that moment we weren't just a squad. We were friends." Still, the specifics are fun and definitely au courant, as Annisa discovers love, friendship, and backflips as she deals with prank wars, unsupervised parties, and cheerleading crises. Since there's a lot about competitive cheerleading, the pom-pom inclined will especially like this. Ilene Cooper

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