Eleven-year-old Elaine Rewitzer is funny, smart and happy being a geek, but when she wins a spot on the Cross Creek Middle School Buccaneers cheerleading squad, she gets totally into her new life. Her mega-brain best friend Bethany warns that Elaine will just become "part of the herd," and her best geek-guy-pal, Tim, (who is struggling with nose polyps) feels forgotten. Will Elaine survive the roller coaster of pre-teen cheerleader fame? Will she win the heart of the cutest boy on the basketball team? Will she confess her "uncool" love for comic books? Will she lose Bethany and Tim's friendship for-evah? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: When not writing novels about cheerleaders, barbarians or vampires, Adrianne Ambrose is being nominated for video game awards starring dangerous high school girls. Adrianne contributes to the Fraggle Rock comic book series. www.adrianneambrose.com

Though it began as a way to cheer on players of other sports, cheerleading has grown to become a popular competition in its own right. Readers (Grades 3-5) will find out how cheerleaders train to develop difficult routines and compete against each other. They will also how to perfect their own cheerleading abilities and find out what to expect when trying out for a cheerleading squad.

My name's Abby, and I was an SEC cheerleader for the University of Arkansas. My story doesn't begin there, though. It begins as an awkward, lanky high school girl sitting in the stands, watching my friends live out my dream. I wanted to be a varsity cheerleader more than anything. My first step was just making the varsity cheer team, and I couldn't even do that. I had many setbacks, trials, pressures, and heartbreaks. Nothing extremely devastating ever happened, and I am forever thankful for that. But I still endured hard times, and that was enough for a young, teenage girl to handle. I went through girls being hateful to me, being left out, and being told: "I wasn't good enough." And most importantly, I wanted to give up, but God pulled me through those times and I became stronger.

Sunday, September 5: Afternoon, my crib Spirit Level: Cheered Out OK, so this was supposed to be the first day of my new, totally fantastic life as a Port Angeles School Titan Cheerleader. BUT instead, it’s the day that I, Madison Jane Hays, got rejected from the Titans and forced to join the dreaded, B-Squad Grizzly Bears. That’s right. My name was sandwiched in between Jared “Jazzhands” Handler and “Toxic” Tabitha Sue Stevens. Oh, and the girl who can’t even speak English, Katarina Tarasov. Yup, we’re one big hairy family. I went from being a god-like Titan to a lowly Grizzly in like, five seconds. My life. Is Seriously. O-V-E-R. I mean, who cheers at chess matches??!! I’m never going to make it to Nationals with a team like this. All I’ve ever wanted to do in life is cheer for the Titans. My mom (the most gorgeous, youngest ex-Titan cheerleader of ALL TIME, BTW) must be so disappointed! How she ended up with such a spastic daughter, I’ll never know. What I DO know? If I don’t whip this team into shape fast, I’ll literally DIE from embarrassment. Thank goodness I have my BFFs Lanie and Evan to keep me sane—otherwise, I might SERIOUSLY lose it. When Maddy's triple flip becomes a major FLOP during tryouts, the whole gym echoes with the snickers from the Titan cheerleading triumvirate: Katie Parker, Clementine Prescott, and Hilary Cho. Forced to join the challenged B-Squad Grizzlies instead, Maddy realizes that to become a Titan she'll need to whip the Grizzlies into shape first. Will Maddy ever land on top of the pyramid with a squad like this? Maybe not, but when her awesome designs for new Grizzly uniforms get revealed at a big game, even the Titans are overheard whispering her name. Does this mean what she thinks it means?

Alicia's brother Danny and his friends are always putting down cheerleading, but she is determined to change their minds.

This text provides information and tips on how to become a professional cheerleader. Tryout tips from the experts ... actual current and former pro cheerleaders, coaches and industry stylists includes: what happens in a pro level cheerleading team tryout; how to dress for the big day; what the judges are looking for; professional makeup and hairstyling tips and techniques; how to take applicatin photos; how to present in interviews and on paper.

Gooooooo team! Do you want to learn more about cheerleading? Or are you already a cheerleader? Either way, this is the book for you! You'll find tips about everything from cheer gear and tryouts to snappy snacks and the perfect ponytail. Jump right into the sport of cheerleading!