Monday, October 17, 2022

Middle Grade Monday: The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat

Image: Scholastic

The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat. Illustrated by Joanna Cacao. 272 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc. September, 2022. 9781338741261. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed a gorgeous weekend where you live! I had a lovely, productive weekend with long walks and the first round of leaf wrangling. Middle Grade Monday features The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat. Ms. Soontornvat who has won awards for both her fiction (A Wish in the Dark) and her non-fiction (All Thirteen) makes her graphic novel debut with her memoir of cheer tryouts. 

Starting seventh grade is hard for Christina and her bff, Megan. Christina is biracial. Her dad is Thai and her mom is white. Megan is Iranian American. The two suffer from micro-aggressions and overt racism. Christina can't seem to get fashion right either. They admire the confidence of the cheerleaders and decide to tryout for the squad.

The bright palette depicts the highs and lows of Christina's experience with energy and good humor. Graphic novel fans will not want to miss this!

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