The Cheerleaders

May 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-In Monica's family, they don't talk about her older sister Jennifer's death. It's been years since five of Sunnybrook High School's most popular cheerleaders died in seemingly unconnected events, but Monica's family never really processed their grief. On the fifth anniversary of her sister's suicide, Monica discovers a pile of anonymous letters hidden in her stepfather's desk. These notes urge the police officer to reexamine the evidence, hinting that the deaths were all connected. Knowing her stepdad is ignoring the letters, Monica decides to delve into the subject herself, but soon her curiosity becomes an obsession, driving a wedge between herself and everyone she cares about. Monica and Jennifer's stories are told through alternating chapters, creating suspenseful cliff-hangers, but also a variation in pace and genre. Monica's sections speed along like a frenetic thriller as she teases out her sister's and the town's secrets, while Jennifer's chapters take on the quiet unease of a drama as she responds to first the betrayal and then the death of her friends. Following its characters' temperaments and decisions, the atmosphere is at times eerie, exciting, and even frightening. Though the realistic depictions of abuse and sexual violence might be too much for sensitive readers, the ending offers hope of healing through a dark, but empowering conclusion. VERDICT This deliciously deceptive thriller and provocative drama is a must-have for high school libraries.-Leighanne Law, Scriber Lake High School, WA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
Years after a series of horrific events left five young women from a cheerleading squad dead, the sister of one of them begins to suspect that justice has not been done.Sixteen-year-old Monica is beginning her school year recovering from terminating an unplanned pregnancy after having a summer fling with a guy in his 20s. The physical and emotional pain that she feels is only compounded by the five-year anniversary of her kind and caring older sister Jen's death. Jen died by suicide, seemingly in reaction to two of her friends' dying in a car accident and then, just weeks later, two others being brutally murdered by an obsessed neighbor, who was then shot and killed by Jen and Monica's police officer stepfather. However, Monica makes some discoveries that cause her to begin questioning this story, and she doggedly pursues each loose end she can find. The fantastical setup underpinning this contemporary mystery is intricate, and readers may struggle to keep track of all the characters as the narrative moves between the first-person present perspective of Monica and Jen's third-person flashbacks. Yet, it cleverly layers a veneer of doubt over each of the players in the story, effectively keeping the audience guessing until the very end. Monica and her family are white, and there is diversity in secondary characters.A busy, but satisfying, whodunnit with a solution as complicated as its premise. (Mystery. 14-18)

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May 21, 2018
Weaving a deceptively intimate and intricate tale of mystery in a small community, Thomas (Little Monsters) continues to demonstrate command of both the inner workings of a teenage mind and the anatomy of crime. Monica,16, is a junior in high school, a member of the dance team, and the younger sister of Jen, one of the five cheerleaders in their town of Sunnybrook who, five years earlier, died within the span of three weeks under suspicious circumstances. Monica is also recovering from a disastrous summer fling with an older man. While searching her stepfather’s desk for his prescription painkillers, she stumbles upon a stash of letters that lead her to realize that the explanations given for the deaths of the five girls may not be true. Monica sets out on a quest to unearth what actually happened, enlisting the aid of Ginny, a young woman with a complicated past. Narrated in the distinct viewpoints of Monica—whose voice, unfortunately, is lackluster and even a bit shallow—and Jen, the novel brims with well-chosen, telling details in the tradition of strong psychological suspense that build toward a satisfying final chapter. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media