For the teenager navigating the highs and lows of team sports and friendships, this story explores the resilience needed to achieve a comeback and find your place.
A parent might reach for this book when their teen is dealing with the sting of rejection, like being cut from a team or excluded from a friend group. 'Coming Back Cheerleaders' follows Polly, whose world is turned upside down when a rival gets her kicked off the varsity cheer squad. The story is a heartfelt exploration of resilience, showing how a devastating setback can become an opportunity for growth. It beautifully handles themes of true friendship, building self-confidence outside of a single label, and the quiet courage it takes to start over. For teens navigating the intense social pressures of school sports and cliques, this book offers a hopeful and relatable model for bouncing back and discovering that your identity is much bigger than any one activity.
A sweet, chaste romance develops with crushes and a first kiss.
Cultural Content GapMild
Published in 1987. Lacks modern technology and reflects period-specific social norms and fashion.
Sensitive Topics
The core sensitive topics are social bullying and exclusion, which are handled directly within a realistic high school context. The narrative does not shy away from the pain of being targeted and rejected by peers. The approach is secular. The resolution is very hopeful, as the protagonist finds a new, more fulfilling path and strengthens her authentic friendships, offering a positive model for overcoming social adversity.
Ideal Reader
The ideal reader is a teen aged 12 to 15 who has recently experienced a significant setback or failure, especially a public one. This is for the kid who was cut from a team, lost a student election, or was pushed out of a friend group and is now questioning their identity and value. It speaks directly to the feeling of 'my life is over' and provides a roadmap for recovery.
Parent Prep
This book can be read cold. The situations and emotional stakes are classic for the genre and age group. A parent might want to be prepared to discuss the difference between fair-weather friends and true, loyal friends, using the characters of the cheer squad versus Marcy and Nick as examples. No specific scenes require previewing. The parent has just witnessed their teen's deep disappointment after a failure. The child might be isolating themselves, crying, or expressing feelings of worthlessness tied to the event (e.g., 'If I'm not a soccer player, who am I?'). They may have overheard their child talking about mean-spirited gossip or social exclusion at school.
Age Experience
A younger reader (12-13) will likely focus on the plot's clear-cut drama: the injustice of Polly being kicked off the team and the satisfying success she finds in the end. An older reader (14-16) will connect more deeply with the internal journey of redefining one's identity. They will appreciate the themes of personal growth and the courage it takes to step outside a pre-defined social box.
What Makes It Special
While many teen sports books focus on the journey to victory, this one's unique strength is its focus on the journey *after* defeat. It powerfully validates the idea that failure is not an endpoint but a potential beginning. Its 1980s setting also offers a less complicated, pre-social media landscape for peer conflict, which can feel both nostalgic and refreshingly straightforward.
Read plot summary
Polly is overjoyed to make the varsity cheerleading squad, but a new, ambitious teammate named Corinne immediately targets her. Through scheming and sabotage, Corinne manages to get Polly cut from the team after a mistake at a big game. Devastated and socially ostracized, Polly is supported by her loyal best friend, Marcy. She tentatively auditions for the school play and, with encouragement from a new friend, Nick, discovers a passion and talent for acting. The story follows her journey of rebuilding her confidence and realizing that her identity isn't tied to being a cheerleader, ending with her triumph in a new arena.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Marcy decides to stay friends with Polly, even though the other cheerleaders give her a hard time. What makes this a difficult choice for Marcy? What does this situation show us about what true loyalty in a friendship looks like?
2
Polly thought being a cheerleader was her entire identity. When that was taken away, how did she go about discovering other parts of herself? Do you think it's good or bad to be known for just one thing?
3
The story's antagonist, Corinne, is very competitive and unkind. Do you think her actions came from a place of confidence or a place of insecurity? Why might someone feel the need to tear another person down to get ahead?
4
At the end of the story, Polly has found success in the drama club. Do you think this 'happy ending' would have felt as good if she hadn't gone through the painful experience of being cut from the cheerleading squad first? Why or why not?
