Annie is a smart high school senior. She does well in her classes and her college test scores are high. But she has no extracurricular activities on her college applications, and she doesn’t have all that many friends. So her mother encourages her to go out for cheerleading. Annie does love gymnastics, but she doesn’t see herself as much of a team player.
Beatrice Diaz has been a cheerleader for less than a year, but she loves it. And when the squad needed someone to hang the flyers about their tryouts, she agreed to do it. She loves being part of the squad, but her grades have been suffering lately, and her parents are wanting to make sure she gets in a good school. They worry about her, a lot, and they want to make sure she’s happy and safe.
Especially since it wasn’t that long ago since Beatrice transitioned. And while she struggles with how to use her voice without offending anyone, others struggle to know when they’re supporting her and when they’re overstepping.
But at cheerleading tryouts, when Annie showed up to explain why she wanted to join the squad, the other cheerleaders balked. They said she was argumentative and hard to get along with. But Beatrice stood up for her, reminding the other cheerleaders that they had accepted her, that they had said it was a place for second chances and learning to be your best self. So the others have no choice but to agree and give Annie a try. In her favor is the fact that her gymnastics skills are strong, and she’s small and strong enough to be a flyer, the person on top of the pyramid and who gets thrown up in the air.
Annie isn’t sure about being a flyer, but she is happy to have new friends, and she’s grateful to Beatrice for standing up for her. As they talk about why Beatrice had done that for Annie, she mentions that she’s having some trouble in her classes, especially history. Annie immediately offers to help, since history is her favorite subject.
In the weeks heading up to Homecoming, Annie and Beatrice spend more time together. Annie learns more about what Beatrice goes through as a trans woman and encourages her to use her voice more. And Annie becomes part of a squad, part of a friendship, and realizes she has stronger feelings for Beatrice than just friendship.
With Homecoming just around the corner, there is a lot going on. The squad has to choose someone to back for Homecoming Queen, Annie is working on trusting the squad enough to become a flyer, and then there is the question of finding a date for the dance. Where will this story go for Annie and Beatrice?
Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms is a charming graphic novel about finding yourself and finding love in high school. There are brightly colored illustrations from Val Wise and snarky asides that pull you into author Crystal Frasier’s story, which is cute and charming. But under all the sweetness and warmth in this story is a layer of serious issues that come from being different.
Whether the challenges come from having a personality that could be considered strident (although in Annie’s defense, she only bit someone once) or from being LGBTQ or just from being a not-girly girl, the pain and isolation can feel the same. But the cheerleading squad at Crane Senior High breaks through all those stereotypes and makes room for everyone. They adjust their attitudes when they need to and they stand up for their friends. It adds such depth and power to this story, and I am all for it.
I really enjoyed Cheer Up. I thought it combined humor and honesty, understanding and empathy, and strength and support to show how we need others to make us better. These women don’t always get it right, but when they’re wrong, they admit it and apologize. I only wish I could have had as supportive a group back when I was an awkward high schooler. This one was lots of fun!
Egalleys for Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms were provided by Oni Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.
