The Squad: A Graphic Novel (The Tryout #2)

The Squad is a graphic novel that follows Christina, and her two best friends, Megan and Leanne, who will try out for the cheerleading team again. Christina feels more confident this year, she has her style, amazing friends, and first crush. Unfortunately, she is having a hard time since she has learned her parents are getting a divorce, and she worries about her friends not all making the team. Will she be able to keep it together and pretend that she is doing fine?

What I liked: I was a bit worried when I found out that this was the follow-up to another book but The Squad is a good stand-alone book. If you want to learn more background about the characters I suggest taking a look at book one but I find that this book shows you enough to enjoy it. It wasn’t until the ending of the book when reading the author’s note that I found this was a recollection of her middle school memories which adds a special quality to the book. I appreciate the author sharing pieces of her life with us and being vulnerable with her audience.

While this book is cute, silly, and fun there are also important topics that are covered such as separated parents, absent parents, and being biracial. I appreciated how the author handled such issues and found that many of the moments were relatable. I love that Christina changes throughout the book as she discovers who she wants to be. I appreciate that we can see her lash out because of how she has been treated by her peers or as she feels silenced. While I appreciate this I also like that her friend, Leanne, calls her out on how she isn’t being a good friend and isn’t aware of the things going on with others.

I appreciated that we got to see raw emotions from Christina and saw how bottling up her emotions affected her relationships with others. The images do a great job of capturing everyone’s feelings without them having to say anything. I appreciate that so much of the emotions are done through images and through the interactions that the characters have with each other.

Final Verdict: The Squad is a fun heartwarming graphic novel about the importance of friendship and family when navigating difficult situations. Children ages 8 and up will enjoy reading this book and find moments in which they can relate to Christina. Adults will enjoy this book as well as they read along with their children and remember what it was like to be a middle schooler.