Book Review - Learning to Fly: TNT Force Cheer - Dana Burkey

This is where my ability to remember stories and plot lines come in handy.  I was about to write the blog for this middle grade level book when the previous blog post occurred.  We're all home now, things are settling in, and I can go back to writing and blogging.

Learning to Fly (Dana Burkey) is the first book in the TNT Force Cheer series.  It follows 12 ("But I'll be 13 in January") year old Maxine "Max" during the summer. 

While playing with her neighbor Peter and his younger brother, Kyle, it starts to rain so they decide to go to the indoor trampoline park.  While there Max (don't call her Maxine) spots some girls her age practicing flips and other cheer stunts.

Only Halley and Lexi aren't the typical cheerleaders - they belong to a gymnastics cheerleading squad.  All of those competition squads that do flips and flying stunts and dance rountines? Yeah, that's TNT Force.

They start showing Max some of their stunts and Max is a natural! Unbelievable but entirely possible - Max was doing some of these flips on her diving board and trampoline!

The only problem is Max is a tomboy and has a problem with the short shorts and tighter shirts necessary for the cheerleaders.  She freaks about about glitter and the bows.  And, for her, the word cheerleader is a negative with thoughts of pom poms and cheers circling her brain.

So, what's a widowed father to do? He points out that her mother was a cheerleader then he bribes her.  Two weeks of cheerleading and you can get a kitten.

Yes, I've glossed over a few things.   Max's mother passed away from cancer and they moved to Texas for a research position for her father.  Max is a tomboy because she has no female influences; her best friend is Peter afterall.  Even though she'd been in Texas for 3 years, Max doesn't appear to have many friends, but that could be because it's the middle of summer. 

There appears to be a triangle between Peter, Max, and a guy at the gym - Connor.  I know that Connor is older, but I can't recall his age.   I'll just have to wait and see with the next book.  I have a feeling that Max might just be too young for this romantic drama, but it definitely takes a backseat to the entire story.  Max isn't quite seeing boys in that light just yet.

There are some well-played issues that any good story has.   The loss of Max's mother plays throughout with the cheerleading, single father, the tomboy daughter, and even with Max's name.  We see just how easily someone can slip into a bully role all because they are striving for perfection (or the attention of a boy).

But we also see the power of teamwork and how things shouldn't be judged on appearances.  Max would have missed out on something she enjoyed all because the uniform included bows and glitter. 

This book made me laugh, cry, then laugh again.  I'd recommend it for your 4th-7th grader.