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Cheerleaders
Series · 26
books · 1985-1988

Books in series

Trying Out book cover
#1

Trying Out

1985

Thirty-two girls at Tarenton High try out for cheerleader, but only four will be chosen for the squad; will it be Mary Ellen with her serene beauty and high ambitions, or confident but spiteful Vanessa? Will Mary Ellen get suave, rich Pres to notice her or will her heart betray her into the arms of Patrick, the devastatingly handsome son of a refuse collector?
Getting Even book cover
#2

Getting Even

1985

Mary Ellen, Nancy, Walk, Olivia, Pres, and Angie have made the Tarenton Cheerleading Squad - now they have to stay together. Jealous rivals and new romances threaten to break their team spirit. They are pressured by the upcoming state competition and the Homecoming Queen election. Mary Ellen contends with an enemy who's out to ruin her reputation; Nancy, with the trials of a new love. Can they possibly stick together?
Rumors book cover
#3

Rumors

1985

"The girls' eyes flickered back to Mary Ellen, and there was something dark and scornful in those glances that made Mary Ellen shiver." Ugly rumors are spreading through Tarenton High. And they're centered on the squad's two most experienced cheerleaders. But how is Mary Ellen affording all those gorgeous clothes, and how did Angie achieve such high grades in school? Can the squad survive this web of suspicion and deceit?
Feuding book cover
#4

Feuding

1985

Book by Norby, Lisa
All the Way book cover
#5

All the Way

1986

Nancy, a cheerleader for Tarenton High, faces her classmate's disapproval when she falls in love with Ben, a star player on the basketball team of their archrivals
Flirting book cover
#7

Flirting

1986

The Tarenton High cheerleading squad is in trouble, everyone is having difficulties concentrating because of their own problems with boyfriends and jobs
Forgetting book cover
#8

Forgetting

1985

Olivia, Mary Ellen, and Nancy have trouble forgetting their personal problems and concentrating on their responsibilities as cheerleaders for Tarenton High
Betrayed book cover
#10

Betrayed

1985

This is a book for a teen audience which was popularized in the 1980's.
Living It Up book cover
#14

Living It Up

1985

After arriving in New York to star in a commercial, the Cheerleaders are told that they are not sexy enough for the ad, so the members of the squad set out to try to change their image
In Love book cover
#16

In Love

1986

Chris Page is really in love with Angie and he's the cutest guy ever to hit the halls of Tarenton High. Greg Connors seems interested in Nancy, but is she ready for a new love so soon after Ben's death? With the cheerleading contest just a few weeks away, the squad needs to practice more than ever, and there's just not enough time for new romances. Being in love is fun, but being a cheerleader comes first...even if it breaks your heart!
Taking Risks book cover
#17

Taking Risks

1986

A trip to an away game turns into a harrowing experience for the cheerleaders when their van is hijacked by two gunmen who demand to be driven to Canada
Looking Good book cover
#18

Looking Good

1986

Things were looking good - and so was Mary Ellen! When a Chicago model agency asks the stunning and ambitious cheerleader to go for an audition, she can't believe her luck. Once there, the real challenge begins. Mary Ellen will do anything to be a model - but will she have to, to keep things looking good...?
Pulling Together book cover
#21

Pulling Together

1986

There's a new squad of cheerleaders at Tarenton High, and being a cheerleader means something different to each of them. And that makes problems. To beautiful Jessica, it's escaping from conflicts at home. To Sean, it's having girls notice him. And to Tara, it means being a star. Olivia can see they're in big trouble already. How will they ever pull themselves together and be a team when everything is pulling them apart?
Going Strong book cover
#24

Going Strong

1986

When the arrogant, untalented Robinson Ladd joins the cheerleading squad without trying out, the other squad members are outraged, and Olivia decides to find out why Coach Engborg wants Robinson on the team.
Taking over book cover
#26

Taking over

1987

Slammer Akins is his name—and cheerleading definitely is not his game. But he's the substitute coach while Mrs. Engborg is in the hospital, and what he says, goes. What is really going, though, is the spirit and style that make the Tarenton squad special. And when Jessica gets distracted by Patrick's reaction to Mary Ellen's unexpected visit, things get even worse. It seems like nothing short of mutiny will stop Slammer—but will it save the squad?
Falling in Love book cover
#29

Falling in Love

1987

Follows the romantic adventures of Tarenton High's most popular group, the cheerleaders.
Saying Yes book cover
#30

Saying Yes

1987

Former head cheerleader Mary Ellen Kirkwood is back in town and she's in love. But is Pres just kidding when he asks her to marry him? No one knows. But romance is in the air. Olivia can't even think about cheerleading, and for once, nasty Diana's schemes don't worry her. Patrick has some serious questions for Jessica, and Hope could be falling out of love with Peter, and in love with someone new. Before it is all over, there may be a cheerleader wedding...but no one is sure.
Together Again book cover
#32

Together Again

1987

Pres has been in a terrible accident. He can't walk. He won't even try. No one can reach him, until Mary Ellen calls the members of the old squad and asks them to come back and join the new squad—to win the most important fight the cheerleaders have ever faced!
Saying No book cover
#33

Saying No

1987

Tara has a big part in the local play. And she suddenly realizes that this is what she was meant to be—a star! But rehearsals mean skipping cheerleading practice. Coach Engborg says, No way. And so does the rest of the squad. Tara must find a way if she wants to keep the part. Will she have to lie? or will the help offered by a handsome actor save her? Tara may have to make a choice. is it time for a new cheerleader on the squad?
Moving Up book cover
#35

Moving Up

1987

Tryouts for an alternate cheerleader are a week away. Diana is sure she's a cinch. And the squad is worried that she is right. But Hope thinks Melissa, a shy junior who is a ballet dancer, might be right for the job if only Hope can convince the squad—and Melissa! Does Melissa have what it takes to be the newest cheerleader? Or will Diana get everything she wants?
Changing Loves book cover
#36

Changing Loves

1987

Faced with failing French and losing her place on the squad, Jessica has less time than ever for Patrick. His attempts to help only make things between them worse. It's goodbye, Jessica says. And this time she really means it. But does she? What if Patrick falls in love with someone new? Someone on the squad? Someone who falls back in love with him? Like Tara? Patrick and Tara? Was it always meant to be?
Acting Up book cover
#37

Acting Up

1988

If Olivia's boyfriend truly loves her, why is he telling stories about the cheerleaders on his radio show? And why is he joining those who say that boys don't belong on the squad? Other squads have gone all-girl, exchanging flying movies and daring stunts for—less. Is the Tarenton squad going to be forced to do the same? The team has to prove that the boys belong and that being together is what makes them the best. The time has come for action...the kind that stops the show!
Fighting Back book cover
#42

Fighting Back

1988

A shopping expedition turns into a nightmare when Mary Ellen Tilford is kidnapped for ransom, and Tara Armstrong, in the wrong place at the wrong time, is taken, too. Mary Ellen says, "Do what they say. Don't make any trouble." Tara says, "We've got to fight. We've got to save ourselves." Someone's right. And someone's wrong. Maybe dead wrong.
Telling Lies book cover
#43

Telling Lies

1988

Diana's unsuccessful bribe of her math teacher, Nick, leads her to take her revenge on him in the form of a nasty lie that threatens various relationships
Overboard book cover
#46

Overboard

1988

When the cheerleading squad wins a Caribbean cruise, the members enjoy themselves with fun and romance until one of the members becomes suspected of stealing an antique jewelled dagger
Dating book cover
#47

Dating

1988

When Peter begins a computer dating project, he throws the cheerleading squad into romantic turmoil, creating possible match-ups that completely ignore the present.

Authors

Caroline B. Cooney
Caroline B. Cooney
Author · 84 books

Caroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!" When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people—with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action." To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!

  • Scholastic.com
Mary Pope Osborne
Mary Pope Osborne
Author · 158 books
Mary Pope Osborne has channeled a lifelong love of exploration and travel into one of the most popular children’s book series of the past two decades. With her fantastic Magic Tree House series, Mary Pope Osborne keeps the good times rolling for kids all over the world.
Diane Hoh
Diane Hoh
Author · 55 books
Diane Hoh is the author of fifty-seven novels for young adults. She grew up in Warren, Pennsylvania but currently resides in Austin, Texas. Reading and writing are her favorite things, alongside gardening and grandchildren.
Christopher Pike
Author · 102 books

Christopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.

Carol Ellis
Author · 22 books

Carol Ellis is an American author of young adult and children’s fiction. Her first novel, My Secret Admirer, was published in 1989 by Scholastic as part of their popular Point Thriller line. She went on to write over fifteen novels, including a few titles in the Zodiac Chillers series published by Random House in the mid-1990s, and two titles in The Blair Witch Files series for young adults, published by Bantam between 2000 and 2001.

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Cheerleaders