CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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The Tryout

by Christina Soontornvat

CCBC Review:

Thai American Christine lives in a small, predominantly white Texas town, where her parents run a Chinese restaurant. Christine’s start-of-seventh-grade anxieties about finding her place and fitting in aren’t necessarily eased when her best friend, Iranian American Megan, suggests they try out for the cheerleading squad. Christine’s excited at the prospect of becoming a cheerleader, but tryouts will culminate in a performance in front of the entire school, with the final decision coming down to a vote by the student body. One of the many pleasures of this spirited, often funny graphic novel is that it smartly avoids tropes, instead offering complexity and nuance and balance. The cheerleaders aren’t mean girls; the candidates are generally supportive of one another; and when Megan partners with someone other than Christina for the tryouts, it isn’t the beginning of the end of their friendship. The talk Christina and Megan eventually have is deep and genuine, revealing Christina’s hurt but also Megan’s hope that partnering with white girls would give them each a better chance of making it. Christina is making new friends and trying new things outside of cheerleading, too, as well as asking questions about who she is (what does it mean to be both Buddhist and Presbyterian—is that even possible?). So many thoughts and feelings flow through this story, all of them genuine. As for the tryouts: The tension is real as the story builds to its climax. This fictionalized account is inspired by author Soontornvat’s seventh grade year. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Joanna Cacao

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 8-12
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Graphic Novel
Subjects: Asian Americans Competitions and Contests Faith, Spirituality and Religion Feelings/Emotions Friendship Humor Iranians and Iranian Americans School Sports Thais and Thai Americans
Diversity subjects: Asian Middle East Christian Other Religion
On CCBC Booklists: School Stories: Selected PreK-12 Literature about the School Experience Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin Religion in the Lives of Children and Teens

Publishers: Graphix, Scholastic
Publish Year: 2022
Pages: 255
ISBN: 9781338741308
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, Soontornvat

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