I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader (Cheerleader Trilogy, #1) by Kieran Scott

Jan 26, 2009 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009

Anisa is a brunette, transferred from New Jersey to Florida during the middle of the school year. She starts attending a new school, where apparently every female is blond--except one. The school also boasts a competitive cheerleading squad that is in the running for a national title.

When Anisa runs into the guidance counselor at the convience store, getting a pint or two of ice cream after a horrible first day, two of the girls are kicked off the squad for smoking. Everyone assumes Anisa ratted...more

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Mar 05, 2009 Aja added it

The book I recently finished reading is called I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott. This is a fictional book that focuses around something everyone can relate to, friendship and how worst enemies can become best friends.

The main character in this book is Annisa Gobrowski who has moved around about six or seven times throughout her life. She and her family are currently living in San dune, Florida. Which almost there entire population is blonde (hints the title of the book). She has a...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Annisa's dad is an English professor that likes to try out different universities on a regular basis. So what does this mean for Annisa? New schools on a regular basis. After getting nice and comfortable in New Jersey, Annisa's family moves to Florida, to Sand Dune High where Annisa stands out like a sore thumb--or well, like a brunette in a sea of blondes (some natural, some not so much). Luckily Annisa has a can-do attitude and determination that just won't quit. But when she (accidentally) br...more Annisa's dad is an English professor that likes to try out different universities on a regular basis. So what does this mean for Annisa? New schools on a regular basis. After getting nice and comfortable in New Jersey, Annisa's family moves to Florida, to Sand Dune High where Annisa stands out like a sore thumb--or well, like a brunette in a sea of blondes (some natural, some not so much). Luckily Annisa has a can-do attitude and determination that just won't quit. But when she (accidentally) breaks the nose of the most popular girl in school (and cheerleading captain), gets (unfairly) blamed for getting two girls kicked of the cheerleading squad right before a major competition, and learns her hot neighbor has a girlfriend who seriously hates her, Annisa's positive attitude just might not be enough. When Annisa sets her sights on making the cheerleading squad she just might lose the only friend she has a Sand Dune.

Having never read Kieran Scott's novels before, I had no idea what to expect from this one. I was definitely pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this read. While some readers may have tired of cheerleader stories, Scott's was unique and entertaining. Annisa is a strong female protagonist who grabs onto readers and demands they hear her story.

I was also thrilled to see several other strong, determined, intelligent, female characters in this novel (Sage, Tara, Phoebe). As Annisa deals with her own situation, she is also catapulted into the life of the girl who lived in her room before she got there, and that situation added some important depth to this story. Annisa is the kind of character that you want to get to know and befriend. Female YAs will not only enjoy Annisa's story but they will learn from it and more importantly, they will obtain a strong female, non-conformist role model who knows what it truly means to never give up.

Classroom Use:
Independent Reading topics include stereotypes, cliques, high school poltics, relocation, time management, extracurricular activities, loyalty, and friendship.

Rec: Grades 7-12

Grade: B+(less)

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Jun 08, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: booktalks-high-school

I liked this a lot more than I expected to. I mean, I knew it was going to be funny and charming for the quirky girls, but I kind of assumed that it would all be based around how those "other" girls are bitches and Our Heroine is totally not that kind of girl, and I was ready to roll my eyes a lot. Really, that *is* kind of how it starts, but it gets better really fast. I should have realized pretty quickly that the book is about one of the kids that goes between cliques, since that's the whole...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Emily Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

My friend told me about this book, she said it was good so I decided to read the book. I needed a book for good reads and thought it would be good to read. I found out that I was right and that it was good. The theme of the book was original, it was girl/boy goes to a new school new town, they are different and stand out and have a huge problem that has to be solved, in the end they end up have friends and all there problems are solved. It's not the theme I like but the way the author wrote it

Th...more

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Feb 15, 2009 Kit rated it 2 of 5 stars

Will the cheerleading squad get their act together before the big competition? Will the cute football player ask the new girl out? This book definitely doesn't break any new ground, but people looking for a beach (or airport) read probably won't be disappointed.

One note: protagonist Annisa is the most inexplicably mature high-school sophomore in teen chick lit. Constantly the voice of reason to her squadmates, her brother, even her parents, she started to ring untrue to me. The theme of a super-...more

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Jun 18, 2012 Hadley rated it 4 of 5 stars

I WAS A NON-BLOND CHEERLEADER is about Annisa Gobrowski's life as she tries to fit in as the only brunette at her new school Sand Dune High. I really liked this book but I thought it got alittle slow around chapter 4. I liked the idea of a prank war but the first prank was deffinatly the best. I think it was unpractal the Annisa (and Bethany) is the only brunette in whole school, to me it seems imposable. I think keran Scott used the perfect characters in NON-BLOND CHEERLEADER. When they spoke I...more

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Jul 29, 2010 Gatorgal21 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Looking for the perfect beach read? Something that is light, fluffy, yet still at least halfway entertaining? Look no further then I was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader. All about a dark haired, Jersey girl who moves to Florida, only to find that she is one of two brunettes in the entire school. That doesn't stop her however, from making the cheerleader team, standing up to some major Queen Bees, gaining some new friends, and even getting the guy.
So it wasn't my favorite book of the summer, but if you...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Whitney Pack rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This book holds a place in my heart because I could kind of relate to the story. In this story Annita moves to a new high school where she is the only person with dark hair and a short hair cut. She decides to check out the cheerleading squad to see if they were good enough for her leave of cheerleadign skills. When she joins she soons finds the the captians are set to destroy her all because she doesn't fit in to other peoples style and standards.

I love this book and have also read the second o...more

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Dec 06, 2012 7706sydney rated it 4 of 5 stars

This realistic book was very good. It focuses on the new girl, Annisa, at Sand Dune High dealing with the fact she is the only brunette at her school, while trying to cope with popularity, cheerleading, and schoolwork. It was super good.
I really liked the main character, Annisa, and the supporting characters. Although, I didn't really like Daniel that much, an important boy in Annisa's life. The way it was written was nice and I loved Annisa's attitude. The plot was interesting and I just liked...more

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Oct 24, 2009 Julie Leung rated it 4 of 5 stars

I felt that this book was very cliched because the whole school goes against people who aren't blond haired. I applause Annisa because of her bravery to go against her rivals that try everything to humiliate her. This fiction gave me many moments of suspense whether Annisa and the blond classmates were able to cooperate throughout her competitions. It also held suspense when she and her best friend were constantly in conflict because of her being with her "blond" friends. I mean, doesn't everyon...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Faye rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: challenge, drama, real-life, total-girl-drama, waste-of-my-time, stupid-plot

Could barely keep myself reading, to tell u the truth. It just wasn't a good enough book to waste my time on, but I did finish it, which has got to count for something, right?!
When Anisa transfers to a new school in Florida and discovers that she is the only brunette there, her reaction was kind of like mine: I'm the only one in this ENTIRE school who isn't a blondie?! That, to me, was kind of cheesy. I seriously doubt that there is a school out there where EVERY SINGLE PERSON is blond. I'm not...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

So I wasn't looking for anything amazing I like the beach read kinda books but this was a 3star book you I'll admit I'll probably read the next in the series but the thing is I hope the next ones are better! I was happy she stood up to those girls cuz I was so into it I was gonna if she didn't (I know that makes no sense but if you read it you may understand what im blabbing on about) also I like how her and Daniel weren't the whole story there was her best friend and evil team mates thrown dram...more

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Jul 15, 2009 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

"I was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader" Is about a girl who moves from New Jersey to Florida. All the girls in her new High-School are Blonde (Dyed, Natural, Highlighted,ext...). On her 1st day attending she makes 2 friends Danny (a cute BLONDE giuitar playing, Football champ, Wrestling Star, and dating-the-meanest-girl-ever boy) and a purple haired drama queen. But along with 2 friends she makes many enemies including the most popular girl in the school by breaking her nose. She will do anything to be...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Brook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Charming, hilarious, and down right lovable, this novel by Kieran Scott was a winner. I was highly entertained from beginning to end. I didn't think a book about cheerleading would win me over, but it had enough romantic punch and girlie witticism to keep me coming back for more. I finished the book in three days...that's good time for me.

Annisa Gobrowski has the right amount of cynicism and allure. When you see yourself in a character, you know the author has succeeded at her job. I can't wait...more

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May 30, 2011 Kenaia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although this was admittedly not the most well written, original, or realistic tale, it was a light, funny and enjoyable read. I definitely took Annisa's side in the book, so her narrative was obviously persuasive enough for me to understand. The stereotypical-ness of this book is both why I don't like it, and why I do. The bad: everyone is blonde, cheerleaders are mean, etc, etc. It gets old. The good: a funny and actually pretty realistic account of a girl figuring out what she really wants. R...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Suzanne Sullivan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Annisa's dad is an English professor that likes to try out different universities on a regular basis. So what does this mean for Annisa? New schools on a regular basis. After getting nice and comfortable in New Jersey, Annisa's family moves to Florida, to Sand Dune High where Annisa stands out like a sore thumb--or well, like a brunette in a sea of blondes (some natural, some not so much). Luckily Annisa has a can-do attitude and determination that just won't quit. But when she (accidentally) br...more Annisa's dad is an English professor that likes to try out different universities on a regular basis. So what does this mean for Annisa? New schools on a regular basis. After getting nice and comfortable in New Jersey, Annisa's family moves to Florida, to Sand Dune High where Annisa stands out like a sore thumb--or well, like a brunette in a sea of blondes (some natural, some not so much). Luckily Annisa has a can-do attitude and determination that just won't quit. But when she (accidentally) breaks the nose of the most popular girl in school (and cheerleading captain), gets (unfairly) blamed for getting two girls kicked of the cheerleading squad right before a major competition, and learns her hot neighbor has a girlfriend who seriously hates her, Annisa's positive attitude just might not be enough. When Annisa sets her sights on making the cheerleading squad she just might lose the only friend she has a Sand Dune.

Having never read Kieran Scott's novels before, I had no idea what to expect from this one. I was definitely pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this read. While some readers may have tired of cheerleader stories, Scott's was unique and entertaining. Annisa is a strong female protagonist who grabs onto readers and demands they hear her story.

I was also thrilled to see several other strong, determined, intelligent, female characters in this novel (Sage, Tara, Phoebe). As Annisa deals with her own situation, she is also catapulted into the life of the girl who lived in her room before she got there, and that situation added some important depth to this story. Annisa is the kind of character that you want to get to know and befriend. Female YAs will not only enjoy Annisa's story but they will learn from it and more importantly, they will obtain a strong female, non-conformist role model who knows what it truly means to never give up.

Classroom Use:
Independent Reading topics include stereotypes, cliques, high school poltics, relocation, time management, extracurricular activities, loyalty, and friendship.

Rec: Grades 7-12

Grade: B+(less)

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Mar 08, 2013 Elizabeth Aguilar rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-wands, 2013

Quirky and funny. Perfect for a relaxing afternoon after a hard day.

Annisa Gobrowski is just an ordinary brunette, who transferred from New Jersey to Florida during the middle of the school year. There, she starts attending a Sand Dune High School, where every female- except one- is blond. That's right, they have every type of blonde imaginable: natural, frosted, bottle, highlighted. Not only does she stick out like a sore thumb from the beginning, but she unites with the only non-blonde at scho...more Quirky and funny. Perfect for a relaxing afternoon after a hard day.

Annisa Gobrowski is just an ordinary brunette, who transferred from New Jersey to Florida during the middle of the school year. There, she starts attending a Sand Dune High School, where every female- except one- is blond. That's right, they have every type of blonde imaginable: natural, frosted, bottle, highlighted. Not only does she stick out like a sore thumb from the beginning, but she unites with the only non-blonde at school. But from breaking the most popular girl's nose, starts to like her neighbor who is the boyfriend of the cheerleader who already has it out for her, Annisa is off to a bad start.

Annisa's transfer begins to look like a positive when learns about an opening in the school's competitive cheerleading squad that is in the running for a national title. From the title, it's obvious she made it. Annisa, the only non-blonde cheerleader of San Dune High! Hurrah!

In that aspect, it is very much similar to the other new-girl-trying-to-fit-in type of books. But it does differentiated itself from the rest. It was similar to Bring It On in the characters and plot. The characters in I WAS A NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER however, have their own individual personas and you actually get to explore them. They are not just secondary characters who purpose it to make the main character seem like the greatest person in the world. Their bickering and relationships make them relatable- even if you aren't a cheerleader.

Though some cheerleading moves are mentioned (and I only understood half of them based off movies), it's not all about the girls trying to win the Nationals or Championship. It's a lot about their friendships and their interactions. Like when you start to think your friends don't understand you and how to deal with it. When two of your friends are fighting and no one knows why or how to deal with it. You know, the usual friend issues.

Not exactly the next Grammy Award winning novel but worth reading.

Rating: 3 stars
Would I read the rest of the trilogy: Yes.
Recommended for: Someone who needs some laughter and eye-rolling; anyone who understands cheerleader lingo/stunts
If you would like to purchase the book, click here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-was...(less)

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Dec 13, 2012 Jorydn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book because you could really relate to all the issues that Annisa went through. You could relate to her falling in love with her best friend, being judged when she first arrived at school, and even how she had to be nice and kind to all of her teammates when they wanted nothing to do with her. I thought this book was very interesting because it always kept you guessing what was going to come next, or who will become friends. The reader really gets to feel how it was to be...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Cyndi rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
This review was published in my community newsletter, and I didn't feel like editing it. However, feedback is still appreciated as far as tips for writing proper book reviews go. Thank you very much.

Annisa Gobrowski is a Jersy girl just transferring to a Florida high school as a sophmore. She was practically forced to leave her friends and favorite cheerleading squad and enter the terribly humid climate, and now must endure more pain as the only brunette girl in an all-blonde public high school....more
This review was published in my community newsletter, and I didn't feel like editing it. However, feedback is still appreciated as far as tips for writing proper book reviews go. Thank you very much.

Annisa Gobrowski is a Jersy girl just transferring to a Florida high school as a sophmore. She was practically forced to leave her friends and favorite cheerleading squad and enter the terribly humid climate, and now must endure more pain as the only brunette girl in an all-blonde public high school. But, of course, to eleviate her pain, she decided to try out for the school's competition-level cheerleading squad. Naturally, the rest of the team isn't making it easy for her, but she's determined to fit in without having to dye her hair.
I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott is a fantastically funny modern-life story of a girl who is discriminated against for one of the most ridiculous reasons ever; hair color. It follows Annisa from the time she leaves her house on the first day of school and through the many challenges that usually make high school, including falling for the rival's boyfriend, school spirit wars gone wrong, and competitive cheerleading turned dirty. It touches on the ideas of discrimination and how it affects not only a strong-willed girl, but the people around her and how it affects her interactions with the students and teachers. It also goes into how much mental abuse one could take and when it is time to say enough's enough.
This was yet another random pick off of a library bookshelf that turned me into a fan of the author. I was hooked at the start, and I greatly sympatized with Annisa at her most trying times during the story, and I grew to almost know her like a friend. And, like a friend, I couldn't help point out some of her stupid decisions and scream in frustration at her moments of indescion. Overall, Annisa is a really likeable character that mangages to sort things out at the end. This isn't really an unpredictable book, but definitely a good read for anyone who'd like a laugh or two. (less)

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Jan 01, 2010 Alana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, chicklit

Annisa Gobrowski feels like she just landed on another planet. When she shows up for her first day at her new high school in Florida, she's the only non-blonde in sight. Add that to a killer first day - in which she's labeled a brainiac back-stabbing klutz who also managed to break the head cheerleader's nose - and things are off to a very rocky start. Especially since all Annisa wants is to be a part of the award-winning cheerleading team...

I'm not a cheerleader. Nor did I ever want to be. I wa...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Sara ♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, challenge-summer-2010, realistic-fiction, romance, young-adult

This was a really cute little book about a girl, Annisa, who moves from New Jersey to Florida during her Sophomore year of high school, and faces all of the challenges that come with that. PLUS, she's the ONLY brunette in the whole school, apparently, so she sticks out like a sore thumb. She's pretty klutzy and doesn't make a very good first impression.... And the guy she has a crush on is going out with this girl who REALLY hates her. One of the girls who really hates her anyway...

And then when...more

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Nov 05, 2008 Tien rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book I'm reviewing today is I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader written by Kieran Scott. It's a fiction story and took place at Florida. Kieran's main theme in I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader is to tell about someone's struggle to conjoin with others in team when s/he was different and dislike from other people.
The book is about a young girl, who's 16 years old named Annisa Gobrowski. Annisa and her family just moved to Florida from New Jersey because of her father's career. In Florida she studi...more The book I'm reviewing today is I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader written by Kieran Scott. It's a fiction story and took place at Florida. Kieran's main theme in I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader is to tell about someone's struggle to conjoin with others in team when s/he was different and dislike from other people.
The book is about a young girl, who's 16 years old named Annisa Gobrowski. Annisa and her family just moved to Florida from New Jersey because of her father's career. In Florida she studied at Sand Dune High School and met a lot of new friends. However some of them seemed dislike Annisa because she was new student and almost different from them. Annisa felt disappointed and uncomfortable because she was a only student that has a non-blonde hair in her school. After that she met a handsome boy named Daniel, who helped and encouraged her to get back her confidence. Therefore, Annisa and her new nicely friend named Mindy decided to join the cheerleading squad. At first time Annisa did very bad for the practice, so some girls discriminated her and the cheerleading squad couldn't get success in every competition because they didn't conjoined. Time by time, Annisa tried to practice and to be nice with everyone, so they could understand a part of Annisa's character. After a long time in the squad, Annisa did well in practice and the friendship between the girls. Finally, they had a competition between many cheerleading squads. The leader told them that if they wanted to win , they must be conjoin in the squad. Therefore, in the day that the competition happened, they performed very well and conjoined, so they were successful and got the 1st prize winner for their school. Now, they already knew about the friendship and the collaboration to get the success.
The book was great. I like it because I can learn the way to struggle in life and the way to collaborate between friends. Besides that, the book had a part that similar to my life when the first time I came to America, so I could understand how Annisa felt when she was discriminated from her new friends. My favorite scene in the book is when the cheerleading squad received the 1st prize in the competition, because in that scene I could see the determined attitude of them to bring the victory for their school. I also like the character named Daniel because he was very sweet and helpful boy. For instance, the first time he met Annisa and he didn't know her by anyway, but when he saw that she was in trouble, he still helped her to get the confidence and be her side anytime.
I would recommend the book to the teenagers at my age, because at the age 15 or 16, people should learn the way to struggle and collaborate in life to get success for the next path. Not only that, in the real life now, there are many people at my age that discriminate and show the despite to other people. Therefore, I want recommend the book for them to let them know how to live equally with others to build the good effort in study.
I think this is a good book that I had read. From the book, I learned many good things for my real life. I hope there will be many people at my age read this book, and after they read they will learn some good things from it. If you liked the book Tae's Sonata, you might like this book I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader because they both tell about the struggle in life of a young girl in a new country. (less)

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Jun 12, 2007 Sammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: b-the-good

For the most part I'm past any sort of chick-lit, teen-lit phase... if I ever even went through one of those phases, honestly I think the closest I got to that was with the Babysitters Club in elementary school, and I countered that with the Goosebumps series. Anywho, I digress. But I had this book on my shelf, and on my list and I figured that after the last two books I read, I needed something light to read. This book was actually a really good choice.

Don't expect to pick up this book and be w...more

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Aug 29, 2010 Nguyet rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 23, 2008 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All teen girls

Shelves: book-club

This book was realy awsome! I felt exactly like this girl because I am a non-blonde cheerleader. It realy teaches you to be who you are and not who everyone wants you to be are to try to be like everyone else. It teaches you to just be yourself and thats all that matters. I loved this book and i would reconmend it to all teen cheerleaders who are not blonde are just anyother girl out there looking for a good book! :)

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May 19, 2011 Tiana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Annisa's thoughtful, caring and stubborn traits changed the outlook of "different", by standing out and resisting to be like everyone else. The title explains the "difference" of the story and proves bullying victims can come out strong in the end.

I would recommend this text because of its typical teenage agenda that really inspires people to boost their confidence of not being afraid to be different.

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Nov 16, 2010 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed this book because it had very relative things that you can see happening. It relates to our school becasue many other students might do the same. Copying others and trying to blend in. Instead, this book will make you get inspired to pop out of the crowd. That is one reason I really like this book. Annisa Grobrowski was the main character. She had burnette hair, and was also new to her high school. She found out everyone dyed there hair BLONDE! How crazy!?!...more

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Dec 01, 2008 Amelia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, best-books-ever, best-character-set, best-humor

I was a Non Blonde Cheerleader is the most hilarious book I've ever come in contact with. Kieran Scott takes the classic "new girl and popular hot guy" situation and turns it into a hilarious read that will leave your sides aching. It also delves into the "rawer" side of being a teenager: biting romance, testing friendships, and of course, winning cheerleading competitions.

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Aug 17, 2010 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I basically love Kieran Scott because she is the author of the Private Series under the pen name, "Kate Brian" and I love all of her books under her pen name. And I follow her on twitter and she is just so funny on twitter that I had to read this book. I read every single word in this book and it was great! I loved the humor and sarcasm of the main character Annisa, and I loved some of the sayings. My favorite was, "Sometimes I'm as sophisticated as a straight-to-video Mary-Kate and Ashley movie...more

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I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader (Cheerleader Trilogy #1)

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