Funny Story About Being Single Cheerleader
See a Problem?
Thanks for telling us about the problem.
Friend Reviews
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
One of the things I like about McGuire's books is how clear it is that she loves what she's writing. She's not churning out another book, she's feeling it.
This was fun.One of the things I like about McGuire's books is how clear it is that she loves what she's writing. She's not churning out another book, she's feeling it.
...more
So, yes. Go read it, it's fun.
And now I want a novel.
...more
A collection of short stories, we're given snapshots of the squad and the life they lead. Not everything is answered -- how can it be in a moment like a flame? -- but this collection will make you cheer for the home team!
Definitely a McGuire story set, and I high
Do you like the strange and weird? Do you enjoy the autumn, its gentle falling darkness leading you into a land of warmth and cold, life and dying, glories and sacrifice? Do you have school spirit? Then the Fighting Pumpkins are for you!A collection of short stories, we're given snapshots of the squad and the life they lead. Not everything is answered -- how can it be in a moment like a flame? -- but this collection will make you cheer for the home team!
Definitely a McGuire story set, and I highly recommend to any of her fans!
...more
Dying With He
If you've read this blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that Seanan McGuire is one of my favorite authors. Writing as both herself and Mira Grant, her Wayward Children, Incryptid, October Daye, and Newsflesh series, her non-series novels like Into the Drowning Deep and Middle Game—they are all different, and they all hit different pleasure centers in the brain. Her work ranges from ravishingly lyrical, to terrifying, to loose and funny, and sometimes all of it as once.Dying With Her Cheer Pants On—Stories of the Fighting Pumpkins is, for the most part McGuire at her loosest and funniest. It's a classic fix-up novel, made up of several previously published short stories and some new ones, along with excellent between-story material that explains and amplifies the book's mythology. And because this is Seanan McGuire, that mythology is well-thought-out, internally consistent, creative and a helluva lot of fun.
The Fighting Pumpkins are the cheerleaders of Johnson's Crossing High School, and as such, they are tasked not only with promoting school spirit and cheering for the Fighting Pumpkins football team, like most cheer squads, but also with keeping monsters, demons, student-eating zombies, and Cthuluesque otherworldly chaos at bay. See, the thing is, Fighting Pumpkin cheer squads have, for a hundred years, been the only thing standing between the town of Johnson's Crossing and supernatural destruction. In McGuire's world, school spirit is more than spirit bows and pep rallies, it's a protective shield. If this sounds potentially dangerous for the cheerleaders, that's putting it mildly. Over the decades, many, if not most, cheer squads have not survived to graduation. Even more devastating, when this happens the townspeople are fit with a sort of collective amnesia. The cheerleaders are forgotten, even by their own families.
Luckily, the current cheer squad has a few things going for it, namely that most of the cheerleaders aren't totally, completely human. Jude, the squad leader, is half vampire (her mom, the vampire half, was a squad leader many decades ago); Heather was dead, at least for awhile; Marti is strong enough to support an entire inverted pyramid; Colleen is master of the mysterious Fighting Pumpkins rule book; even one of the J.V. girls is technically a demigod. Together this team is ready to face whatever monstrous entity comes their way.
The most important word in that last sentence is together. Dying With Her Cheer Pants On may be a sometimes thrilling, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny novel, but it's also a poignant testament to the power of friendship and teamwork. McGuire has important things to say about family, both the ones we're born into and the ones we form out of circumstance, love, or necessity. The book made me snort more than once, but it also choked me up.
I want to call specific attention to one story in particular, Turn the Year Around. Coming midway through the book, this long story was a standout for me, with a melancholy autumnal feeling that hit me hard.
I try to keep up with what Seanan McGuire is working on, but Dying With Her Cheer Pants On snuck up on me. I absolutely loved it.
...more
Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.
Pros: Inventive twist on the cheerleader + teens-save-the-world tropes. Nice blend of humorous and poignant. Some excellent characterisation.
Cons: Not all the leads are equally developed. Due to the stories being written in the span of a few years, there are some continuity errors/inconsistencies. The change in tone from story to story might not work for everyone.
WARNING! Blood and gore.
Will appeal to: Those who enjoy
Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.
Pros: Inventive twist on the cheerleader + teens-save-the-world tropes. Nice blend of humorous and poignant. Some excellent characterisation.
Cons: Not all the leads are equally developed. Due to the stories being written in the span of a few years, there are some continuity errors/inconsistencies. The change in tone from story to story might not work for everyone.
WARNING! Blood and gore.
Will appeal to: Those who enjoy a humorous approach to horror. Those who like the Chosen One(s) trope. In short, those who dig a Buffy the Vampire Slayer kind of vibe.
This collection started off as as seven individual short stories published in different anthologies over the span of ten years, to which the author ultimately added three brand new ones when they became their own book in 2020. Please note: the physical release is out of stock (you can only buy ridiculously priced second-hand copies on Amazon), but of course the ebook version is still available. Please also note - I did my research and peppered my review with cheerleading-related puns 😉. Finally, lo and behold...after 8 year and 10 months, I finally got to feature a book that matches my blog aestethic! 💃 😂
SINGLE-BASED DOUBLE CUPIE [1]
It's no secret that I pretty much love (or, at worst, like) everything Seanan McGuire writes. This collection is a litte different from her usual production, in that the stories it incorporates are more humorous/over the top than average - though, as the author herself states in prefacing one of them,
The more time I spend with the Fighting Pumpkins, who are in some ways the comedy relief of my ongoing universes, the more I come to understand how tragic they really are, and how many terrible things are lurking in the corners of their lives.
In short, the Fighting Pumpkins are a cheerleader squad - or, it turns out, a whole legacy of them - tasked with battling monsters and restoring the world's balance both via some superpower-fueled kick-assing and the actual, fine art of cheerleading. It's true that - regardless of the consequences and the body count - these stories (except for Turn the Year Around, easily my favourite) have a somehow lighter, more absurdist feel than I usually dig in my books, but the fact is, McGuire can get away with anything. Her characters are solid and sympathetic (which doesn't necessarily mean likeable, but you never fail to understand what makes them tick and to feel for them nevertheless), her imaginations knows no bound but is disciplined enough to build worlds you can buy into, and her writing is masterful (because yeah, the patches of telling-not-showing in her Wayward Children series are intentional, and they fit that kind of stories). So it comes as no surprise that, even when tackling the cheerleader trope and placing it in a universe where they can have a pep rally context with their alien counterpart, McGuire would pull it off (though the moments when she gets more serious/deep/philosophical are still my favourite, and oh, there are a few, and they will break your heart a little). So, yeah - DWHCPO is, ultimately, a book with two souls from an author who's strong enough to support (and juggle) both of them. [...]
Whole review here.
...more
On the one hand, I love anything Seanan writes. I'd probably be wanting to go at a restaurant if she's the one writing the menu, as ridiculous as it sounds.
One the other hand, I don't like the style of this book. I had the same problem with Sparrow Hill Road. I loved the individual stories, for the most part, but, when put all together, my brain tends to want them to make some sense, instead of being just stories.
So, I feel like I'm missing something. Like time pa
This one is really hard to rate.On the one hand, I love anything Seanan writes. I'd probably be wanting to go at a restaurant if she's the one writing the menu, as ridiculous as it sounds.
One the other hand, I don't like the style of this book. I had the same problem with Sparrow Hill Road. I loved the individual stories, for the most part, but, when put all together, my brain tends to want them to make some sense, instead of being just stories.
So, I feel like I'm missing something. Like time passing, or a flow. Which is stupid, because they are an assortment of stories, there is no time passing or a flow connecting them. That's how weird my brain is.
Could I still rate it 4 or 5 stars? Absolutely. If not for the fact that although I did enjoy Steph and the concept, I wasn't particularly fond of (view spoiler)[Hades aka (hide spoiler)] the lord of Winter's inputs.
...more
I probably would have liked it more if it was anything BUT cheerleading though.
The most important thing, is that the Fighting Pumpkins are a team and any team which can pull off a reverse pyramid can totally hand the forces of darkness their collective asses.
Dying with Her Cheer Pants On How many times has the Earth come to complete annihilation? We may never know but thanks to the Fighting Pumpkins, the world spins madly on. This is the story of the previous squad before Jude became team captain.
Tryouts Half vampire, Jude, wakes to fine the rulebook on her pillow and that means just one thing: It's time to select a new squad.
Trial by Fire The new Fighting Pumpkins team goes up against their first monster. This is what you get when you combine a slovenly attitude towards tidiness with life in Johnson's Crossing.
Gimme a Z Heather wakes up to a whole new world of possibilities, including raw meat and betrayal.
Turn the Year Around As a folklorist, I especially enjoyed this one. No spoilers but there are patterns that have to play out, stories that must be told season by season. Sometimes none of your choices are good, but how you choose is what counts. Found family, belonging and the power of nature all star in this one.
Fiber Anything can happen on an away game. Or the return trip. Especially when Laurie has discovered the benefits of a certain type of yoghurt.
Switchblade Smile You really shouldn't mess with a cheerleader. No one who can perform that many backflips is someone to take lightly. A trip down memory lane to the last squad who survived until graduation.
School Colours The Fighting Pumpkins don't just go up against creatures from the other realm. Sometimes its visitors from within our own solar system.
Compete Me Marti has never cared what anyone else has thought of her. She knows she's perfect and she has plans for that perfection. Only her loyalty to the Pumpkins is in anyway outside this plan. But where has her not needing anyone attitude come from? Easily the most heart wrenching story in the book.
Away Game It just wouldn't be a Seanan McGuire short story collection if there wasn't a Lovecraftian horror in there somewhere. That's all I'll say.
This was brilliant. I loved every moment of it. The concept is so amazing I wish I'd thought of it. And I live in the UK where we have a dearth of cheerleaders. If you're a McGuire fan, this is definitely one for the tbr. If you like short speculative fiction stories with plenty of wit, this is also for you. Highly recommend.
...more
"...everyone who knew while I was aliv
I wasn't sure if I would be into something about cheerleaders but this was delightful and exactly what I was in the mood for. It has a very Buffy-vibe with crossing over a semi-campy high school tropes with mild-moderate urban fantasy villains/doomsday plots. Most of it was a lot more "comedy relief" as Seanan McGuire puts it than many of her other shorter works but there were a few moments where I felt a little choked up, particularly with Heather's story."...everyone who knew while I was alive will be gone, and some new girl will be in charge of the squad, and I won't be 'our friend Heather, who got turned into a monster, but still likes to get mani-pedis and hang out during lunch.' I'll just be 'our team monster, she likes it when we remember she has a name.' I'll be a tool instead of a person. It won't be malicious. We'll still be teammates. But that's when I'll really die. The first time I look at a group of Fighting Pumpkins and not single one of them looks at me like I was ever a real girl."
That's really deep for a book about cheerleaders who fight wendigos.
...more
And that squad happens to be composed entirely of Slayers and Scoobies. Too bad the cheer squads also have the lifespan of the average Slayer...
That's *kind* of what Dying With Her C
Imagine, if you will, that Sunnydale High had a cheerleading squad. And imagine further, that this squad was all that stood between Sunnydale and the creatures of the outer darkness, eldritch beings from outside that look on our world with hungry eyes and empty bellies and think that humans are the perfect snackfood.And that squad happens to be composed entirely of Slayers and Scoobies. Too bad the cheer squads also have the lifespan of the average Slayer...
That's *kind* of what Dying With Her Cheer Pants On is like — a collection of stories of The Fighting Pumpkins, as they deal with those relatable issues that all teenagers in high school deal with: friendship, college admissions, dying and being brought back to life as part of somebody's undead army, toxic muck monsters, wendigos, living incarnations of the Harvest, aliens and Bloody Mary. Oh... and managing to survive until graduation.
If you're a fan of Seanan's urban fantasy series like Girl in The Green Silk Dress, InCryptid or the October Daye books, you owe it to yourself to check this out. It's easy to see the Fighting Pumpkins slotting into the InCryptid universe seamlessly; in fact, it would've been interesting to see them having to take on The Crossroads or Bobby Cross. But they're their own saga and we get to know most of the girls on the squad — as well as some of those who came before. You'll be left eager to know more about them... and who might come after.
...more
These are the stories of the Fighting Pumpkins, a cheer squad that is tasked with not only looking good and being terrific cheerleaders, but also saving the town on a regular basis. It's like Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a renewing group of teenage girls.
They renew because sometimes the Pumpkins, in their colorful orange and green uniforms, are defeated by the Big Bad. When this happens, people in the town forget these girls ever existed, and the ha
I think I have a new favorite McGuire universe.These are the stories of the Fighting Pumpkins, a cheer squad that is tasked with not only looking good and being terrific cheerleaders, but also saving the town on a regular basis. It's like Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a renewing group of teenage girls.
They renew because sometimes the Pumpkins, in their colorful orange and green uniforms, are defeated by the Big Bad. When this happens, people in the town forget these girls ever existed, and the handbook appears on the bed of the next girl selected to be the captain.
These are all great stories and the point of view character changes around the squad. I think we see three separate squads in this collection.
I really liked when one story said that the Fighting Pumpkins protect the town against typical high-school level supernatural threats - your zombie army, your swamp monsters, etc. There is also a cub scout troop and a sewing circle at a retirement home which performs the same function for their age groups.
If you love Buffy, you want to read this. If you want to jump into Seanan McGuire's works but don't know where to start, start here. It doesn't officially connect to any of her other works so it's a good stand alone. Just read this. It will cheer you up.
...more Once I got into the weird world, the stories were strangely brilliant, because they made far more sense than they ought to. One of the stories was longer than a short story, but with so much going on that it was a quick read.
The concept of taking several folkloric principles and applying them to a cheerleading team was in itself fascinating, but then blending I bought this simply because it's a Seanan McGuire book that I'd never heard of or read, and it sounded so offbeat that I really wanted to.
Once I got into the weird world, the stories were strangely brilliant, because they made far more sense than they ought to. One of the stories was longer than a short story, but with so much going on that it was a quick read.
The concept of taking several folkloric principles and applying them to a cheerleading team was in itself fascinating, but then blending that with several different types of stories involving battles against evil, or against the passage of the seasons...these were weirdly powerful stories. One of the tales involved the strangest seasonal sacrifice, and another one was the highest-stakes cheerleading competition ever, but these stories made sense, especially as it becomes clear that this cheerleading squad is only one type of these youthful groups defending the world.
The front cover was a wonderful portrait of several of the characters in the story, sprawled in a shape that made perfect sense, in context.
I'm still not a fan of the title, but it's one of those Seanan McGuire things... ...more
Seanan McGuire has made horror out of everything from daydreams to mermaids, and the reason they are so effective is that she can tap into the mythology that underlies the story. The mythos of the cheerleader as the queen of fall has been true since homecoming queens existed. But instead of sacrifice, the fighting pumpkins take on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer role of protector, as athletes who leap into the air without so much as a knee pad to protect them. Unlike
Modern mythos and horror,oh my!Seanan McGuire has made horror out of everything from daydreams to mermaids, and the reason they are so effective is that she can tap into the mythology that underlies the story. The mythos of the cheerleader as the queen of fall has been true since homecoming queens existed. But instead of sacrifice, the fighting pumpkins take on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer role of protector, as athletes who leap into the air without so much as a knee pad to protect them. Unlike Buffy, the dangers are more diverse than in Sunnydale and the monsters sometimes have been born to join the pumpkins in saving their part of the world. I like the way in which goodness and badness aren't dichotomies but evil is absolute. Her characters are memorable and fulfill the necessary requirement of a counterbalancing weakness for every strength. Not everyone is Super, and some characters have to die to become super, but you'll have to read the book to find out more. You'll remember it for a long while, and may even wonder if there is some truth to this mythology.
...more
This is basically an anthology of sorts by one author or as a series of short stories/novellas but those usually are done between b If one were to judge this book by its title and decide to move on to something else...one would be doing oneself a disservice. Yes, it's paranormal and yes, it has cheerleaders as the main characters. I am a huge fan of paranormal/supernatural and of Seanan McGuire in general...maybe not so much of cheerleaders but I liked this group of peppy girls. They fight evil.
This is basically an anthology of sorts by one author or as a series of short stories/novellas but those usually are done between books with the same characters and I'm not sure there is a series. Maybe read this like a mini-series.
I like the messages in the stories, the relationships of the girls as the stories are told. Vividly written characters and world-building. Steph's story is my favorite. Sweet and sad and really good.
It was a bit like a really excellent episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I luh-huv Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I can definitely recommend this book and this author. ...more
Now, I'm not gonna lie...when I first started this collection of stories about the Fighting Pumpkins Cheerleading Squad, I was not in love. I thought it was strange and weird, and, while I usually love exactly that about Seanan's books, I was not diggin' this story.
However, the more I got to know Jude and the gang, I really started looking forward to the next t
I love Seanan McGuire. Her 'Wayward Children' series is one of my favorite series I've ever read. I also loved 'Laughter at the Academy.'Now, I'm not gonna lie...when I first started this collection of stories about the Fighting Pumpkins Cheerleading Squad, I was not in love. I thought it was strange and weird, and, while I usually love exactly that about Seanan's books, I was not diggin' this story.
However, the more I got to know Jude and the gang, I really started looking forward to the next time I was able to get in some reading. By the end, I was super bummed it was over. I need more Pumpkins!!!
If you like the weird and the strange, vampires and the undead, and cheerleaders who kick ass, then this is a book for you. I sincerely hope there are more Fighting Pumpkins adventures in the future because I love these ladies!
...moreBorn and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and
Hi! I'm Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I'm also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).
I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(
...moreRelated Articles
Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account.
Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53183621-dying-with-her-cheer-pants-on
0 Response to "Funny Story About Being Single Cheerleader"
Post a Comment