From the back cover:
"GIVE ME A D-I-E!"
Newcomers Corky and Bobbi Corcoran want more than anything to make the cheerleading squad at Shadyside High. But as soon as the Corcoran sisters are named to the team, terrible things happen to the cheerleaders.
The horror starts with a mysterious accident near the Fear Street cemetery. Soon after, piercing screams echo through the empty school halls. And then the ghastly murders begin...
Can Corky and Bobbi stop the killer before the entire cheerleading squad is destroyed?
My thoughts: R.L. Stine's Cheerleaders series sparked my obsession with Fear Street books. Being one of the first Fear Street books I read, I was impressed with how suspenseful and creepy it was. Now, re-reading it several years later, it's surprisingly just as entertaining as the first time I read it.
Cheerleaders: The First Evil is like The Exorcist meets Bring It On. It's about a possessed cheerleader who causes several horrible accidents at Shadyside High. There's a lot of cheerleader talk and petty high school girl fights, but I found that quite entertaining. Especially the scene where Kimmy confronts Bobbi about "stealing" her boyfriend, Chip, and starts a fight by pulling her hair.
This book also introduces my favourite R.L. Stine character of all time: Corky Corcoran. I don't know if I like her character or just enjoy saying her name. It definitely conjures up an image of a perky cheerleader. But bitchy, little Kimmy with her permanently crimped hair is a pretty fun character too.
And there are five books in the Cheerleaders series, including a Fear Street Saga explaining the origin of the evil entity. So we'll have plenty more of Corky and the gang, starting next week with Cheerleaders: The Second Evil.
Rating: 5/5
PG-13 gore: Her long hair fell off, strands blowing away in the breeze. Her eyes sank back into her skull, then rotted into dark pits. Her cheerleader costume appeared to grow larger as her flesh decayed underneath it, and her bones appeared.
Body count: 2
Next week: Cheerleaders: The Second Evil
Wow, I never realized how much R.L Stine had written until I saw this post and decided to google him just for the hell of it. I used to see so many kids reading his books while in school, but never got the nerve to touch them back them -- too scary looking. Now I really want to go back and soak them all up.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, the Cheerleader and Babysitter series by RL Stine were my favorite things EVER when I was younger. I bet I could still remember the plots of all of them. His Fear Street books were the best.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do remember from Cheerleaders are how lame the cheers were!
Melissa, is there a way to contact you directly? I am the creator and writer of a series of books that I'd like to submit to you for review consideration.
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to contact me directly at ghenkel (at) jasondarkseries (dot) com
Thank you so much for your consideration,
Guido Henkel