No one could laugh more uproariously at the thought of cheerleader super-spies than me—except maybe Toby Klein.

Toby is a sophomore at Bayport High, one of the most affluent schools imaginable. In a place where designer backpacks are out of style the minute they’re spotted in the hallways, there are only ten girls popular enough to be a blip worth noticing on the Bayport radar. The Varsity Cheerleading Squad. Since there are only eight team members remaining after graduation, recruitment has begun.

Enter combat-boot-wearing, butt-kicking Toby Klein—no relation to Calvin—and you have …cheerleader material?

Before a mysterious,coded note finds its way into her locker, Toby has no idea how to apply make-up, much less the importance of blending it. No way would she ever consider joining the Bod-Squad. But, lured by the promise of all the high-tech gadgetry her hacker heart desires and an appreciation of her black belt and de-coding talents, Toby finds herself on the same team as a girl named Bubbles.

I’ve read and enjoyed the work of Jennifer Lynn Barnes before (GOLDEN, TATTOO, PLATINUM), so I was well aware of her talent for humorous writing. However, I was like, totally blind-sided by the level of comedy this woman can produce.

I found it impossible to make fun of the silly undercover cheerleader references when the protagonist beat me to it at every turn:

“…a voice filled the room…‘Hello, girls,’ the voice said. I had an incredible urge to respond with ‘Good morning, Charlie,’….”

Instead, I relaxed into the atmosphere Barnes so brilliantly created and laughed right along with Toby as she mastered the “bullet-proof bra” and the “taser iPod.”

So, sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh. Luckily, you won’t have to wait long for more cheerleading spy humor, since the first sequel in the series, THE SQUAD: Killer Spirit, has already hit stores.

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