The Tryout

Nonfiction | Graphic Memoir | Middle Grade | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 1

Chapters 2-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-8

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapters 5-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 5 Summary: “January”

Christina and Megan practice together for the big tryout, which is to be held in front of the whole school and several judges. Christina still wonders why Megan didn’t pick her as a partner but doesn’t want to ask. She hopes that they both make the team so that she and Megan can stay best friends.

Christina and her parents drive to Dallas to visit the Taiwanese Buddhist temple that they used to attend. They see old friends, and Christina talks about the cultural norms surrounding manners and greeting others. The family prays, and Christina prays that she will make it on the cheerleading team. The family enjoys a delicious lunch together, and Christina drops in on a language lesson. Christina regrets not learning to speak Thai and feels left out around her old friends, although she still loves everything else about the temple. Since there is no temple in Grangeview, Christina and her mother go to church every Sunday. Christina likes going to church and feeling connected to something bigger. She wonders why it’s frowned upon to follow both Buddha and Jesus, as she sees many similarities in their teachings, like acting with compassion.

In school, Christina is sometimes asked questions about Buddhism. Some of these questions are good-natured, while others are meant to judge or hurt her. One girl asks Christina if she’s baptized, implying that Christina is somehow tainted. Christina runs into one of the other girls who tried out for cheerleading, and they wish each other well while secretly hoping that they don’t ruin each other’s chances of success.

Chapter 6 Summary: “February”

A month before the final tryout, the girls practice doing stunts with their partner. Christina and Stephanie are assigned an elbow straddle stunt, which they find difficult to master. When Christina sees that Megan has already perfected her stunt, her eyes fill with jealous anger, and she determines to keep trying until she gets it right. When Megan doesn’t walk with Christina to class as usual, Christina is hurt and angry and can’t take her mental focus off the tryouts.

In art class, Christina’s desk mates poke fun at cheerleading and criticize the idea of having to vote for the cheerleading squad when they know nothing about it. They each believe that it’s more of a popularity contest than a contest of skill, and they commend themselves for not caring about being popular. Christina sulks and sinks into her chair, wondering what’s wrong with wanting to be popular and still worried about losing Megan.

Megan and Christina practice their cheerleading stunts together on the weekend, and Christina can’t help thinking about how much better it would have been to be Megan’s partner. She finally bursts and asks Megan why she chose someone else, through teary eyes, as Megan admits that she was tired of being unpopular. Megan felt that by partnering with Christina, she would have no chance of getting votes. As painful as it is to hear, Christina understands where Megan is coming from, and they both assure each other that they’re good enough to make the squad. Megan tries to tell Christina that nothing will change between them, no matter what happens, but Christina already knows that isn’t true.

Chapters 5-6 Analysis

In the weeks leading up to the tryout, the dichotomy of the different aspects of Christina’s life and the two cultures that make up her identity is fully revealed. Christina devotes almost a whole chapter to her family’s visit to the temple and church: “I loved all the traditions and customs we practiced at the temple. They made me feel more connected to my Thai side. But I couldn’t always remember what I was supposed to do” (140). She expresses feeling both connected to and apart from Thai culture, because while she loves being part of it, she always feels like she was never fully integrated. This is the same feeling Christina has at school, because while she has friends, she also feels somehow apart, like she is different and strange. When Christina thinks about the similarities between Buddha and Jesus, she is subtly commenting on the differences and similarities between Thai and Texan culture. She is part of them both but has to determine for herself what this might mean for her identity, future, and social life. The sense of community that Christina feels at the temple or church is the same reason she likes cheerleading, and she doesn’t understand why her friends in art class seem to hate it so much. The Desire to Fit In and Feel Understood drives Christina towards cheerleading, as she has defined popularity as the only method of social acceptance. While the cliques and clubs of the school environment make this seem like the case initially, Christina sacrifices an important part of herself—her storytelling and artistic talents—to devote all of her time to cheerleading, losing potential friends and relationships in the process.

Christina and Megan’s friendship continues to be tested, and Christina’s own self-confidence and independence develop while she and Megan are navigating this new type of bond. Christina must make new friends and accept that Megan is doing the same; while her life always revolved around Megan, Christina now has to make a life that revolves around herself and her own aspirations. How Growth Changes Friendship is expanded upon as Christina finally finds the courage to tell Megan that she felt hurt by Megan’s choice to take a different partner. Christina rarely voices her emotions out loud; for the most part, they are communicated by the expression on her face, her sullen eyes, and her downtrodden body language. Christina knows that her friendship with Megan is changing forever, but she is not yet sure what that means or how she will adjust. When she and Megan finally talk about how they feel, the emotion of the moment is clear, and a new panel is drawn for each moment that passes. An unspoken understanding forms between Christina and Megan; they now know they can remain friends but that they will have to give each other freedom to grow.