Bad Cheerleader

by Alex Thayer

A dyslexic bookworm joins her school’s cheerleading squad to investigate her sister’s strange behavior in this insightful and sharp middle grade novel about the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

Seventh grader Bag loves to read. It doesn’t come easy to her, thanks to her dyslexia, but she’s determined, and she spends every afternoon after school at the library. It’s a ritual she refuses to miss.

Then a new career opportunity for her mother means Bag will no longer have a ride to her cherished library. Instead, Bag will have to wait for a ride at school. With her sister, Minerva. At cheerleading practice.

Bag is uncoordinated and completely uninterested in school spirit. But she is curious about what her sister has been hiding. Minerva has been acting stranger than usual, and Bag has been noticing. So while cheerleading practice may be the last place Bag wants to be, she’s going to use her time wisely and get to the bottom of Minerva’s secrets.

Genres: Middle Grade

288 pages, Hardcover

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Alex Thayer is a former film and television actress and elementary school teacher. She lives in New England with her two sons. She is the author of Happy & Sad & Everything True and Bad Cheerleader.

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise, while simple on its face, was immediately intriguing; what exactly is Bag's older sister up to? As Bag begins to investigate, it quickly becomes clear that there is a lot more to the story. Her narration is engaging, interjected with random thoughts as categorized by the Dewey Decimal System. She is observant, yet naive at times, and struggles to accept the idea that she is actually smart despite her dyslexia, a disability that she feels obligated to hide.

I related to Bag's frustrating experience being a younger sister, especially in the way that Minerva often acts annoyed and upset with Bag for no apparent reason. Despite being close in age, there is a rift between the sisters that Bag struggles to comprehend and overcome throughout the story. Their relationship is further strained by parents who are separated, a situation that has prompted numerous changes in their lives.

Bag must also navigate other relationships in her life, including her friend, her teachers, and the cheerleaders. I loved her growth throughout the story and how she ultimately learns to accept herself and her dyslexia.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publishers.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A MG book about two very different sisters and their parents’ struggling marriage.
📣
Bag is a reader, despite her struggles with dyslexia. She would rather be at the library with the boy she likes, but lately her cheerleader older sister’s odd behavior has taken all of Bag’s attention. There’s something going on with Minerva and in order to figure it out, Bag joins the cheerleading squad to do her own investigation. Now all her attention is focused on finding out her sister’s secret.
📚
This was…okay. I have wanted to read it since I got the physical ARC because the cover, title and the fact that it’s a middle grade book was intriguing to me. The story was ho-hum, but it did discuss big issues many kids/tweens/teens worry about and/or experience. It is one that should be in middle school libraries.

CW: divorce, parental abandonment, drug use, drug addiction, smoking, cheating

2.75 ⭐️

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving and emotional middle grade story about a dyslexic girl who is struggling at school and at home living with her unreliable mother, absentee father and secretive sister. There's lots of sad family dynamics in this story but really great sisterhood and neurodiversity (dyslexia) rep. It was good on audio and perfect for fans of books like Mixed-up or Figure it out, Henri Weldon.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The suggested audience might be much, much younger than I am but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I bought this book for my niece who is slightly younger than Bag and also dyslexic. I thought she might really love a book about a dyslexic cheerleader around her age. Then I saw the audiobook was available to borrow and thought, what the heck, I might as well listen to it myself. Though it made me a bit nervous to find out whether I’d chosen well cause I never read the niece or nephews books. I’m so glad to have found an incredibly heartwarming story with a truly memorable, and lovable character. I think my niece will love Bag.

Bag, aka Maggie, is twelve years old. Her parents are separated and her older sister is a jerk to her. She wants to believe she’s smart but worries that she isn’t. (She definitely is.) she loves reading and she loves her, rather flawed, dad. But she lives with her actress mother. Her mom is kind of a well meaning flake. Because she gets a part in a play, she’s unable to pick her kids up right after school. Because they have to stay at school after hours, she tries to get Bag to join the cheerleading team like her sister. But Bag is just devastated that she never gets out of school early enough to get to the library anymore. She loves reading. She can’t wrap her head around even the suggestion of being a cheerleader.

But Bag finds out her older sister is keeping a secret and lying to their mother. She doesn’t know what it’s about but she plans to find out.
This was actually an incredibly suspenseful part of the story. I wanted to know almost as bad as Bag lol.

I hope my niece loves this book and I’m glad there’s an audio available too in case she wants to use that option herself.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a messy divorce, Bag and her sister Minerva lose everything they know. Once a soap opera star, Bag's mom is now making lunches at home to deliver to local schools and auditioning for any role she can find. When a unique opportunity lands in her mom's lap, Bag must give up her library time and instead hang with Minerva at cheerleading practice until their mom picks them up. A story about overcoming obstacles, honesty and the brutal side of growing up with absentee parents, Bad Cheerleader was an instant favorite of mine.

First and foremost, any book with dyslexia representation will always be a favorite of mine because my eldest daughter has dyslexia. I really liked that author Alex Thayer actually explained what dyslexia is through Bag and her experience.

Having grown up with sisters I can relate to being the annoying little sister and wanting to look up to my older sister. The mystery surrounding the sisters and Minerva's secret was well executed, well paced and felt authentic to the age group. Bag and Minerva were relatable which is important in the middle grade genre.

I liked seeing how the sisters learned to stand on their own and with each other because their mom didn't instantly become a better parent by the end of the novel. We don't get to pick out parents and sometimes they suck, so it gave a strong authenticity to the story.

A lot of great lessons and a quick and easy read.

Thank you Simon Kids for the gifted copy.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC!

It was fun to read a book with a mystery component that did not involve a murder! A seventh grade dyslexic girl thinks that there is something going on with her sister who is a cheerleader. When her mom gets a new part in a play and starts having rehearsals that run later into the afternoon, she can no longer drive the main character (Bag) to the library. Bag must wait after school. When her mom tells her to wait at cheerleading practice with her older sister, her sister freaks out. Due to a set of circumstances, Bag finds herself as the equipment manager of the cheerleading squad and notices strange behavior from her sister. and her sister's friend Mimi.

With well-drawn characters, it is interesting to discover what is actually going on and exploring the relationship between Bag and her family.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad Cheerleader has far more going on beneath the surface than just a shady older sister. Bag’s home life is chaotic: her parents are separated, her mom is self-absorbed in a play, her dad struggles with addiction, and her sister Minerva is both cruel and secretive. Bag decides to help out her school’s cheerleading team in hopes of uncovering what’s really going on with Minerva. By the end of the book, however, very little is resolved beyond Minerva’s secret. There is no closure for Bag’s home life or for the strained relationship between the sisters. Despite this lack of resolution, the story is a quick, engaging read that centers on realistic challenges many middle schoolers face. Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC.

[DJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Bad Cheerleader is heartfelt middle grade novel. The main character Bag is dyslexic girl who loves to read which is nice change of pace. When her mom's job moves them away to a new town, she is forced to wait at sister's, Minerva, cheerleading practice for a ride. Bag has zero interest in sports especially cheerleading but she is very interested in her sister. Minerva has been acting weird and Bag is determined to find out why. This is a sweet book about sisters and relationships. It has a great representation.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bag’s parents are separated and her sister Minerva is up to something. Bag has been newly diagnosed as having dyslexia, and wears glasses to feel smart. Her friend Ridgley seems to be pulling away. Her mom is now in a play, and can no longer drive her to the library so Bag hangs around after school with Minerva’s cheerleading squad who meet in a closet. Bag joins the team, comes up with cheers and routines on the spot that are enthusiastically accepted, and keeps following Minerva to find out what she is up to.
Too many similes, this could have used a strong editing.

[Katie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really a strange bunch of nonsense. All the stuff with cheerleading seemed to make no sense. Bag just shows up and is somehow making cheers without words that everyone loves, and gets to be the top of the pyramid with no practice whatsoever? Nonsensical and dangerous. There were just so many things that really made no sense in this book and some of the people felt so unreal because they didn't act like real people. Mrs. Yoh in particular felt like a complete caricature of a person.

[Cadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This was a really good book. I'm kinda glad that the sisters had a conflict because it tells me that my brother and I aren't the only siblings that fight." - Cadee age, 13.

[Megz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like the ending wrapped up everything all at once, a little too quickly.
I would have loved to see more of the history between the two sisters, and maybe see Minerva's side a bit more.

[Alicia Mesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book literally made me think I was getting too old to read YA books. I was so confused by everyone’s choices. Every character in this book is awful. The ending doesn’t resolve anything.

[Becca]

Haven't read this yet, but for a DDC lover, I was drawn to the book ending during cataloging--"random thoughts organized by the dewey decimal system..."

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this upper middle grade book because it covers some tough topics, but it fell flat for me. I just don’t feel like the story flowed very well. Maybe it is just me though. If you have read it, what did you think of it?

[Precious Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I didn’t know what the sister was hiding, as an adult I was guessing & I was still wrong lol. This brings a beautiful light to humans that are diagnosed with Dyslexia. I enjoyed this story so much! I really enjoyed the cheer coach, she played a huge part in this story. The mom made me upset here & there.. she seemed so checked out as a parent. Nonetheless beautiful story! I will purchase it when it comes out.

Also very cool writing style.

Thank you NetGalley & Alex for the opportunity to read this Arc!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Margaret (who goes by Bag) and her sister have moved with their mother to Newport, Rhode Island after their mother lost her job acting on a soap opera and their parents are separated. Their mother is now making school lunches at home and selling them to private school students. While Minerva is a cheerleader, Bag lacks confidence in herself after a dyslexia diagnosis. She does like reading, and spends most afternoons at the public library, where she feels comfortable. When her mother gets a job in a production of The Glass Castle, she can no longer get to the library and has to wait at school while Minerva has cheerleading practice. Thinking that something is off with Minerva, Bag sticks close to her sister and is asked by the cheerleading coach, Ms. Yoh, to help with equipment. Minerva is always sneaking off with fellow cheerleader Mimi to "write cheers", but Bag discovers that they instead have a scheme selling math homework to other students. Minerva claims this is to raise money to help fund their parents' divorce because the father is dealing with addiction issues. Bag's friend, Ridgely, feels estranged from her during this time, and Bag thinks it is because she has been allowed to cheer. She's done well, making up cheers and leading impromptu dances, which makes Minerva feel that Bag is out for her position as head cheerleader. Bag wants Minerva to return the money and stop the cheating, so that if she is found out, she won't get in as much trouble. While the scheme is eventually found out, the girls don't get in much trouble, and Bag is offered a position on the cheerleading squad.

While I really liked the family dynamic of the parents having marital difficulties and Bag and Minerva not always being close, I found a lot of this hard to believe. Bag wouldn't have been able to just pop onto the cheerleading squad, and certainly wouldn't have been at the top of a pyramid without extensive training. It also seemed odd that the girls wouldn't have gotten in trouble for charging money for homework! That's some high level rule breaking. This certainly had some intrigue, great characters, and an interesting plot, but not as much cheerleading as I had hoped. Take a look to see if it right for your collection.