Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/01/2025 Margaret, aka “Bag,” is a dyslexic seventh grader with a lot on her plate. School is a struggle, as is her family life, what with her older sister’s capricious moods, her mom’s obliviousness, and her dad’s absence. When Bag notices her sister, Minerva, becoming secretive, she becomes determined to figure out what Minerva’s hiding, turning from bookworm to cheerleader in order to do so. “Random Thoughts” of Bag’s are provided as asides throughout, each with a subject and a corresponding Dewey decimal number. Thayer’s narrative touches on heavy issues, including divorce, substance abuse, and even forgery, balancing these realities with entertaining details and generally casting the adults in a comic light. By the end, Bag learns that despite the hardships life throws our way, “Everyone has something good about them,” an always valuable reminder for young readers. With her sophomore novel, Thayer (Happy & Sad & Everything True, 2024) is cementing her place as a household name in the middle-grade fiction space. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.