Skip to product information
1 of 1

Candlewick Press (MA), 2020-07-04

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Merci Suárez

Meg Medina, Author

Paperback

SKU:9781536212587

Regular price $8.99 USD
Regular price Sale price $8.99 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
107 available

Merci Suâarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don't have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci's school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna's jealousy. Things aren't going well at home, either: Merci's grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately -- forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. No one in her family will tell Merci what's going on, so she's left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school.

  • Make Way for Books Annotation

Navigating sixth grade is tough—but even harder for Merci Suárez, whose once-solid world feels like it’s shifting beneath her feet. Her close-knit Hispanic family is hiding a painful secret, and at her private school, friendships feel shallow and drama runs deep. Struggling to meet expectations and sidelined from the sports she loves, Merci must figure out who she can truly trust—and how to stay true to herself.

Readability • 4.4

Age Range • 9-12

Pages • 368

Subjects • Girls • Middle school students • Middle schools • Sixth grade (Education) • Schools • Grandfathers • Grandparent and child • Jealousy • Florida • Alzheimer's disease

Categories • Juvenile Fiction | Hispanic & Latino • Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational • Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship

Winner of the Newbery Medal
A New York Times bestseller

"The realistic portrayal of a complex young Latina's life is one many readers will relate to. . . . Medina cruises into readers' hearts." -- School Library Journal (starred review)

Merci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, as strong and thoughtful as Merci is, she has never been completely like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don't have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci's school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna's jealousy. Things aren't going well at home, either: Merci's grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately -- forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. And Merci is left to her own worries, because no one in her family will tell her what's going on. Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal, this coming-of-age tale by New York Times best-selling author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school -- and the steadfast connection that defines family.

View full details