Description
Winner of the Newbery Medal
A New York Times Bestseller
Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina. Merci Suarez 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. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school -- and the steadfast connection that defines family.
Author: Meg Medina
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/11/2018
Series: Merci Suárez
Pages: 368
Weight: 1.1lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.80w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780763690496
Audience: Ages 9-12
Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.6
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 196915 / Merci Suarez Changes Gears
Award: Newbery Medal - Winner
Award: Kirkus Prize - Finalist
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 06/01/2018 pg. 99
School Library Journal 07/01/2018 pg. 62
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2018 pg. 130
Publishers Weekly 08/06/2018
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2018 pg. 90
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 09/01/2018
Kirkus Reviews Fall Preview 08/15/2018 pg. 63
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2019 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style
BookPage 01/01/2019
About the Author
Meg Medina, the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is a Cuban American author who writes for readers of all ages. Her middle-grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears received a Newbery Medal and was a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year, among many other distinctions. Its sequel, Merci Suárez Can't Dance, received five starred reviews, while Merci Suárez Plays It Cool received four stars, with Kirkus Reviews calling it "a fabulous finale to a memorable trilogy." Her most recent picture book, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, received honors including a Charlotte Zolotow Award and was the 2020 Jumpstart Read for the Record selection, reaching 2.24 million readers. She received a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for her picture book Mango, Abuela, and Me. Her young adult novel Burn Baby Burn earned numerous distinctions, including being long-listed for the National Book Award and short-listed for the Kirkus Prize. Meg Medina received a Pura Belpré Author Award and a Cybils Award for her young adult novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which has been adapted and illustrated as a graphic novel by Mel Valentine Vargas. She also received an Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award for her picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car. When she is not writing, Meg Medina works on community projects that support girls, Latino youth, and literacy. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.
A New York Times Bestseller
Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina. Merci Suarez 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. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school -- and the steadfast connection that defines family.
Author: Meg Medina
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/11/2018
Series: Merci Suárez
Pages: 368
Weight: 1.1lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.80w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780763690496
Audience: Ages 9-12
Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.6
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 196915 / Merci Suarez Changes Gears
Award: Newbery Medal - Winner
Award: Kirkus Prize - Finalist
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 06/01/2018 pg. 99
School Library Journal 07/01/2018 pg. 62
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2018 pg. 130
Publishers Weekly 08/06/2018
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2018 pg. 90
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 09/01/2018
Kirkus Reviews Fall Preview 08/15/2018 pg. 63
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2019 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style
BookPage 01/01/2019
About the Author
Meg Medina, the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, is a Cuban American author who writes for readers of all ages. Her middle-grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears received a Newbery Medal and was a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year, among many other distinctions. Its sequel, Merci Suárez Can't Dance, received five starred reviews, while Merci Suárez Plays It Cool received four stars, with Kirkus Reviews calling it "a fabulous finale to a memorable trilogy." Her most recent picture book, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, received honors including a Charlotte Zolotow Award and was the 2020 Jumpstart Read for the Record selection, reaching 2.24 million readers. She received a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for her picture book Mango, Abuela, and Me. Her young adult novel Burn Baby Burn earned numerous distinctions, including being long-listed for the National Book Award and short-listed for the Kirkus Prize. Meg Medina received a Pura Belpré Author Award and a Cybils Award for her young adult novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which has been adapted and illustrated as a graphic novel by Mel Valentine Vargas. She also received an Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award for her picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car. When she is not writing, Meg Medina works on community projects that support girls, Latino youth, and literacy. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.