A middle grade novel about a girl on scholarship at a new school tries to fit in and all of the challenges she faces both at school and at home. Such an angst ridden age and she handles it with humor and flair! #MerciSuarez #NetGalley

MERCI SUAREZ CHANGES GEARS was incredible! Definitely deserving of the Newbery Award. Merci is a great character - she is smart, loyal, thoughtful, and critical of the world around her. Merci lives with her mom, dad, and brother and within walking distance of her aunt, nephews, and grandparents. Her life is structured with an intergenerational family in mind. Merci attends a private middle school (she is a 6th grader) on scholarship, but she is limited in the activities she can participate in due to her family obligations. She volunteers at the school and is a mentor to new kids, though she isn’t thrilled about this role. What Merci really dreams of is joining the school’s soccer team. She is also very close with her entire family, which is such a joy to read. While Merci learns about how be creative at school, practices for soccer, and tries to decipher why her classmates behavior toward the opposite sex is changing, she realizes something is going on in her family, specifically with her grandfather. No one will tell her what is going on though, which frustrates her. I read this book on a plane this week and that was a huge mistake because I laughed out loud multiple times and teared up more times than I can count. This book feels like a warm hug and a slow heartbreak all at once. Read it and share it with every kid you know!

Meg Medina is such a master of middle grade. Merci is such a lovable character who lives in a rich, fully-realized world complete with realistic problems and a loving family. Highly recommend.

i had to dnf this book early on. there were already some mentions of the grandpa falling down and forgetting things and i couldn't deal with that as my own grandparents had been going through the same. unfortunately i have to rate this, so 3 is what i'm comfortable with. i'm sure it's fine, but i can't engage with it.

There's a lot going on for Merci in this book but it's all handled deftly by the author. Well-deserved Newbery medal

A middle grade novel with plenty of heart, Merci Suarez Changes Gears is the kind of novel that young readers with large extended family will gravitate towards. Heartwarming is not a word I use too often in my reviews, but it is certainly warranted in regards to this book

Though I was not a fan of Medina's previous books, Merci Suarez works because it perfectly captures the roller coaster ride that is sixth grade. Believe, I have been a sixth grade homeroom teacher for the past 4 yours!

I didn't actually finish the ARC, not because it wasn't/isn't a great story, I just ran out of time.

I LOVE Meg Medina's work, and we have several of her books and short stories in our classroom. Right now, we have students in authors' study groups, studying Ms. Medina. We use "Sol Painting, Inc.," which is connected to this book.
While Merci Suarez Changes Gears is a bit young for our 8th grade classroom, I've recommended it to our lower grades.

As a librarian for grades 6-12, I make an effort to read books across all grade levels. I enjoyed this middle grade novel very much. As a Latina, I appreciate the strong sense of culture and family that Medina weaved throughout. She does so without detracting from "normal" coming of age issues like popularity, bullying and peer pressure. I found myself rooting for Merci as I read and was both happy and disappointed in some of the choices she made. Medina will be in Houston this fall and I look forward to meeting her and having her sign a copy of her book for my students. As a school that is over 95% Latino, I know her book will find its way into students who will appreciate that Merci is just like them in many ways. Thank you for the opportunity to read an enjoy this book!

5 stars may be needed; I vacillated mightily between 4 and 5 after I finished Merci Suarez Changes Gears. Excellent, very likable main character Merci lives in south Florida with her family and extended family and goes to a great school on a well-deserved scholarship. She has clear goals for sixth grade-make the soccer team, save enough money for a really great bike, and make more friends than she did as the new girl during fifth. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always move along smoothly or in the direction hoped for and Merci must adjust to scary changes in her beloved grandfather, school drama, academic demands, and a myriad of situations that arise in a big family and any in middle school, anywhere. Readers of realistic fiction similar to that of Andrew Clements, Patricia MacLachlan, and some of the less heart-rending books by Lisa Graff and Cynthia Lord will love this one! For libraries and care-givers of students in grades 4-7, “Merci Suarez” is a must-have with the added bonus that it will also help add characters from a Hispanic background to their shelves without a contrived feel. Spanish words, foods, and traditions are integrated seamlessly into a plot that readers of all ethnicities will enjoy. And while it will likely draw more female fans, there are two critical male characters that may help provide a draw for all genders. No notes on content needed as it is highly unlikely that anything in this one will raise any eyebrows.

Merci knew starting sixth grade would bring some changes, but she didn’t realize quite how different things would be. She’s never been like the other kids at her fancy private school, but middle school brings new challenges for her to fit in. And why do things keep changing at home? Her family does not allow secrets...but it seems more and more that there are secrets hiding at every turn. Merci just wants things to go back to how they’ve always been, but she realizes she needs face these changes, find her footing, and stay true to herself. This is a wonderful story of family relationships, friendships, growing up, and finding oneself.

Sixth grade is a hard time for any girl, it is even tougher when you aren't like the other kids in your school. Merci and her brother are scholarship kids, they work hard to attend and give back by working for the tuition. Merci's beloved grandfather, LOLA has Alzheimer's but Merci doesn't know what that is and is confused by his forgetfulness. As Merci navigates through her school life her real life follows a similar course. I read this book (which I understand is a NEWBERRY Prize winner) and I was thrown back to the toughness of being in my last year of grade school. The drama of jealousy, the confusion of changing bodies, the hardship of watching family get older all came back. What I loved about Merci is how adaptable, lovable and strong she is. Meg Medina grasps the world of a 12 year old and brings all the emotions to the surface with wit and real life feel. I enjoyed this book so much I recommended it to my nieces and to patrons of the library I know have kids close to Merci's age.

I didn’t read this ARC before it was published, but I have read it now. Do I need to review it? It won a Newberry, and very much earned it! A beautiful book.

Late to the party but finally read this stunner. I fell in love Merci's humor, her family, and the measured, seamless, beautiful build of characters and plot which reads as effortless but I know is remarkably hard. What a feat.

What a beautiful story! And since it has already won the Newbery I don't think my opinion is all that relevant, but I think this is a perfect story for 5th and 6th graders. I love the family connections.

I loved reading this touching and memorable story about plucky Merci and her family. The portrayal of family and culture were so moving, and Merci’s navigating of her private school world should be required reading for many private school classrooms. If I had one less than positive thing to say, it is that the story felt a bit long for children. I loved it – but I’m a reader and I regularly read 300 page novels when I was a middle-schooler. This story deserves to be read by all children, not just those that will stick with it for the whole 300 pages.

Thank you so much for my review copy via Net Galley!

When I started the book, I was surprised that it had won the Newbery Medal; by the end, I'd fallen in love with Merci and her large Cuban-American family. While I'm still not sure it would be my Newbery pick, I agree that it's a great story. I loved that Merci's family struggles and isn't perfect, yet they clearly love and support each other.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this novel from Candlewick Press via NetGalley.

Release Date: September 11, 2018

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Genre: Children's Fiction, Middle Grade

Rating: 3 / 5

Storyline:

Merci Suarez anticipates sixth grade being different, but she never thought it would be this different.  A scholarship student at an expensive school, she always feels slightly on the outside because she doesn't have anything fancy or expensive and is required to do extra community service to make up for the free tuition.  Merci's home life is changing and more responsibility is added to her plate after her grandfather starts forgetting things and getting angry over nothing.  Forced by her family to stop playing soccer, her true love, so she can help more around the house, Merci is struggling to understand the events happening in her life.  A classic coming-of-age tale of a young girl figuring out the world can be a hard place, but the love of your family can make it worth the pain.  

The Good:

Merci is a well-developed character and her point of view is written in the appropriate language for her age. She is a strong-willed girl who just wants to understand why things are so different for her family than those of her classmates. I was initially frustrated with the parents for taking away soccer from Merci just so she could babysit her cousins, while her older brother was allowed to continue all of his activities. However, Merci seemed to have a better understanding than I did of her family, since she only was slightly annoyed with losing her soccer team. In the end, I realized this showed her strength and maturity.  This book covers a wide range of topics as Merci begins to figure out just who she is.

The Bad:

The only negative I have is that the book was little on the long side for a coming-of-age novel for children/middle grade. It took me a while to get through the story, but since it didn't have any cliffhangers or unknowns, it was hard for it draw me to it over other books I was reading at the same time. 

Bottom Line:

Merci Suarez Changes Gears is a great novel that explores many topics relevant to middle school as well as cultural differences in family structure.  This book is deserving of it's 2019 Newberry Medal.

Outstanding family-centered story! Merci is a relateable character, easy to like. Her joys and challenges will be familiar to many young readers. Highly recommend!

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