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Merci Suarez Changes Gears is a wonderful coming of age story about a middle schooler trying to navigate school, peers, and family. Merci belongs to a close knit family who all live right next door to each other. She loves soccer and plays with her father's team. She goes on bike rides with her grandpa and babysits her cousins. Her father owns a painting company which allowed her to get a scholarship to a private school. Everything was going great until she had to get a Sunshine Buddy, spend all her free time with family, and her grandpa started acting strange. I enjoyed reading about Merci's journey. I liked how the author tied in the title to the rest of the book. Definitely a book that I will recommend to my students. Thank you #Netgalley for a free copy of this book to review.

2019 Newbery winner Mercy Suarez Changes Gears presents Mercy entering her 2nd year at prestigious Seaward Pines School on a need based scholarship. She lives with her extended Cuban-American family on a compound near the school. She navigates her relationships with her friends and classmates in their daily preteen dramas as she struggles with family issues.

There was so much to love about this book! Meg Medina touches on so many social issues a typical 11-year-old would go through. From worrying about fitting in to watching her classmates develop crushes, Merci’s character is totally relatable. Age 11 is also about the same time a young person starts noticing change. Merci sees that her Lolo is becoming forgetful and short tempered and her brother, Roli, spends all of his time on college applications. Change is happening all around her and there is nothing she can do about it.

I also love that the author carefully highlights the differences between Merci and her other schoolmates. For example, the fact that Merci and Roli attend their private school “on scholarship” or how her whole family lives on a lot with multiple houses on it. Merci knows that most kids do not live the way she does, but her differences do not hinder her from being who she is.

A great read with a lot of heart, Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina would be a great book for ages 9-12 or grades 4-7.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this E-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Loved this Florida-set realistic fiction tale. Merci is Cuban American with a close family and also a scholarship student at a private school. She struggles with mean girls and some boy-girl issues, but her biggest issue is her grandfather, who is not quiet himself. I felt like this book was a comparable book to “Save Me a Seat.” Highly recommended.

Excellent middle grade novel for grades 4-6. You will love Merci! Grab this one for your classroom or library for sure!

I absolutely loved this story. Merci's world is falling apart around her or at least it feels this way. Friends ignore her, her family needs her attention more than she wants to give, and something is happening around her and she can't figure it out.

I will recommend this book to my students. They will love the character of Merci. I can't wait to book talk it to them.

Merci Suarez Changes Gears has found its place on many year-end best 2018 middle grade lists and while it might not be my favorite, it does deserve a lot of that merit.

Merci and her other brother Roli (who she has a complex and great relationship with that I loved) attend a private school on scholarship, and they’re constantly negotiating how much they can contribute to school fundraisers and odd jobs to earn their keep. They don’t have as much money as the other students and are the children of a Cuban family that all lives together in connected houses. As the blurb says, Merci’s at that middle school transition age where everything is changing. The boys and girls are segregating, and Merci feels like Edna, who she used to be close with, now hates her. I don’t want to get too spoilerly, but a couple of things I appreciated: no romance, Merci gaining new friends, and Edna becoming more well-rounded by the end–something the “bullies” in MG often aren’t allowed to do.

What I struggled with–and I’m fully aware this is skewed by the fact I read it in small chunks over a month because of college–was the driving force and pacing. Compared to some other middle grades I’ve read recently (like Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World and My Year in the Middle), Merci doesn’t have as much of an overarching plot or guiding force, which can always be difficult in a middle grade novel. That said, the thing about Merci is she really doesn’t want things to change. Early on, I wasn’t sure what to focus on–her need for a bike, her family conflicts, her school friendships and possibly-love-interest, or her grandfather–but in the last third or so some hijinks at school definitely had me reading.

The most affecting part of the novel to me was Merci’s grandfather, Lolo. As an older reader with some experience with this myself, I certainly knew where it was headed, but Merci doesn’t. And that makes the revelation of what is really happening, and how her family has been afraid to tell her, that much more effective.

If you have a younger reader in your life or you’re looking for a good contemporary middle grade, Merci Suarez is a lovely protagonist to hang out with and Meg Medina crafted her with so much care.

Merci lives in the Suarez compound, a group of three houses her family occupies. She lives with her parents and brother and next door to her grandparents and aunt and cousins. They are a poor but extremely close family. Merci has been assigned to be a Sunshine Buddy to new student Michael at school. She doesn't like the assignment and doesn't make a lot of effort. Mean girl Edna likes Michael and makes things difficult for Merci. Her grandpa Lolo is also having memory issues and causing problems at home.

This was a good portrayal of multi-generational families living together. I liked all the interactions between the grandparents and the aunt/cousins. It was also a good look at how families deal with Alzheimer's Disease and how it affects relationships on all levels. There was a lot going on in this book with both Lolo and Edna. I think either of those storylines could have taken priority, but with both it felt like they were fighting a bit for dominance.

This is a terrific story about the perils of middle school in South Florida. Merci is a wonderful character-she loves her family (although they can be annoying), she works hard, and she's a great friend. I loved being able to see my community in the setting and I wish I really could meet Merci, because I'd love to be friends with her! I think my students are going to love her too.

This was well written story with alot of themes relatable to young girls. First there's the diverse lead Merci who is a scholarship student at a private school. This was a feeling I'm quite familiar with having immigrant parents and being from a family that had less money than many of my classmates. Merci also has to deal with her aging grandfather who has been acting differently lately. This coming of age story does a great job depicting that transitional time at the age when you're not quite a teen but no longer a little kid.

This book has my favorite middle school villain of the year, no offense to all the other middle school villains.

Brilliant coming-of-age story capturing the essence of pre-teen life. Moreover, it touches on topics such as classism in a way young minds can understand'

Highly recommend for young readers.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!! This is a great Middle Grade story that I hope makes it to all school libraries and local libraries for people of all ages to enjoy.

Merci's voice is what needs to be heard more. Her day to day struggles of fitting in, family obligations and being a kid are genuine and well written.

I highly recommend.

#MerciSuarez #NetGalley

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. Like Merci, I was close to my grandparents and even lived with my paternal grandparents for a time when I was a teenager. I loved the author's note too.

Sixth grade is a tough year for every child. As a scholarship student at an expensive academy, it's even tougher for Merci Suarez. Not only does she have to learn to endure middle school where she doesn't always feel she fits in with her classmates, but she also has to start growing up and facing changes. Not just changes in herself, but changes in her family as well. Her brother is getting ready to leave for college and her grandfather is showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It's a time of change and lessons to learn. Merci Suarez faces them with strength and intelligence.

I'm really impressed by the selection of children's books published by Candlewick Press. Every book I have read has just been outstanding! Merci Suarez Changes Gears touches on some major topics for middle school girls -- the end of childhood, growing up, taking more responsibility, seeing grandparents age, the pain of older siblings leaving home, learning to love and care for smaller children in the family, and just the joys and stress of living with extended family. This book is heart-felt, emotional and completely awesome! Merci learns to think of others and grows up a bit, while learning to live in her own skin and love the person she is. Wonderful story!

Meg Medina has written several books for the YA and middle grade audience. I will definitely be reading more by this author!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Candlewick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I love Merci Suarez and I think middle grade readers will too. She is a refreshing voice, who is likable but flawed.

Merci has just started 6th grade at an elite private school. She's there on a scholarship so already she feels a little like an outsider. Factor in mean girls, changing dynamics with boys, and school work and Merci is feeling all the pressures of being an 11-year-old girl.

On top of issues at school, Merci's beloved grandfather, Lolo, has been acting strange. He's forgetful and has been falling. Merci is scared about what is happening, but doesn't really understand. The Suarez family doesn't keep secrets, so Merci is even more confused about what could be happening.

I think this book tackles a lot of dilemmas that are relatable to older middle schoolers. Merci definitely makes mistakes, but she owns up to them and apologizes. She isn't perfect, but she is still loved by her family. Through all the rough times, she still has a solid, closeknit family.

I really loved this book and think it is a great readalike for fans of Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary.

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina has earned all the starred reviews: Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Horn Book… What do you add when a book has earned all the stars and all the words you want to hear about when considering a contemporary novel for young readers?

Merci Suarez Changes Gears really does have all the things you want and need—and it doesn’t read in a contrived/formulaic way. You will be moved and entertained. You’ll fall in love with Merci and her family and friends. You will appreciate their struggles. Yeah, Merci Suarez Changes Gears is going to earn some [well-deserved] award stickers to go with those [well-deserved] stars.

The realization of Merci’s beloved confidant and grandfather Lolo’s Alzheimer’s is significant enough on its own. But there are other hard realities Merci must confront that I appreciated seeing in a young reader’s novel.

There is a mean-girl. [not unusual.] But while the novel considers Edna’s positive attributes and her own troubles, it will not allow her meanness to be explained in such a way as to excuse it. The expectations put on Merci and her brother Roli to perform flawlessly and gratefully because they are sponsored by a scholarship at a school that wouldn’t otherwise have them? The novel doesn’t excuse it. It doesn’t excuse Merci when she crosses a line, no matter how we might empathize. The story doesn’t allow anyone to have their own way. There are limits to reality and a reality steeped in community and family. I’m grateful for all the levity in the book because some of tensions/conflicts of that reality are painful.

There’s Hannah and her mother.

My heart hurt for Merci and Mami on that “permission slip morning.”

That gut-wrenching conversation Papi has with Merci following “the baseball” scene.

Trying to navigate a world where sex/gender suddenly creates difference and you’re not there yet. My eleven-year-old self strongly identifies with Merci Suarez.

Not much comes across as “fair,” even if it can be managed. Which makes the reader wonder: why isn’t it fair? And is this just life? Or could something change that could make a situation more fair, or at least, even more manageable?

In the meantime… Merci Suarez and her family and friends have to prove flexible and resourceful and invested in one another. The care and success of each other relies on everyone’s participation. The tension is: who is going to have to sacrifice what? And is there no independence, no means of mobility separate and apart from the things we feel bind us? For Merci and Roli both, mobility is represented by wheels (bike/car), the access to their passions (sports/research), and an education. Their own resources are only going to get them so far. [There is no boot-strap pulling narrative b.s. here.] There’s no going it alone. With family and friends like Merci’s, would you really want it any other way?

Merci's life is very family-centric. Part of that is her choice (she loves her family, especially her grandparents) and part of that is the fact that she lives next door to her grandparents and two doors down from her aunt and twin cousins. (They are more than a handful and Merci has to babysit them a lot.) It's not that Merci minds babysitting them so much; it's more that it's expected of her and it also gets in the way of things she wants to do (like try out for soccer). 

Another unfortunate thing is that she's assigned to help a new student get adjusted to their school. And it's a boy. This wouldn't be so bad, except that most popular girl (Edna) likes him and views Merci as competition. (Merci couldn't be more clear about this not being the case.) This book shows what it's like when people are in different stages. Merci wants to play sports with the boys but a lot of the girls in her class are starting to think about maybe dating them. Also there's a lot of disparity with what different parents will let their children do. Edna's parents give her a lot of freedom and Merci had to go to so much trouble to get her parents to let her go to the movies without adult supervision but with an entire group of kids. (And it was more a worry about their safety and not how annoying this gaggle of tweens would be to everyone else in the theater. I know I'm old; I'll show myself out.)

But the biggest problem is how her grandfather, Lolo, is starting to get forgetful and his usually easygoing nature sometimes switches into a Jekyll and Hyde thing. It seems like the whole family has noticed but no one's talking about it and everyone's pretending it's fine. Merci isn't sure what's going on, but definitely doesn't like it.

This is such an important book. I think a lot of young readers could relate to one or multiple aspects of the story. Merci seems to feel unappreciated and overlooked sometimes, but she also feels left behind. 

This is a sweet but also excellent story. Highly recommended.

A great solid middle grade story with lots for every kind of reader. I loved her exploration of Merci’s family dynamics without sacrificing friendship or school stories in the process. I would recommend this book to most realistic fiction fans.