Merci Suarez lives in Las Casitas with her family--those are three small houses in a row, where she lives with mom, dad and brother, Abuela and Lol and are next door, and Tia Inez and the twins are in the third house. She's got lots of family responsibilities but also lots of love at home. Merci is learning how to grow into herself this 6th grade year, when they don't have recess and they now have to change for gym, revealing whether you have a bra or not. But more that than, something is going on with Lolo, her grandfather, and it's changing things. He's forgetting things and getting mad. He's just not the same grandfather. What is happening?

There are definitely elements of a classic school story and a family story in here, but they feel so real and grounded in Merci's family. Medina's writing is spot on, everyone feels real and like they have a real story to tell even if you only see a snippet in this book. I'd happily read a pile of books about the Suarez family.

Medina's new book will appeal to both boys and girls. The strong and engaging voice moves the plot along nicely. Readers will love the story of family, especially those dealing with a family illness. This will be an excellent title to recommend to those students. Although not a new topic to be addressed in children's literature, this is the first title that I can remember that has dealt with family illness from the perspective of a Latina family.

E ARC from Netgalley.com



Merci lives next door to her grandparents, Abuela and Lolo, and her aunt and younger twin cousins. Her father has a house painting company, and she and her older brother Roli go to a fancy private school on scholarship so that they have every opportunity. Merci finds it a bit difficult to deal with her well-t-o-do classmates, especially the snooty Edna, who is one reason that Merci is saving up her money for a fancy new bike. Merci has to be a Sunshine Buddy and is assigned to Michael, a new student from Minnesota, and isn't thrilled to have to show him around, especially since Edna "like likes" him and makes life difficult for Merci. Merci doesn't need help with that-- her Lolo is having trouble with his memory, and her aunt needs someone to watch the twins, so Merci is not allowed to try out for the school soccer team. There are a lot of school projects being assigned, and Merci sometimes has to work with Edna on them, with disastrous results. As her grandfather's memory worsens, her brother applies to colleges, and the family has to deal with a number of struggles, Merci needs to learn to grow up and help her family instead of being focused only on her own personal concerns.

Strengths: It's nice to see multigenerational families living near each other-- my own neighborhood has a lot of that. The grandparents are especially fun, and the Cuban culture and food vividly portrayed. Merci's struggles with classmates, projects, and assignments, as well as her changing relationship with her brother, are all very realistic. This reminds me a bit of The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, but set in Florida.

Weaknesses: The cover isn't particularly great, and there is a LOT going on in the book. Tightening it up would have put more of a focus on the important issues and saved some repetition of less interesting school aspects. Ah. This author has done several YA books, including Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass; it's hard to switch gears between these age groups, even though the author has also done some picture books.

What I really think: Definitely purchasing, although it always surprises me that families don't expect or discuss mental diminution in the elderly. After my mother was diagnosed with Parkinsons a dozen years ago, we told the girls exactly what to expect. My mother is doing fairly well for 84, but none of us are surprised when she is confused. I guess it makes a better story the other way, since almost all books dealing with grandparents and dementia react with denial.

Merci Suárez experiences both the ups and the downs of growing up and learns that change is an inevitable and necessary part of life.

Merci lives with her intergenerational family - her parents and her brother, her Lolo and Abuela, and her Tia and twin cousins. She attends a private school in exchange for community service and often feels out of place amongst her peers. Merci not only faces challenges with fitting in at school, but she is also trying to understand why Lolo suddenly seems to be acting strange. He forgets, makes mistakes, and displays anger that is uncharacteristic of him and, although Merci is worried, her family will not tell her what is going on.

Reading this book, I enjoyed the window into Merci's supportive and loving family. The bond between Merci and Lolo is especially sweet and the book gives insight into how grandparents might change as they grow older. Middle grade readers will also be able to relate to Merci's struggles to fit in and get along with classmates and can learn from the ways in which she manages to cope. With hope and humor, this is an engaging story and one that will touch the heart.

Captures the essence of middle school perfectly: the troubles of fitting in among, the frustration of butting heads with your parents, puberty and the confusing aspects of romance. It also tackles classism and the experience of being poor in an environment where everyone else is rich and the alienation that comes with it. I loved or loved to hate the characters and watching Merci grow was satisfying.

Friends. This is the read aloud for your classrooms next school year, please please make it happen ! It’s a beautiful interconnected inter generational story about relationships and change. It also gets into class/SES in such important ways and I wish I had this one as a scholarship kid at a private school growing up. I related to this book so dearly and loved the way the author created such a strong, authentic 11 year old voice for this super lovable main character, Mercedes. I adore her, and even better, she has an amazing cast of characters within her family too. Sometimes being in a tight knit family is hard, especially when it comes to giving everyone the space to change in their own lives while still functioning as part of a cohesive family unit. Watching our loved ones change is hard, and we’re not always (often not!) ready for it, but changing also brings new adventures that enrich our lives too. Change means trying again at friendships, trying again with our identities, or trying again at love. I’m so sad I won’t be directly in a classroom to do this one as a read aloud next year because it’s PERFECT for it. If you teach 3-5 this is the read aloud for your little classroom community. Please!

Well done, Meg Medina, you are a rockstar writer and you made something I cannot wait to share with kids, this is a new favorite. .