Hattie K reviewed Merci Suárez changes gears by Meg Medina (Candlewick on BrillianceAudio)
Multiethnic Middle School Lit
4 stars
Merci Suarez is in her second year at a private Florida school, but everything feels different now that she's in middle school. While most of Merci's peers seem to be navigating burgeoning crushes and mixed-gender parties, Merci is trying to balance keeping up with the demands of school, wanting to play soccer, and helping her family network care for her younger cousins and her increasingly confused grandfather. In Merci Suarez Changes Gears, author Meg Medina carefully balances the dynamics of a close-knit three-generation Cuban-American family with the confusion and challenges of early middle school social dynamics and increasing academic demands. This is a novel that will leave readers of all ages charmed with both how Merci struggles with all the changes, as well as how she learns to change gears.
Merci Suarez is in her second year at a private Florida school, but everything feels different now that she's in middle school. While most of Merci's peers seem to be navigating burgeoning crushes and mixed-gender parties, Merci is trying to balance keeping up with the demands of school, wanting to play soccer, and helping her family network care for her younger cousins and her increasingly confused grandfather. In Merci Suarez Changes Gears, author Meg Medina carefully balances the dynamics of a close-knit three-generation Cuban-American family with the confusion and challenges of early middle school social dynamics and increasing academic demands. This is a novel that will leave readers of all ages charmed with both how Merci struggles with all the changes, as well as how she learns to change gears.