Ratings4
Average rating4.5
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.
Featured Series
2 primary booksMerci Suárez is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Meg Medina.
Reviews with the most likes.
Just excellent. Well rounded characters, a unique location, good plotting, really well written. Not sure why more people haven't read this.
I love it...a middle grade novel with central characters who are deeply Hispanic.
Merci Suárez is struggling to fit in at her exclusive private school, taking care of her two rowdy nephews after school to help out her aunt, and trying to save money to buy a new bike. It's all the typical sorts of problems preteens face these days, but with main characters who are a part of the rich Hispanic culture.
It's about time we saw this story behind the covers of a mainstream book. So happy it won the Newbery this year!
What an incredible book. Such a perfect encapsulation of sixth grade - being torn between what your friends what you to be and who are you. Lovely! I'm so happy this is the Newbury winner.