100 pages 3 hours read

Meg Medina

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina follows eleven-year-old Merci Suárez, a Cuban American girl in Florida, as she navigates her first year at Seaward Pines Academy. Balancing academics, sports aspirations, and family responsibilities, she struggles with fitting in at school and dealing with her grandfather's declining health due to Alzheimer's. Through these challenges, Merci learns the importance of family, resilience, and adapting to change.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears paints a vivid portrait of a sixth-grader navigating middle school complexities and familial challenges. Critics commend its authentic portrayal of cultural identity, family dynamics, and adolescence, though some feel its pacing lags at times. Overall, it’s lauded for its heartfelt and relatable storytelling, making it a compelling read for young audiences.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Merci Suárez Changes Gears?

A reader who would enjoy Meg Medina's Merci Suárez Changes Gears likely appreciates heartwarming, realistic middle-grade fiction, rich in cultural diversity and family dynamics. Fans of R.J. Palacio's Wonder or Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming will find this book's themes of growing up and navigating life's changes equally compelling.

Recommended

Reading Age

9-12years

Lexile Level

700L

Book Details

Themes

Life/Time: Aging

Identity: Gender

Relationships: Family

Genre

Realistic Fiction

Children's Literature

Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Topics

Class

Arts / Culture