Merci Suárez Changes Gears

By Meg Medina

Part of the Merci Suárez series

Merci faces school rivalry and family secrets in sixth grade.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 8,648 ratings

355 pages· 69,916 words· Est. 8 hour read

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Merci Suarez, a scholarship student at a private school, grapples with jealousy from a classmate and mysterious changes in her beloved grandfather. As she navigates these challenges, Merci must uncover family secrets and find her place amidst the chaos of middle school. Will she manage to hold her world together when everything seems to be falling apart? This heartfelt tale explores the trials of growing up and the enduring bonds of family.

From the publisher

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.