Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Merci Suárez Changes Gears is an amazing story about growing up and learning to value who you are and what matters most. Sixth-grader, Merci Suarez is a scholarship student at an elite private school who is juggling many different changes and beginning to wish for things she doesn’t have. She is also struggling to belong in a school with harder classes, jealous classmates, and feeling out of place. If that isn’t enough, she is also beginning to realize how her life is different from her peers who have larger homes and fancy vacations while she works with her father or babysits family members. To top it all off, her family is dealing with her grandfather’s worsening dementia. All of this pushes her to recognize that what matters most is what she does have—a caring, close-knit family filled with love. Merci is a likable, caring, girl with a strong family full of rich characters.

The author writes well and tells a realistic story that is very enjoyable. The writing style blends humor, wisdom, and insight into all the complicated challenges middle schoolers might face. I love all the Spanish and references to Cuban culture, and I recommend this book for everyone over the age of 9. It made me laugh, but it also made me cry!