Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal

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.

“A poignant tale of intergenerational connection, transition, and patience. . . . Heartfelt, layered, and beautiful.” — Booklist (starred review)

Mia’s abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. While they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English, and Mia learns some Spanish, too, but it’s still hard for Abuela to learn enough words to tell Mia her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better. Here is an endearing tale that speaks loud and clear about the love that binds families across the generations.

A little girl pitches in to help her tía save up for a car and take the whole family to the beach.

Tía Isa quiere un carro brillante que sea del mismo color verde del océano. Pero el dinero no alcanza, sobre todo porque lo que ganan se divide en dos partes: una para gastar aquí y otra para enviar a la familia que vive lejos, con la esperanza de verse algún día nuevamente.
Mientras tía Isa raciona el dinero, su sobrina trata de ayudar con los ahorros en su propia forma. ¿Pero podrán ahorrar lo suficiente para un carro?


While Tía Isa wants to save money for a car that will take the whole family to the beach, her niece does odd jobs for neighbors. But it’s hard to save enough when half the money is set aside to bring family members who live far away to join them someday. Meg Medina’s simple, genuine story about keeping in mind those who are far away is written in lovely, lyrical prose and brought to life through Claudio Muñoz’s charming characters.

In a satisfying finale to her trilogy, Newbery Medalist Meg Medina follows Merci Suárez into an eighth-grade year full of changes—evolving friendships, new responsibilities, and heartbreaking loss.

For Merci Suárez, eighth grade means a new haircut, nighttime football games, and an out-of-town overnight field trip. At home, it means more chores and keeping an eye on Lolo as his health worsens. It’s a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself. Merci has always been fine with not being one of the popular kids like Avery Sanders, who will probably be the soccer captain and is always traveling to fun places and buying new clothes. But then Avery starts talking to Merci more, and not just as a teammate. Does this mean they’re friends? Merci wants to play it cool, but with Edna always in her business, it’s only a matter of time before Merci has to decide where her loyalty stands. Whether Merci is facing school drama or changing family dynamics, readers will empathize as she discovers who she can count on—and what can change in an instant—in Meg Medina’s heartfelt conclusion to the trilogy that began with the Newbery Medal–winning novel.

In Meg Medina’s follow-up to her Newbery Medal–winning novel, Merci takes on seventh grade, with all its travails of friendship, family, love—and finding your rhythm.

Séptimo grado va a ser todo un desafío para Merci Suárez: los maestros son más estrictos, las amistades son más complicadas y su familia es todavía… bueno, ellos siempre hacen que las cosas sean interesantes. Merci también tiene que gestionar la tienda de la escuela con un varón… y el hecho de que él es —pudiéramos decir— amable hace que todo sea aún más confuso. Y también está Edna Santos, más mandona que nunca, especialmente ahora que está a cargo de un evento anual: el Baile de los Corazones.

Sin embargo, una cosa es cierta: Merci Suárez no sabe bailar…, ni en el Baile de los Corazones ni en ninguna parte. La idea de bailar en público le da casi tanta náusea como el amor, y Merci ha estado pensando en el amor más de lo que ella quisiera, especialmente ahora que tía Inés parece que tiene novio. Merci solía hablar de todo con Lolo, pero ahora que el Alzheimer de su abuelo se está empeorando, ¿en quién podrá confiar ella para que la ayude a entender todas las cosas nuevas que ocurren en su vida?

Desde nuevas relaciones hasta conflictos con sus amistades y cambios en la familia, los lectores se deleitarán al ver a Merci descubrir el amor en sus múltiples formas en esta continuación de la novela ganadora de la Medalla Newbery.




Seventh grade is going to be tough for Merci Suárez. Her no-nonsense science teacher expects her to be a smart as her brother, Roli. She’s been assigned to co-manage the school store with Wilson Bellevue, a boy she barely knows but might actually like. And then there’s Edna Santos, who is more obnoxious than ever now that she’s in charge of the annual Heart Ball. One thing is for sure, though: Merci Suárez can’t dance, not even at the Heart Ball. Dancing makes her almost as queasy as love does, especially now that merengue-teaching Tía Inés has a new man in her life. Merci used to confide in her grandfather, Lolo, but with his Alzheimer’s getting worse, whom can she trust to help her make sense of all the changes in her life? The Suárez family is back in a touching, funny story about growing up and discovering love’s many forms, including how we learn to love and believe in ourselves. Now in a Spanish edition.

In Meg Medina’s follow-up to her Newbery Medal–winning novel, Merci takes on seventh grade, with all its travails of friendship, family, love—and finding your rhythm.

Seventh grade is going to be a real trial for Merci Suárez. For science she’s got no-nonsense Mr. Ellis, who expects her to be a smart as her brother, Roli. She’s been assigned to co-manage the tiny school store with Wilson Bellevue, a boy she barely knows, but whom she might actually like. And she’s tangling again with classmate Edna Santos, who is bossier and more obnoxious than ever now that she is in charge of the annual Heart Ball.

One thing is for sure, though: Merci Suárez can’t dance—not at the Heart Ball or anywhere else. Dancing makes her almost as queasy as love does, especially now that Tía Inés, her merengue-teaching aunt, has a new man in her life. Unfortunately, Merci can’t seem to avoid love or dance for very long. She used to talk about everything with her grandfather, Lolo, but with his Alzheimer’s getting worse each day, whom can she trust to help her make sense of all the new things happening in her life? The Suárez family is back in a touching, funny story about growing up and discovering love’s many forms, including how we learn to love and believe in ourselves.

When a little girl’s far-away grandmother comes to stay, love and patience transcend language in a tender story written by acclaimed author Meg Medina. Spanish language edition

La abuela «lejana» de Mia deja su casa, rodeada de sol, palmeras y loros, para ir a vivir con Mia y sus padres a la ciudad. La primera noche, cuando Mia comparte con ella su cuento favorito a la hora de dormir, descubre que la abuela no entiende inglés.

Mia la ayuda con el inglés y a la vez ella aprende algunas palabras en español. Pero la abuela no conoce suficientes palabras en inglés para compartir las historias de familia con su nieta. Un día, Mia ve un loro en el escaparate de una tienda de mascotas y descubre la manera de ayudar a su abuela.

Una tierna historia de este galardonado dúo sobre el amor, la comprensión y la importancia de hacer nuevos amigos en cualquier idioma.

Mia’s abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. While they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English, and Mia learns some Spanish, too, but it’s still hard for Abuela to learn enough words to tell Mia her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better. Here is an endearing tale that speaks loud and clear about the love that binds families across the generations.

La amable y tenaz Merci Suárez, estudiante de sexto grado, lidia con cambios difíciles en sus relaciones con amistades, familiares y el resto del mundo en una nueva y relevante novela de Meg Medina.

Merci Suárez sabía que el sexto grado sería diferente, pero no tenía idea alguna lo diferente que resultaría. En primer lugar, Merci nunca se ha parecido a los otros niños de su escuela privada en la Florida, porque tanto ella como Roli, su hermano mayor, son estudiantes becados. Ellos no tienen ni una casa grande ni un yate elegante, y tienen que desempeñar servicios comunitarios adicionales para compensar por su matricula gratis. Así que cuando la mandona de Edna Santos se fija en el nuevo niño que la escuela le ha asignado a Merci como su “amigos de arco iris,” Merci se convierte en el foco de los celos de Edna. Las cosas no andan muy bien en su casa tampoco: Lolo, el abuelo de Merci, su aliado de mayor confianza, ha estado actuando un poco raro últimamente: se le olvida cosas importantes, se cae de la bicicleta y se enoja por cualquier cosa. Nadie en la familia le ha dicho a Merci qué es lo que le aflige, así que Merci tiene que lidiar sola con sus preocupaciones, a la vez que se siente aislada en la escuela. En una historia sobre los ritos de la pre-adolescencia, llena de humor y sabiduría, la galardonada autora Meg Medina llega al fondo del desconcierto y del cambio continuo que caracterizan el último año de la escuela elemental, así como de los lazos inquebrantables de la familia.

From Newbery Medalist Meg Medina comes the bittersweet story of two girls who will always be each other’s número uno, even though one is moving away.

A big truck with its mouth wide open is parked at the curb, ready to gobble up Evelyn’s mirror with the stickers around the edge . . . and the sofa that we bounce on to get to the moon.

Evelyn Del Rey is Daniela’s best friend. They do everything together and even live in twin apartments across the street from each other: Daniela with her mami and hamster, and Evelyn with her mami, papi, and cat. But not after today—not after Evelyn moves away. Until then, the girls play amid the moving boxes until it’s time to say goodbye, making promises to keep in touch, because they know that their friendship will always be special. The tenderness of Meg Medina’s beautifully written story about friendship and change is balanced by Sonia Sánchez’s colorful and vibrant depictions of the girls’ urban neighborhood.