crystal_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Review copy - ARC via publisher
Merci and her family completely won my heart. Their relationships are strong, but sometimes messy. They give of themselves, but they also fuss at each other. There is no doubt that they love each other, but love doesn't keep siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins and other family members from being annoying. Merci comes to see that having so many family members living near each other can be a total pain - especially when it means babysitting for free, but it also has big benefits. Being able to raid multiple refrigerators is a plus, but it's also a true gift to have grandparents within reach and people who will jump in when needed for pretty much anything.
All of that is true, but there are changes happening and Merci is not liking these changes. Even more than that, she is being kept in the dark about some things and she gets extremely frustrated that her family doesn't trust her with information. Changes are hard. They're hard for everyone, but adults sometimes forget that when they are keeping things from children, sometimes that increases the worry for young people.
For anyone who has dealt with health issues in their family, this book would likely speak to them. Readers may experience emotions right along with Merci - frustration, sadness, confusion, and more. Anyone who believes childhood is generally a carefree time of life will surely see that they may not have the same exact issues as adults, but they can be just as impactful as situations adult face.
Recommendation: Merci and her family are people everyone should get to know. While reading, people can take a seat in the Suárez family homes and watch as they learn and grow together. It's a beautiful and heartwarming story in spite of the painful moments and is worth any tears that may fall. Never fear, there are also plenty of funny moments too. Merci's story won a Newbery medal so it will get into many hands, but if you haven't read it yet, you'll need to pick it up soon.
Merci and her family completely won my heart. Their relationships are strong, but sometimes messy. They give of themselves, but they also fuss at each other. There is no doubt that they love each other, but love doesn't keep siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins and other family members from being annoying. Merci comes to see that having so many family members living near each other can be a total pain - especially when it means babysitting for free, but it also has big benefits. Being able to raid multiple refrigerators is a plus, but it's also a true gift to have grandparents within reach and people who will jump in when needed for pretty much anything.
All of that is true, but there are changes happening and Merci is not liking these changes. Even more than that, she is being kept in the dark about some things and she gets extremely frustrated that her family doesn't trust her with information. Changes are hard. They're hard for everyone, but adults sometimes forget that when they are keeping things from children, sometimes that increases the worry for young people.
For anyone who has dealt with health issues in their family, this book would likely speak to them. Readers may experience emotions right along with Merci - frustration, sadness, confusion, and more. Anyone who believes childhood is generally a carefree time of life will surely see that they may not have the same exact issues as adults, but they can be just as impactful as situations adult face.
Recommendation: Merci and her family are people everyone should get to know. While reading, people can take a seat in the Suárez family homes and watch as they learn and grow together. It's a beautiful and heartwarming story in spite of the painful moments and is worth any tears that may fall. Never fear, there are also plenty of funny moments too. Merci's story won a Newbery medal so it will get into many hands, but if you haven't read it yet, you'll need to pick it up soon.
internationalkris's review against another edition
4.0
I was very impressed by this year's Newbery prize winner. Merci Suarez is a wonderfully resilient young protagonist negotiating her path through some tricky social dynamics at school and some family secrets at home. This story has a lot of heart and I appreciated the the solid plot structure and individual characters.
jcarsrud's review against another edition
4.0
Merci was a neat character and I loved the Cuban influences in the story. If you like coming of age stories, you should read this one!
literatehedgehog's review against another edition
4.0
Absorbing, solid middle grade novel. Understandably won the Newbery - there's family (an extended, loving Latinx family at that), girl friendship/competition, class issues, health, etc, checking those Relevant, Important Topic boxes. But best of all, Merci is such a unique, fascinating character - I didn't always like her or relate to her, but she stayed in my mind well after I'd put the book down. (And that's saying something in my sleep-deprived, newborn-mama state!).
lornarei's review against another edition
4.0
It was a very good read. Maybe an odd thing to remark on, but I am surprised there is not an Alzheimer's Disease - Juvenile Fiction subject tag on this. Her grandfather's decline is a major theme throughout the book. The situation and her reactions to first NOT knowing what was going on with him and then her reactions when she is told could be very helpful to a young reader dealing with this in their own family. It's also what made it a tearful read for me. The author even talks about it in her note and gives a shout-out to the Alzheimer's Association.
dlberglund's review against another edition
4.0
A bittersweet look at the difficulties of change in your family and in becoming a middle schooler. Merci would like a new bike, but she would like most things to stay the same: her camaraderie with her grandfather, playing kickball at recess, being friends with lots of different people rather than just who is deemed cool by the Queen Bee. It's a tough time, and we walk with Merci through those first few months of 6th grade. Very good.
sandraagee's review against another edition
4.0
Solid. I always like a story where
Spoiler
a bully gets her comeuppance. So satisfying.Spoiler
I listened to the audio so I don't have the ability to go back and check right now, but did anybody actually apologize to Merci for keeping her in the dark about Lolo's Alzheimer's? I was so bothered by this on Merci's behalf throughout the book. For the record this is not a case of bad writing, just characters making a well intentioned but not terribly kind choice.kristinamskinner's review against another edition
4.0
It was a good story. The family was tightly-knit, which I liked. The main character is a strong female and faced her trials well.
theshenners's review against another edition
5.0
Captures the essence of middle school perfectly: the troubles of fitting in among, the frustration of butting heads with your parents, puberty and the confusing aspects of people around you developing crushes and acting weird. It also tackles classism and the experience of being poor in an environment where everyone else is rich and the alienation that comes with it. I loved or loved to hate the characters and watching Merci grow was satisfying.