A review by crystal_reading
Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
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.