A review by long4thelibrary
Merci Suárez Can't Dance by Meg Medina

5.0

There's always a worry whether a second book will live up to the first, especially when the first one was so well-received and engaging. Merci Suárez Can't Dance does not disappoint. It's as if you have simply turned the last page of the first book and her story continues (albeit a year later) with the same multidimensional characters and keeping-it-real storyline. What I love the most is that young readers will connect and see themselves in the situations and characters. Merci and the other characters aren't one-dimensional, just like in real life. Merci makes mistakes and compounds them with less than helpful reactions, just like real middle schoolers. As Merci says, "Why are people so complicated? Bad guys should always just be bad guys, and good guys should always be good guys." Meg Medina creates these beautifully complicated, complex characters. She nails the emotional rollercoaster that pre-teens go through, including budding relationships, frenemies, and family. In the end, Merci shines by discovering truths about her whole self and the importance of standing up for herself and friends.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.