Merci Suárez Changes Gears is a tenderhearted, funny, realistic, and ultimately heartbreaking story. 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. Merci Suárez Changes Gears is a 2018 children's book written by Meg Medina. 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. Read 1,023 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. As a mentor text, I would think about asking students to look at the snatch of text below, or another snatch of text from Merci Suárez Changes Gears, and ask writers to look at what Meg has done to show us who the main character, Merci, is. Merci Suárez Changes Gears Author: Meg Medina Published: September 11th, 2018 by Candlewick Press. Merci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. 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 Suárez Changes Gears Meg Medina Review by Angela Leeper. Use these activities to extend your students’ experience with Merci Suárez Changes Gears. November 1, 2018 By Vocabulary.com (NY) For Merci Suárez, sixth grade is a year of change. We can tell a lot about Merci from this snatch of text. Merci Suárez Changes Gears book. Parents need to know that Meg Medina's Merci Suarez Changes Gears won the 2019 Newbery Medal. MERCI SUÁREZ CHANGES GEARS by Meg Medina ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 2018 Merci navigates the challenges of being a scholarship kid at a posh South Florida private school and the expectations of and responsibilities to her intergenerational family. Merci is about “an interfering, multigenerational family living under the … … Summary: Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suárez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina. Merci Suárez Changes Gears (Book) : Medina, Meg : Merci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. Merci Suarez is a sixth-grader whose Cuban American family works hard to give her a great education by sending her to an elite private school.Class and culture issues are touched upon, as Merci feels like an outsider as a working-class Latina in an elite Florida school. About Merci Suárez Changes Gears. Merci Suárez Changes Gears (Book) : Medina, Meg : Merci Suárez begins the sixth grade and knows things will change, but she did not count on her grandfather acting strangely, not fitting in at her private school, and dealing with Edna Santos' jealousy. Most ominous of all, though, are the changes in Merci’s beloved grandfather, Lolo, who forgets more and more, and now has begun to act strangely—fighting with loved ones and wandering off into traffic. —R. Merci’s older brother Roli has his driver’s license and will soon be leaving for college. The novel details her struggles at school and home. She is grateful that the class period is being interrupted for class photos, as the next chapter in the cue is […] ... For Merci Suárez, the start of the sixth grade means even bigger changes—not only school dynamics but friendship, boys, family and an eye that strays to the side, especially when Merci’s stressed. Spanish Merci and her family are bilingual, and Meg Medina included Spanish throughout the book to show this aspect of the characters’ lives. For Merci Suárez, the start of the sixth grade means even bigger changes—not only school dynamics but friendship, boys, family and an eye that strays to the side, especially when Merci’s stressed.