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Loading... Merci Suárez Can't Danceby Meg Medina
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Not very popular Merci Suarez gets stuck with Wilson, a not very popular boy, at their private school, working in the school supply store. They quickly bond as they try to make a success of the tiny business. Merci's best friend has started hanging around with the mean spirited Edna. When Merci's carelessness allows an expensive camera of Edna's to get broken, she begins to try out lies and half-truths to cover up what happened. She is also confused on how to deal with her own beloved family, as her grandfather sinks deeper and deeper into Alzheimer's disease, and her aunt begins to date again after many years single. With all of this going on in her life, and more, she can't figure out how she feels about Wilson, who seems to maybe like like her. In a story that has a plethora of sub-plots, and a lot of early teen issues to cover, Madina makes a smooth ride with a protagonist/narrator that the reader will care about and identify with. In this sequel to Merci Suarez Changes Gears, Merci must navigate seventh grade. The teachers are tougher, her family is still, well, her family and friendship is getting more complicated. To make matters worse, Merci must work at the school store with a boy and he’s kind of nice. The biggest challenge of all is the school dance, Merci can’t dance. What will she do? This title is recommended for readers who love school stories full of drama and angst. The book is character driven, humorous and diverse. Fans of the first book will delight in a chance to go into Merci’s world again. This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Let me be honest: I put off reading this book for a long, long time. Why? I loved Merci Suárez Changes Gears so much, and I am always disappointed with sequels. I just didn't want to be disappointed.Maybe I'm not always disappointed with sequels. The truth is that Meg Medina did a fabulous job with this sequel. Merci Suárez Can't Dance equals or, maybe, even exceeds Merci Suárez Changes Gears. Of course there are the same great characters from book #1, but these characters, like all good characters, are continuing to change, are evolving, growing, facing new challenges, struggling, sometimes slipping and doing the wrong thing, and finally moving forward despite the terrible consequences of doing so. I'm so glad I read this new book about Merci. Frankly, I'd welcome another sequel about this wonderful group of people, and I never thought I'd say that. A fantastic follow-up to Merci Suarez Changes Gears. While this could probably be enjoyed as a standalone, if you have access to the first book I’d recommend reading both to truly appreciate the gradual progression of Merci growing up. Whether Merci’s experiencing anxiety over her family life (her grandpa slipping further into dementia, her aunt falling for someone) or her sweet awkwardness when she watches a movie with Wilson (for readers who aren’t into romance there’s only a small hint of it here) or when she’s scrambling to cover up for an expensive mishap at school, I just loved how honest, relatable, and palpable her emotions feel. I also love the large role family plays in these books, the first one featured Merci’s bond with her grandfather and in this one it was such a pleasure to get more of a deep dive into her relationship with her aunt who on the surface is different from Merci but they connect on a heartwarming level. It’s my hope that this isn’t the last of the Merci books, I’d like to keep checking in with her as she gets older. I’m so enjoying the realistic pace in which Merci, her family and her relationships change and I’m especially eager to see her frenemy situation with Edna continue to evolve. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesMerci Suárez (2)
Juvenile Fiction.
Juvenile Literature.
HTML: 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. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumMeg Medina's book Merci Suárez Can't Dance was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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A perfect book for intermediate readers who are navigating early teen years. Merci, a typical grade 7 student, is trying to figure out the usual friendship and family complexities. To make things worse, she must do volunteer with a male student with whom she is not friends. Even though she can be self-reliant, she wants to be accepted and cares what others think about her. The story subtly explores the need of young teens to be authentic yet be part of their peer group.
Along with the book, the publisher added a bookmark of discussion questions. This little addition was a nice touch for anyone who may want to use the novel in a book club or a class read aloud.
This book is a sequel, but it is not necessary to have read the first book. ( )