Faced with change, Merci is learning to deal with life.  This being a Newbery Award winner book, although it’s touching and honest, it’s also emotional.  For Merci, life changed when she moved up to the sixth grade and it got a lot harder: the girls in her class are drama queens, her grandparents are aging, and to top it off, she’s changing too.  Fifth grade was so much easier. 

Merci’s family maintains the Cuban-American traditions of speaking Spanish as well as English, living closely together, amazing food, and even Noche Buena at Christmas time.  Most of all, Merci is taught that family comes first and that there shouldn’t be any lies between family members; however, when she discovers they have been trying to protect her, she feels a little betrayed.  Seeing firsthand the effects of Alzheimer’s disease through the eyes of a twelve-year-old can be pretty devastating, especially when it’s her grandfather whom she loves and respects so much.  This is the toughest change Merci is dealing with. 

Through it all, Merci proves she’s one tough little gal.  She doesn’t come from a wealthy family like most of her school friends.  She understands what it means for her parents to work hard for every penny that supports their family, going to school on a scholarship, and even how that means extra mandatory community service at school.  Merci is an easy character to love and root for.  Flaws and all, she’s as real a character as a reader could hope for.

The targeted grade range for this book is fourth through seventh.  The author, Meg Medina, has a style of writing that is very fluid and has a real natural feel to it.  The pacing is great and makes this an easy book to devour.  This would be a good read for the young at heart who don’t mind shedding a tear for Merci and her grandfather.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  5 religious exclamations. 

Violence/Gore:  Mention of an elderly woman who died of natural causes but wasn’t found for a few days, neighbors worry she might still be angry and cause problems from the grave; mention of a kid who brought a knife to school the year before; sixth grade boys steal food from the girls; a pre-teen girl accidentally hits a pre-teen boy in the mouth with a baseball, brief description of minor injury; minor description of the mummification process of extracting the brain; pre-teen girl picks a fight with her six-year-old cousins; an elderly man gets very angry with an elderly woman, he pushes a teen boy out of the way; a pre-teen girl wishes she could “comp” another pre-teen girl “to bits”; an elderly man wanders off and ends up on a median in the middle of heavy traffic; a teen boy and a pre-teen girl get in a car accident, minor injury. 

Sex/Nudity:  Mention of two teens kissing behind the gym; mention of two teachers kissing in a car; a note is passed about a 6th grade girl liking a 6th grade boy; some 6th grade girls tease others about their bras or lack of one, some discussion about chest size.

Mature Subject Matter:

Socioeconomic differences, death of a neighbor, Alzheimer’s disease, divorce, change, a good luck charm, bullies, girl drama, sibling drama, locker room teasing, betting (money between two sixth graders).

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None