Back at Seaward Academy for seventh grade, Cuban American Merci has been tapped by the principal to revitalize the school store with classmate Wilson Bellevue. Meanwhile, Merci’s nemesis, Edna, in charge of planning the upcoming school dance, is capitalizing the time of Merci’s friend Hannah, straining Merci and Hannah’s friendship. At home, Lolo’s Alzheimer’s is progressing and Tía Ines is dating Papi’s employee Simon. It’s too much change, and with the exception of spending time with Wilson, Merci doesn’t like any of it; her warm feelings about Wilson, meanwhile, leave her confused. Merci’s resistance to moving outside her comfort zone is further challenged by Tía’s new dance studio and the expectation to participate. There are so many authentic characters and moments in this story, from some of Merci’s bad but believable decisions, especially around a borrowed iPad accidentally broken while in her care, to peer and family dynamics; from the matter-of-fact presentation of Wilson’s disability (he “swings one hip forward so his right leg can clear the ground. He says it doesn’t hurt or anything. He was born that way”) to the memorable scene in which Merci, talking to the principal about racist remarks, says, “It’s like getting paper cuts all the time, miss. They don’t look like much, but they hurt, especially if you get a lot of them, day after day.” Although Merci thinks she can’t dance, in the end she does, thanks to the support of her family and friends. (Ages 8-12)

A Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated Book of 2021
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.

Seventh grade is going to be a real trial for Merci Suárez. For science she’s got no-nonsense Mr. Ellis, who expects her to be a smart as her brother, Roli. She’s been assigned to co-manage the tiny school store with Wilson Bellevue, a boy she barely knows, but whom she might actually like. And she’s tangling again with classmate Edna Santos, who is bossier and more obnoxious than ever now that she is in charge of the annual Heart Ball.

One thing is for sure, though: Merci Suárez can’t dance—not at the Heart Ball or anywhere else. Dancing makes her almost as queasy as love does, especially now that Tía Inés, her merengue-teaching aunt, has a new man in her life. Unfortunately, Merci can’t seem to avoid love or dance for very long. She used to talk about everything with her grandfather, Lolo, but with his Alzheimer’s getting worse each day, whom can she trust to help her make sense of all the new things happening in her life? The Suárez family is back in a touching, funny story about growing up and discovering love’s many forms, including how we learn to love and believe in ourselves.