Merci Suárez Can't Dance

Name: Merci Suárez Can't Dance
Brand: Brilliance Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Meg Medina
ISBN: 9781713587842

Author: Meg Medina

Series: Merci Suarez #2

Narrator: Frankie Corzo

Unabridged: 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio

Published: 04/06/2021

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

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.

About Meg Medina

Meg Medina is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Merci Suárez Changes Gears, which was also a 2018 Kirkus Prize finalist, as well as several award-winning young adult novels and picture books. She says, “I’m so excited to bring my readers into the world of the Suárez family and Seaward Pines once again. What a difference a year can make in the life of a young person in middle school. New friends, new teachers, and new self-doubts. It’s been a thrill to write about all the zany things that seventh grade can throw at a person.” The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Meg Medina lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Heather Adores Books

4⭐ Genre ~ middle grade Series ~ Merci Suárez #2 Others in the series ~ Merci Suárez Changes Gears Setting ~ Florida Publication date ~ April 6, 2021 Page Count ~ 372 (49 chapters) Audio length ~ 8 hours 2 minutes Narrator ~ Frankie Corzo POV ~ single 1st Merci is back and now in 7th grade. Middle school is......more

Goodreads review by Darla

I love a good dance party. Can it be true that Merci Suárez can't dance? One might think so as she takes the opportunity to be the photographer for the Heart Ball rather than participate with the rest of the middle school. Maybe Merci just doesn't realize how much fun dancing can be? Tía Inés has be......more

Goodreads review by Jennie

This was a fun book to read about Merci and her family. I thought this book got off to a very slow start but the last 200 pages were very very good. Merci has a very good relationship with her family and also the administration at her school. It seems like she’s always in the office for something. I......more

Goodreads review by Linda

It is lovely to meet Merci Suárez again, this time in seventh grade, the family, the friends, and listening to Merci's worries figuring out, well, life. I taught this age for many years and while I didn't know "all" their thoughts, I knew some. Merci's voice (from Meg Medina) shows early adolescent......more

Quotes

“…Frankie Corzo manages to deliver a believable portrayal of a working-class Latina middle schooler who feels out of place in her predominantly wealthy, white private school. Corzo's remarkable range takes listeners on an emotional roller coaster ride as Merci Suárez navigates her first crush while challenging racist bullies, grappling with economic inequality, and confronting significant changes in family dynamics, specifically her brother's departure for college, her beloved aunt's new relationship, and her grandpa's battle with Alzheimer's. Don't miss this!”
—AudioFile Magazine“Narrator Frankie Corzo returns to narrate the sequel to Meg Medina’s 2018 Newbery Medal–winning novel, Merci Suárez Changes Gears. … With an even pace and light tone, Corzo makes Merci’s struggles with friendships, responsibility, school, crushes, and jealousy easily relatable to all listeners. While Merci has a neutral American accent, Corzo seamlessly transitions between English and Spanish words, perfectly delineating the Spanish accents of Merci’s family and creating a realistic portrayal of a young Cuban American’s life.”
—Booklist“Merci returns for another year of challenges and triumphs at home and at Seaward Pines Academy...Merci’s maturity and growth are as engaging and compelling as they were in the author’s Newbery Medal winner, Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2018). The cast is broadly diverse; Merci and her family are Cuban American, Edna is Dominican, and Creole and Cajun Wilson has a physical disability. An uplifting sequel told with heart and humor.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)