Merci Suarez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2018. $21.99 ages 9 and up

"Roli has only had his license for a few weeks and already we’ve lost a mailbox and two recycling bins to his skills behind the wheel. Even our cat, Tuerto, has learned to hide when he hears the jingle of car keys. Still, Mami has promised to let Roli drive us to and from school every day so he can practice. But today, as Roli lurches around the puddles in our driveway, I see there's even bigger trouble at home."

This 2019 Newbery Medal winner introduces readers to Mercedes (Merci) Suarez and her warm and loving Cuban-American family. Her life in South Florida is spent at an elite private school during the day, and with her exuberant, and sometimes exhausting, extended family. There is little time for anything else, despite the fact that Merci is an excellent soccer player who wants to try out for the school team. She is needed at home when her school day ends.

To help pay for her tuition at Seaward Pines Merci is tasked with community service. Now that she is in her second year, she is assigned to the Sunshine Buddies program. Her Sunshine Buddy is Michael Clark. A boy! Merci's reluctance to participate in the mentoring program gets her in some hot water with her principal, and results in teasing by Edna Santos, the meanest girl in Merci's sixth grade class. Edna has her eyes on Michael. and does her best to sabotage any contact Merci has with him.

Add to these school problems Merci's growing awareness of the conflicts within her own family. She watches with concern the difficulty that her beloved abuelo, Lolo, is having as he deals with Alzheimer's, and the impact it is having on everyone. She sees how difficult life is for her Aunt Inez who works hard at her bakery while trying to raise rambunctious twins. She is often angry with her very bright, yet distant, brother. Working with her father at his painting business, she is witness to conflict between her parents. 

This is a warm and loving family that has flaws, and they show. Their difficulties do not defeat them. Instead, they force conversation, acceptance, and shared responsibilities. The story is full of characters to admire. Full of humor and warmth, it creates a clear picture of an extended  family who live in each other's pockets, and who manage to navigate the ups and downs that come from their close proximity.

All accolades are well-deserved. I hope you can take the time to meet Merci and the Suarez family. You won't be sorry you did.