Medina, Meg

Meg Medina is the 2019 Newbery Medalist for Merci Suárez Changes Gears. She also is the author of the young adult novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass; the novels Burn Baby Burn and The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind; and the picture books Mango, Abuela, and Me and Tía Isa Wants a Car. In Merci Suárez Can’t Dance (Candlewick), the sequel to Merci Suárez Changes Gears, seventh grade is a challenge for Merci. For starters, there are the expectations of science teacher Mr. Ellis, who expects her to be a smart as her brother, new responsibilities, and an obnoxious classmate – and oh, she can’t dance. Dancing makes her almost as queasy as love does. She’s been assigned to co-manage the tiny school store with a boy she barely knows, but whom she might actually like, and here comes 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. But ready or not, Merci won’t be able to avoid love or dancing for very long. Booklist noted that “Filled with the familiar, laugh-out-loud humor from the first title, this sequel will quickly pull readers, both returning and new, into Merci’s world.”