Merci Suárez navigates the trials and tribulations of middle school in this boxed set featuring the heartfelt trilogy from Meg Medina—Newbery Medalist and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Merci Suárez Changes Gears Even without bossy classmate Edna and her extra community service as a scholarship student, Merci has enough worries, especially since her grandfather, Lolo, has been acting strangely—and no one in her family will tell Merci what’s going on. Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. Merci Suárez Can’t Dance Between a no-nonsense teacher who expects her to be as smart as her genius brother, a maybe-crush on her co-manager at the school store, the upcoming Heart Ball, and her grandfather’s worsening condition, seventh grade is going to be a real trial for Merci Suárez. Merci Suárez Plays It Cool For Merci Suárez, eighth grade is a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself. With such change—and heartbreaking loss—in her life, who will Merci be?

Merci Suárez navigates the trials and tribulations of middle school in this boxed set featuring the heartfelt trilogy from Meg Medina—Newbery Medalist and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Merci Suárez Changes Gears Even without bossy classmate Edna and her extra community service as a scholarship student, Merci has enough worries, especially since her grandfather, Lolo, has been acting strangely—and no one in her family will tell Merci what’s going on. Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. Merci Suárez Can’t Dance Between a no-nonsense teacher who expects her to be as smart as her genius brother, a maybe-crush on her co-manager at the school store, the upcoming Heart Ball, and her grandfather’s worsening condition, seventh grade is going to be a real trial for Merci Suárez. Merci Suárez Plays It Cool For Merci Suárez, eighth grade is a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself. With such change—and heartbreaking loss—in her life, who will Merci be?

In a satisfying finale to her trilogy, Newbery Medalist Meg Medina follows Merci Suárez into an eighth-grade year full of changes—evolving friendships, new responsibilities, and heartbreaking loss. For Merci Suárez, eighth grade means a new haircut, nighttime football games, and an out-of-town overnight field trip. At home, it means more chores and keeping an eye on Lolo as his health worsens. It’s a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself. Merci has always been fine with not being one of the popular kids like Avery Sanders, who will probably be the soccer captain and is always traveling to fun places and buying new clothes. But then Avery starts talking to Merci more, and not just as a teammate. Does this mean they’re friends? Merci wants to play it cool, but with Edna always in her business, it’s only a matter of time before Merci has to decide where her loyalty stands. Whether Merci is facing school drama or changing family dynamics, readers will empathize as she discovers who she can count on—and what can change in an instant—in Meg Medina’s heartfelt conclusion to the trilogy that began with the Newbery Medal–winning novel.

Merci embarks on a seventh grade year shaped by high teacher expectations, a crush on a school-store co-worker, and a bossy classmate's plan for the annual Heart Ball.

Discover the world with this carefully curated list from We Need Diverse Books. Check out 100 must-read ebooks to try before you're 12! Includes reviews, recommendations, and exclusive author interviews, The Reading Adventure: 100 Books To Check Out Before You're 12 will inspire young readers to discover books beyond the curriculum. From mystery to autobiography, the ebook is organized by genre, so you can jump to the section that interests you the most. Each entry has a key theme box so you can immediately see if the ebook is something you'll enjoy. Simple biblio information is listed so you can decide whether to tackle a longer read, or choose something more bite-sized with pictures. Helpful signposts lead readers to another book the author thinks they'll enjoy. Hidden gems, award-winners, classics, and current bestsellers are brought to life by vibrant illustrations. There's truly something for everyone!

Teaching Tough Topics shows teachers how to lead students to become caring citizens as they read and respond to quality children’s literature. It focuses on topics that can be challenging or sensitive, yet are significant in order to build understanding of social justice, diversity, and equity. Racism, Homophobia, Bullying, Religious Intolerance, Poverty, and Physical and Mental Challenges are just some of the themes explored. The book is rooted in the belief that by using picture books, novels, poetry, and nonfiction, teachers can enrich learning with compassion and empathy as students make connections to texts, to others, and to the world.

In a satisfying finale to her trilogy, Newbery Medalist Meg Medina follows Merci Suárez into an eighth-grade year full of changes—evolving friendships, new responsibilities, and heartbreaking loss. For Merci Suárez, eighth grade means a new haircut, nighttime football games, and an out-of-town overnight field trip. At home, it means more chores and keeping an eye on Lolo as his health worsens. It’s a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself. Merci has always been fine with not being one of the popular kids like Avery Sanders, who will probably be the soccer captain and is always traveling to fun places and buying new clothes. But then Avery starts talking to Merci more, and not just as a teammate. Does this mean they’re friends? Merci wants to play it cool, but with Edna always in her business, it’s only a matter of time before Merci has to decide where her loyalty stands. Whether Merci is facing school drama or changing family dynamics, readers will empathize as she discovers who she can count on—and what can change in an instant—in Meg Medina’s heartfelt conclusion to the trilogy that began with the Newbery Medal–winning novel.

For Merci Suarez, eighth-grade is a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself. When popular soccer player Avery Sanders starts talking to Merci more, and not just as a teammate, does this mean they're friends? Merci wants to play it cool, but with Edna always in her business, it's only a matter of time before Merci has to decide where her loyalty stands.