TL;DR
Merci Suárez Changes Gears is the anti-brain-rot antidote for the middle school transition. It’s a Newbery-winning novel that captures the exact moment a kid realizes the world is more complicated than they thought. If your child is heading into 6th grade or currently navigating the "mean girl" (or "mean boy") minefield, this is essential reading.
Quick Recommendations for the Middle School Transition:
- For the Graphic Novel Fan: New Kid by Jerry Craft
- For the Emotional Rollercoaster: Inside Out 2
- For Navigating Social Hierarchies: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- For Understanding Family Dynamics: Encanto
Written by Meg Medina, this book follows Merci Suárez, a 6th-grade scholarship student at a fancy private school in Florida. While her classmates are worrying about who is "in" and who is "out," Merci is juggling a lot more: she doesn’t have the money her peers do, she’s part of a loud, loving intergenerational Cuban-American family living in "Las Casitas," and her beloved grandfather, Lolo, is starting to act... different.
It’s not a "fast-paced" thriller. It’s a character study of a girl growing up. It deals with Alzheimer’s, socioeconomic status, and the specific brand of middle school bullying that isn't about physical fights, but about social exclusion and "Sunshine Court" politics.
Middle school is basically a four-year exercise in "rebranding." In 5th grade, you’re the king of the playground; in 6th grade, you’re at the bottom of a very confusing food chain.
For parents, this is the era where the "digital world" and "real world" start to bleed together. The social hierarchies Merci faces—the "Sunshine Court" led by the bossy Edna Santos—are the exact same dynamics kids are navigating on Snapchat streaks or Discord servers.
The book matters because it gives kids a vocabulary for two very hard things:
- Social Capital: Understanding that some kids have more "power" in a group and how that power is often used to make others feel small.
- Family Secrets: Learning that adults don't always tell the truth to "protect" kids, and why that often backfires.
In the book, Edna Santos is the gatekeeper of what’s cool. Today, that gatekeeping happens on TikTok or through who gets invited to the Roblox private server.
Merci’s struggle isn't just about being "poor" (though the "scholarship kid" dynamic is huge); it's about the emotional labor of trying to fit into a culture that wasn't built for you. If your kid is feeling like an outsider at school or online, Merci is their kindred spirit.
If your kid finds the prose of Merci Suárez a bit slow, hand them New Kid. It covers almost the exact same ground—scholarship kid at a private school, microaggressions, and finding your "crew"—but in a graphic novel format that is incredibly accessible.
The gold standard for "middle school is hard." While Merci deals with class and family illness, Wonder deals with physical differences. Both books force kids to look at the "Edna Santos" types of the world and realize that popularity is often a hollow prize.
Ask our chatbot about more books for kids feeling left out at school
One of the most poignant parts of the book is Merci’s relationship with her grandfather, Lolo. He’s her favorite person, but he’s changing. He’s becoming forgetful and sometimes angry.
The Suárez family tries to hide Lolo’s diagnosis from Merci to "protect" her. This is a massive talking point for parents. We often think we’re doing our kids a favor by keeping the "scary stuff" away from them, but kids are intuitive. They know when the vibe is off. When we don't give them the truth, they fill in the blanks with their own (often scarier) imagination.
If you want to talk about the "internal" version of what Merci is going through, watch this. It perfectly captures the arrival of Anxiety and the way "Core Memories" start to get complicated when family life changes.
Recommended Ages: 9–12
- Content: Very "clean." No language concerns, no inappropriate sexual content. There is some light "crush" talk (the school dance is a big plot point), but it’s very innocent.
- Emotional Intensity: High. The scenes where Lolo gets lost or doesn't recognize Merci are heartbreaking. If your family has dealt with dementia or loss, this might be a "read together" book rather than a "read alone" book.
- Digital Context: The book is set in a world where phones exist, but they aren't the focus. However, the behavior is very 2025. Edna’s manipulation of the "Sunshine Court" is a masterclass in how cyberbullying starts.
Learn more about middle school social dynamics and digital wellness
Let’s be real: some kids might find Merci "boring" if they are used to the high-octane pacing of Wings of Fire or the slapstick humor of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Merci is a "slow burn." It’s a book about feelings and nuance. If your kid is a reluctant reader, you might want to try the audiobook. The narrator is fantastic and brings the Cuban-American household to life in a way that makes the "Las Casitas" setting feel like a character itself.
The "Scholarship" Factor: The book doesn't pull punches about how it feels to be the "service" family. Merci’s father has to do maintenance work at the school to help pay her tuition. There’s a scene where Merci has to help him clean, and she’s terrified her classmates will see her. This is a great opening to talk to your kids about the dignity of work and the "invisible" people who make their schools or communities run.
If your kid is reading this (or if you’re reading it with them), here are some non-cringe conversation starters:
- On Edna Santos: "Is there an Edna at your school? Someone who decides what’s 'cool' and who’s 'out'?"
- On Family Secrets: "Do you think Merci’s parents were right to hide Lolo’s sickness from her? What would you want us to do?"
- On Changing Gears: "Merci feels like she’s 'changing gears' from being a kid to something else. Do you feel like you’re in a different 'gear' this year?"
- On Social Media: "If Edna Santos had a TikTok account, what kind of stuff do you think she’d post to make people feel left out?"
Check out our guide on having hard conversations with tweens
Merci Suárez Changes Gears is a 10/10 recommendation for the middle school transition. It’s a mirror for kids who feel "different" and a window for kids who need to understand that everyone is carrying a heavy backpack of stuff we can't see.
It’s not "brain rot." It’s "brain food." It builds the kind of emotional intelligence that actually helps kids navigate the messy, unmoderated world of Roblox chats and middle school hallways.
- Grab the book: It’s usually available at every school library, but the audiobook is a great choice for car rides.
- Follow up: If they love it, there are two more books in the series: Merci Suárez Can't Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool.
- Compare and Contrast: Watch Inside Out 2 and talk about how Merci’s "Anxiety" or "Envy" might look compared to Riley’s.
Ask our chatbot for a personalized reading list based on your child's interests