Merci Suárez Can't Dance

<b>A <i>Kirkus Reviews</i> Most Anticipated Book of 2021</b><br><b>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.</b> <p/>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. <p/>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 <i>or</i> 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.