New Releases by Meg Medina

From Newbery Medalist Meg Medina, National Ambassador for Young People''s Literature, comes a poignant salute to the caregivers who enter a child''s tender world. Ana cannot contain her excitement--her abuela is coming to stay with her and Mami for always! Abuela is sure to let Ana play whenever she wants instead of rushing her off to school, like her neighbor and babysitter, señora Mimí, sometimes does. In fact, as Ana''s classmate points out, she won''t need señora Mimí to babysit at all anymore! But señora Mimí is a good listener, and they have a lot of fun together feeding the squirrels and eating snacks. Maybe Ana isn''t ready to say goodbye to señora Mimí just yet? Masterful storyteller Meg Medina shares a reassuring tale that celebrates caregivers and community and their special role in children''s lives, paired with warm, expressive illustrations by Brittany Cicchese.

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 these hilarious stories by some of the top authors of middle grade fiction today, each young character is coping with a minor superpower—while also discovering their power to change themselves and their community, find their voice, and celebrate what makes them unique. The kids in these humorous short stories each have a minor superpower they’re learning to live with. One can shape-shift—but only part of her body, and only on Mondays. Another can always tell whether an avocado is perfectly ripe. One can even hear the thoughts of the animals in the pet store! But what these stories are really about is their young protagonists “owning” a power that contributes to their individuality, that allows them to find their place in the world, that shows them a potential they might not have imagined. Because if you really think about it, we all have something special and unique about ourselves that makes us a little bit super. We all have the power to change as an individual, to change our communities for the better, to have a voice and to speak up. These playful, thought-provoking tales from some of today’s top middle grade authors prompt readers to consider what their own superpower might be, and how they can use it. Written by Pablo Cartaya, Nikki Grimes, Leah Henderson, Jarrett Krosoczka, Remy Lai, Kyle Lukoff, Meg Medina, Daniel Nayeri, Linda Sue Park, Mitali Perkins, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Gary D. Schmidt, Brian Young, and Ibi Zoboi; coedited by Leah Henderson and Gary D. Schmidt.

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Pura Belpré! Pura Belpré grew up in Puerto Rico surrounded by stories. When she moved to New York and was offered the chance to work at the New York Public Library, she was thrilled to be able to help share her stories with children—especially multicultural and multilingual children like her. She persisted in bringing Spanish and bilingual storytelling and books to libraries across the city and across the country, and she wrote books and stories of her own to bring even more of her culture to people everywhere. Pura gave Spanish speakers in New York and around the country the opportunity to read and find community in ways they never had before, and she changed the way libraries reach readers even to this day. In this chapter book biography by bestselling and award-winning author Meg Medina, readers learn about the amazing life of Pura Belpré--and how she persisted. Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Pura Belpré''s footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum. And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Sonia Sotomayor, Diana Taurasi, Malala Yousafzai, and more!

"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"--

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.

Inspired by She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger comes a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up, and rose up against the odds. This collection includes the first eight biographies in the series.

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger comes a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds! Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in the history of the United States, but her road there wasn''t easy. She overcame many challenges along the way, including a diagnosis of diabetes at age seven. But she didn''t let that stop her from achieving her dream and inspiring children all over the world to work hard and believe in themselves. In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Meg Medina, readers learn about the amazing life of Sonia Sotomayor--and how she persisted. Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton!

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. 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. 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 or 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.

“A poignant tale of intergenerational connection, transition, and patience. . . . Heartfelt, layered, and beautiful.” — Booklist (starred review) Mia’s abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. While they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English, and Mia learns some Spanish, too, but it’s still hard for Abuela to learn enough words to tell Mia her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better. Here is an endearing tale that speaks loud and clear about the love that binds families across the generations.

When a little girl’s far-away grandmother comes to stay, love and patience transcend language in a tender story written by acclaimed author Meg Medina. Spanish language edition La abuela «lejana» de Mia deja su casa, rodeada de sol, palmeras y loros, para ir a vivir con Mia y sus padres a la ciudad. La primera noche, cuando Mia comparte con ella su cuento favorito a la hora de dormir, descubre que la abuela no entiende inglés. Mia la ayuda con el inglés y a la vez ella aprende algunas palabras en español. Pero la abuela no conoce suficientes palabras en inglés para compartir las historias de familia con su nieta. Un día, Mia ve un loro en el escaparate de una tienda de mascotas y descubre la manera de ayudar a su abuela. Una tierna historia de este galardonado dúo sobre el amor, la comprensión y la importancia de hacer nuevos amigos en cualquier idioma. Mia’s abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. While they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English, and Mia learns some Spanish, too, but it’s still hard for Abuela to learn enough words to tell Mia her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better. Here is an endearing tale that speaks loud and clear about the love that binds families across the generations.

Seventh grade is going to be a real trial for Merci Suarez. 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. One thing is for sure, though: Merci Suarez can''t dance-not at the Heart Ball or anywhere else.

The 2020 Jumpstart Read for the Record Selection (2.24 million readers) * An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book * A Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year * A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year * A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year From Newbery Medalist and New York Times best-selling author Meg Medina comes the bittersweet story of two girls who will always be each other’s número uno, even though one is moving away. A big truck with its mouth wide open is parked at the curb, ready to gobble up Evelyn’s mirror with the stickers around the edge . . . and the sofa that we bounce on to get to the moon. Evelyn Del Rey is Daniela’s best friend. They do everything together and even live in twin apartments across the street from each other: Daniela with her mami and hamster, and Evelyn with her mami, papi, and cat. But not after today—not after Evelyn moves away. Until then, the girls play amid the moving boxes until it’s time to say goodbye, making promises to keep in touch, because they know that their friendship will always be special. The tenderness of Meg Medina’s beautifully written story about friendship and change is balanced by Sonia Sánchez’s colorful and vibrant depictions of the girls’ urban neighborhood.

A little girl pitches in to help her tía save up for a big old car — and take the whole family to the beach — in a story told with warmth and sweetness. Tía Isa wants a car. A shiny green car the same color as the ocean, with wings like a swooping bird. A car to take the whole family to the beach. But saving is hard when everything goes into two piles — one for here and one for Helping Money, so that family members who live far away might join them someday. While Tía Isa saves, her niece does odd jobs for neighbors so she can add her earnings to the stack. But even with her help, will they ever have enough? Meg Medina’s simple, genuine story about keeping in mind those who are far away is written in lovely, lyrical prose and brought to life through Claudio Muñoz’s charming characters.

When bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci''s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna''s jealousy. Things aren''t going well at home, either: Merci''s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, ha

Jared Tristan Padalecki is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Sam Winchester in the TV series Supernatural. He grew up in Texas and rose to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls as well as the films New York Minute and House of Wax.

Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suarez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina. Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Things aren''t going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. No one in her family will tell Merci what''s going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.

While violence runs rampant throughout New York, a teenage girl faces danger within her own home in Meg Medina''s riveting coming-of-age novel. Nora Lopez is seventeen during the infamous New York summer of 1977, when the city is besieged by arson, a massive blackout, and a serial killer named Son of Sam who shoots young women on the streets. Nora’s family life isn’t going so well either: her bullying brother, Hector, is growing more threatening by the day, her mother is helpless and falling behind on the rent, and her father calls only on holidays. All Nora wants is to turn eighteen and be on her own. And while there is a cute new guy who started working with her at the deli, is dating even worth the risk when the killer likes picking off couples who stay out too late? Award-winning author Meg Medina transports us to a time when New York seemed balanced on a knife-edge, with tempers and temperatures running high, to share the story of a young woman who discovers that the greatest dangers are often closer than we like to admit — and the hardest to accept.

Informed that a bully she does not know is determined to beat her up Latin American teen Piddy Sanchez struggles to learn more about the father she has never met, until the bully''s gang forces her to confront more difficult challenges.

Worn down by the constant petitions of the villagers who think she has special powers, sixteen-year-old Sonia leaves behind her shawl covered with milagros and her mountain home and sets out to live a life of her own choosing in the capital city.

Tía Isa and her niece try to save enough money to buy a car to take the whole family to the beach.

In stunning prose, Medina creates a fantastical world in which a young girl uncovers the true meaning of family, the significance of identity, and the power of a mother''s love.