They live in three row houses named Las Casitas where every door is always open, yet privacy is at a premium. Lolo and Abuela were one of the first waves of Cubans who immigrated to south Florida and now they are the heads of a family that includes two children and four grandchildren. Her protagonist Merci Suarez is how Suarez saw herself at the center of one these families, surrounded by grandparents and cousins from both sides of the families. Meg Medina notes that she wrote this book as an ode to multi-generational Latinx families who live in proximity to each other and face challenges that might not be evident in their Caucasian neighbors. I took this as a sign that I wouldn’t overlook this book anymore. Now the youngest is in middle school but I have been teaching in my sharing of upper elementary classrooms, and three Merci Suarez books line most classroom bookshelves. When the book first came out five years ago my three daughters were in late elementary school and the perfect age for this book, but somehow it got overlooked. Every time I go to the library I see this vibrant cover staring at me. I haven’t checked off many award winners in the last few years, as my time has become limited and hence so has my reading. I put more emphasis on the awards themselves than my taste in books, which can be eclectic but does not encompass everything. Going into every year I say I’m going to win the Pulitzer winners, national book award winners, Newberry winners, etc.
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