Books like Merci Suárez Changes Gears

If you liked Merci Suárez Changes Gears, read The Crossover, Blended, or Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina (Middle Grade Fiction · 700L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, social class, and identity. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Merci Suárez Changes Gears

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Why each is a match

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The Crossover750L
Shares themes of family and identity, both on the Newbery Medal list, and a close reading level (750L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Blended610L
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (610L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet820L
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L
Shares themes of family and identity, both on the Newbery Medal list, and a close reading level (770L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (700L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Restart730L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
The Wild Robot740L
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (740L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L
Shares themes of family, both on the Newbery Medal list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L
Shares themes of family, both on the Newbery Medal list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Merci Suárez Changes Gears for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 700L).
  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (470L vs 700L).
  • The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Same genre (Middle Grade Fiction) and a close reading level (720L vs 700L).
  • Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey · 730L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (730L vs 700L).

Books like Merci Suárez Changes Gears for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

  • The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 700L).
  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 700L).
  • Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (790L vs 700L).
  • Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of family and identity, both on the Newbery Medal list, and a close reading level (950L vs 700L).

Books like Merci Suárez Changes Gears for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

  • The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 700L).
  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (750L vs 700L).
  • Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (790L vs 700L).
  • The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (800L vs 700L).

Books like Merci Suárez Changes Gears for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

  • The Color Purple by Alice Walker · 670L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (670L vs 700L).
  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (750L vs 700L).
  • The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (800L vs 700L).
  • Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (720L vs 700L).
  • The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan · 930L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (930L vs 700L).

Common questions

What books are similar to Merci Suárez Changes Gears?
The 10 closest matches to Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina on ReadingList include The Crossover, Blended, Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet, Walk Two Moons, and Out of My Mind. Each is scored on shared themes (family, social class, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Merci Suárez Changes Gears reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?
Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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