Merci lives in the Suarez compound, a group of three houses her family occupies. She lives with her parents and brother and next door to her grandparents and aunt and cousins. They are a poor but extremely close family. Merci has been assigned to be a Sunshine Buddy to new student Michael at school. She doesn't like the assignment and doesn't make a lot of effort. Mean girl Edna likes Michael and makes things difficult for Merci. Her grandpa Lolo is also having memory issues and causing problems at home. 

This was a good portrayal of multi-generational families living together. I liked all the interactions between the grandparents and the aunt/cousins. It was also a good look at how families deal with Alzheimer's Disease and how it affects relationships on all levels. There was a lot going on in this book with both Lolo and Edna. I think either of those storylines could have taken priority, but with both it felt like they were fighting a bit for dominance.