# The Other Half of Happy: (Middle Grade Novel for Ages 9-12, Bilingual Tween Book) - Hardcover

by **Rebecca Balcárcel** (Author)

**2020 Pura Belpr Honor Book  
A Junior Library Guild Selection  
ALSC Notable Children's Book  
2020 Jean Flynn Award for Best Middle Grade Book  
2020 Spirit of Texas Reading Program Recommended Title**

**This immersive and beautifully written novel follows the story of Quijana, a girl in pieces.**

**Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole.**

**This is a heartfelt poetic portrayal** of a girl growing up, fitting in, and learning what it means to belong.

\- Lyrical middle grade debut from author Rebecca Balc rcel  
\- A diverse and family-centered story that resonates with anyone who remembers, or is going through, growing pains  
\- Inclusively embraces real life experiences with biracial, autistic, and gay characters

**One-half Guatemalan, one-half American: When Quijana's Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn't know more about her family's heritage.**

**One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she's found true friends. But she can't help the growing feelings she has for Jayden.**

**One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what's going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother.**

\- A wonderful gift for bilingual and bicultural readers, introspective tweens and teens, and parents and educators  
\- Perfect for those who love the heart of Matt de la Pe a, the honesty of Meg Medina, and the poetry of Kate DiCamillo  
\- Add it to the shelf with books like _We Were Here_ by Matt de la Pe a, _Merci Su rez Changes Gears_ by Meg Medina, and _I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter_ by Erika L. S nchez

### Author Biography

Rebecca Balcárcel received the Jane Kenyon Poetry Prize, and her work has appeared in journals such as the _North American Review_. She is an associate professor of English at Tarrant County College. She lives in Bedford, Texas.

**Number of Pages:** 332

**Dimensions:** 1 x 8.2 x 5.9 IN

**Publication Date:** August 20, 2019

**Award:** Pura Belpre Award (2020)

**Accelerated Reader:**

**Quiz Name:** Other Half of Happy

**Interest Level:** Middle Grades, 4-8

**Reading Level:** 3.8

**Point Value:** 10

## Details

- **Price:** 16.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 16.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Other Half of Happy: (Middle Grade Novel for Ages 9-12, Bilingual Tween Book) - Hardcover

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