The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

I absolutely adored The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera. Cheesy books are definitely my thing, and this book was full of cheesy-ness. If I had read this book when I was in 8^th or 9^th grade, I would have genuinely loved it. I have always been a sucker for a good coming-of-age, young romance novel, and this hits the mark for me. One reason I loved this book so much is because I connected to Margot and the problems she faced. I definitely didn’t connect in a direct way to most of her worries she had along the way, but her character in general. For me, I felt like Margot was my little sister and in my head I kept screaming at her, “Margot, don’t worry so much about all these silly little things! Be yourself!” Reading this novel reminded me of all the silly things many girls care about when they are Margot’s age. I definitely cared too much about the way my hair looked or the way I dressed for a couple years when I was 14, 15, 16, so I connected to Margot’s ridiculous, overly concerned thoughts about what her friends or boys might think of her. It reminds me that I will have students who are this age and will be thinking that everything they wear or how they look is going to be judged by others. The truth is that it most likely will; girls and even boys at that age can be extremely cruel. I’m going to keep this in mind with my students, and hopefully remind them every now and then that even though it seems like all those silly things matter right now, a few years from now they won’t matter so much.

            I also loved to see Margot’s growth through the book. She begins the book with a spoiled personality and the reader slowly watches her thoughts shift as she begins to question herself and the fake front she keeps putting up. Even though I would have liked to see a little more growth earlier in the book, I think it is pretty realistic to expect that amount of growth over the summer.

            Even though Margot is a misguided teenager who makes some pretty terrible decisions, I really feel for her. Her parents have a terrible relationship, her brother is extremely unstable, she can’t have a real conversation with her mom about anything, and she has no true friends. Margot’s situation is not unique. There are so many teenagers out there who have terrible home lives, and that is going to affect their success in school. Having gone through what Margot went through in terms of being close to some who is an addict, I know how hard that can be and how much it will affect your social and school life.

The main lesson I learned from this book is that when you are teaching in front of a class full of students, it’s easy to forget that they have lives outside of your classroom. Patience, understanding, and love must be extended to all students because you might not know what is going on at home. Also, when kids are at that age, it is so easy to get caught up trying to please your peers. Sometimes students have trouble finding who they are, or they get lost and have forgotten who they are. As a teacher, I think it will be important for me to help students remember who they are through all the chaos of life.
Would I teach this book in my classroom? No.
There are a couple reasons I wouldn't use this book in my class. First, and most important, there are plenty of other coming of age novels out there that would appease a wider audience. I am almost certain that most teenage boys in high school would have no interest in this book. While I think it is a great example of a coming of age novel, I don't think it would reach each and every student. Second, this book has great themes and teaching moments, but in general the reader doesn't see much character change in Margot until the end of the novel. I don't feel as though it would be the best book to teach the themes that are prominent in the book.
Would I recommend this book to a student who likes coming of age novels/romance? Absolutely.
As a high schooler, I would have loved this book. I would definitely recommend this book to any student who came to me and expressed interest in these genres. While there is sex, profanity, drugs, etc. present in this book, I don't see a problem with recommending it to a student who wants to read for fun on their own, given I know who this student is and believe that they can handle the topics.