Bibliographic Information


Medina, M. (2013). Yaqui delgado wants to kick your ass. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

ISBN: 978-0-7636-5859-5

 

Plot Summary

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina is the story of Piddy Sanchez. One day Piddy finds out that she better watch her back, because Yaqui Delgado wants to kick her ass. At least that is the word on the street, from some girl named Vanessa that Piddy doesn’t even know. Yaqui doesn’t like the way she walks, talks, and looks. According to Yaqui she isn’t Latina enough either. It starts with harsh words and quickly escalates to something more physical. Then it happens, Yaqui kicks Piddy’s ass. Piddy’s good grades start to slip, her amazing relationship with her mom starts to falter, and the world around her starts to crumble. Piddy’s dreams of being a Veterinarian also start to disappear as she struggles to survive in her new world of fear, helplessness, and despair. To add to the mess, her father is still M.I.A and her mom refuses to tell her anything about him. Then there is Joey, her childhood friend who she… who she is not sure how she feels about.  Lets just say Piddy’s world is a car crash of a mess and she is not sure she can fix it.

 

Critical Evaluation


This book is not an emotionally easy read. It was difficult to read about Piddy after Yaqui beat her up. Piddy was constantly in fear and this resulted in the lost of friends, low self-esteem, and it had a negative impact on the relationship with her mom. At times I really agreed with Piddy when she wondered why her Yaqui couldn’t be friends. They are both Latinas and Piddy didn’t understand why they didn’t support one another. It was really sad that just because Piddy looked different from the other Latinos at her school it made her target for Yaqui. I think one of the hard truths in this book was that sometimes bullies like Yaqui don’t have a logical reasoning for disliking someone.  I had a hard time like Piddy trying to understand why Yaqui seemed to just hate her for no real reason. It was hard watching Piddy struggle on her own, but it made the character more realistic. Teens often deal with bulling and can’t/don’t go to an adult. An adult couldn’t be with Pidy 24/7 and she had to pull herself out of this on her own. I did like that Piddy pulled herself out of the situation after everything she went through. I think that was a strong message to teens about finding internal strength and not giving up when things are terrible. Medina’s book brings up so many important topics about bullying, self-identity, and cultural-identity.

 

Reader’s Annotation


Piddy Sanchez is a victim of bullying. She lives in constant fear after Yaqui beats her up with words and then physically. Everything around Piddy is falling apart now and she isn’t sure she knows how to fix it.

 

Author Information

The following information was taken from the author’s biography,

https://megmedina.com/about/.

 

“Meg Medina is an award-winning Cuban American author who writes picture books, middle grade, and YA fiction.She is the 2016 recipient of the Pura Belpré honor medal for her picture book, Mango, Abuela and Me, and the 2014 Pura Belpré Award winner for her young adult novel, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which was also the winner of the 2013 CYBILS Fiction award and the International Latino Book Award.

 

She is also the 2012 Ezra Jack Keats New Writers medal winner for her picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car. Meg’s other books are The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind, a 2012 Bank Street Best Book and CBI Recommended Read in the UK; and Milagros: Girl from Away.  Meg’s work examines how cultures intersect, as seen through the eyes of young people. She brings to audiences stories that speak to both what is unique in Latino culture and to the qualities that are universal. Her favorite protagonists are strong girls.”

 

Genre

Fiction, Realistic, Contemporary, Cultural

 

Curriculum Ties


Could be used on a unit about bullying and cultural identity.  

 

Booktalking Ideas


• Why did Yaqui not like Piddy?

• Do you think Piddy always did the right thing? Explain?

• What do think the author was trying to say about self-identity and cultural identity?

 

Reading Level/ Interest Age


Grades 9-12

 

Challenge Issues


Violence, Racism

 

Challenge Issue Resources (for usage in a challenge situation)

• Active Listening

• Explanation of why it was chosen for the collection (Rational)

• Awards

• Reader Advisory Reviews (Students, Parents, Educators)

• Positive and Negative Reviews

• National Council of Teachers “Right to Read”

• ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials

• ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom

• Library Selection Policy & Library District Reconsideration Form

 

Why I choose it

I choose to read this book because it was assigned reading for INFO265. I think the conversation of bullying is difficult to talk about, but also important to talk about.