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Yaqui Delgado quiere darte una paliza
In Meg Medina’s compelling novel, a Latina teen is targeted by a bully at her new school—and must discover resources she never knew she had. Una mañana antes de ir a clase, una chica le dice a Piddy Sánchez que Yaqui Delgado quiere darle una paliza. Piddy ni siquiera sabe quién es Yaqui, y mucho menos qué es lo que ha hecho para hacerla enfadar. Se dice que Yaqui piensa que Piddy es vanidosa, que se menea al caminar y que no es lo suficiente latina dada su piel blanca, sus buenas calificaciones y su falta de acento. Y Yaqui no bromea, así que mejor que Piddy se cuide su espalda. En un principio, Piddy está más preocupada por saber más sobre su padre al que nunca conoció y cómo equilibrar los cursos de honores y su trabajo de fin de semana en el salón de belleza de su barrio. Pero, a medida que el hostigamiento aumenta, el hecho de evitar a Yaqui y a su grupo empieza a ganar terreno y a ocupar un lugar importante en la vida de Piddy. ¿Existe alguna forma de que Piddy sobreviva sin aislarse o sin escapar? En esta novela fuertemente realista, Meg Medina retrata a una heroína solidaria que es forzada a decidir quién es verdaderamente..
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2013
314 people are currently reading
14543 people want to read
About the author
Meg Medina
29 books683 followersMeg Medina served as the 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Merci Suárez Changes Gears, which was also a 2018 Kirkus Prize finalist, and which was followed by two more acclaimed books about the Suárez family: Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool. Her young adult novels include Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which won the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award, and which was published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas; Burn Baby Burn, which was long-listed for the National Book Award; and The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind. She is also the author of picture books No More Señora Mimí / No más Señora Mimí, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away / Evelyn del Rey se muda, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, Jumpstart’s 2020 Read for the Record selection; Mango, Abuela, and Me, illustrated by Angela Dominguez, which was a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book; and Tía Isa Wants a Car, illustrated by Claudio Muñoz, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award; and biographies for young readers She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor and She Persisted: Pura Belpré, the latter with Marilisa Jiménez García.
The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia.
The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,317 reviews
March 2, 2013
Talk about a provocative title! YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS grabs teen readers' attention in a hurry. As you might infer, it is a book about bullying -- not "another" book about bullying, but "a" book about it. Meaning? I think it stands above the others I've read. Strong, strong characterization. And, in a book curiously devoid of male characters (spare two minor players), Medina's book speaks to the power of women, especially when they work together.
The protagonist here is Piddy Sanchez, a Latina girl who lands in a new high school when her single mother tries to improve their living quarters. Piddy's arrival draws notice from the wrong person in a hurry. In fact, the first line of the book is the title of the book. The words come from Vanesa, a friend of Yaqui's. It takes another girl to explain the threat more clearly. The mysterious (but not for long!) Yaqui has decided that Piddy is stuck up, shakes her booty too much, and has eyes for her boyfriend. Of course, Piddy wouldn't know Yaqui's boyfriend if she fell over him, but that, apparently, is beside the point.
From this simple beginning, a psychological net begins to close on the mind of Piddy. She begins to feel like prey, an innocent creature that can hear but not see the trouble that stalks her. Later, Yaqui appears with a bang (think Piddy's head, maybe), and the intimidation takes on a whole new dimension. Piddy is so traumatized that she fears going outside, never mind to school. She becomes the hunted, the haunted, and the hated through no fault of her own.
As a bigger than life help to Piddy, there's Ma's best friend, Lila, who sells Avon products and keeps men guessing. Piddy's mother has personality in spades, too. She has strong ideas on what it means to be a lady, but she's keeping secrets about Piddy's missing father. In fact, she burned all of his pictures, and Piddy's burning to know more about him. The conflict between indignant daughter and harried mother serves as a neat sub-plot to the mayhem at school. Then there's Piddy's Saturday job. She works at Salón Corazón, a hair salon where the women come for styling and gossip. For a teen like Piddy, it's a great fly-on-the-wall place to learn about the ways of adults and the wiles of men, only Yaqui and her gang track her down one Saturday, turning her Saturday paradise into another trap where the enemy can find her.
Ultimately, threats become actions and Piddy seeks succor in all kinds of places, including the arms of Joey Halper, a kid who grew up calling her Toad and now is a man -- or at least as much a man as a teenage boy can be. Medina does a masterful job as she shows what it's like to be a haunted, hunted girl desperate for love while hiding secrets of hate -- Yaqui's -- which she suffers silently until the violence leaves loud marks on her body. Then she has no choice but to share, and with it come the consequences. "Narcs" who rat on bullies know that they haven't seen anything yet. Will the same hold for Piddy?
A story of strong Latina women, YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS will charm you with its grit and honesty. It's hard not to cheer for Piddy and enjoy the sassy women who surround her, and Yaqui will be your favorite antagonist in quite some time. Yes, it may be a bit too edgy for most middle school readers, but it's a strong addition to any high school library -- school, classroom, or personal.
The protagonist here is Piddy Sanchez, a Latina girl who lands in a new high school when her single mother tries to improve their living quarters. Piddy's arrival draws notice from the wrong person in a hurry. In fact, the first line of the book is the title of the book. The words come from Vanesa, a friend of Yaqui's. It takes another girl to explain the threat more clearly. The mysterious (but not for long!) Yaqui has decided that Piddy is stuck up, shakes her booty too much, and has eyes for her boyfriend. Of course, Piddy wouldn't know Yaqui's boyfriend if she fell over him, but that, apparently, is beside the point.
From this simple beginning, a psychological net begins to close on the mind of Piddy. She begins to feel like prey, an innocent creature that can hear but not see the trouble that stalks her. Later, Yaqui appears with a bang (think Piddy's head, maybe), and the intimidation takes on a whole new dimension. Piddy is so traumatized that she fears going outside, never mind to school. She becomes the hunted, the haunted, and the hated through no fault of her own.
As a bigger than life help to Piddy, there's Ma's best friend, Lila, who sells Avon products and keeps men guessing. Piddy's mother has personality in spades, too. She has strong ideas on what it means to be a lady, but she's keeping secrets about Piddy's missing father. In fact, she burned all of his pictures, and Piddy's burning to know more about him. The conflict between indignant daughter and harried mother serves as a neat sub-plot to the mayhem at school. Then there's Piddy's Saturday job. She works at Salón Corazón, a hair salon where the women come for styling and gossip. For a teen like Piddy, it's a great fly-on-the-wall place to learn about the ways of adults and the wiles of men, only Yaqui and her gang track her down one Saturday, turning her Saturday paradise into another trap where the enemy can find her.
Ultimately, threats become actions and Piddy seeks succor in all kinds of places, including the arms of Joey Halper, a kid who grew up calling her Toad and now is a man -- or at least as much a man as a teenage boy can be. Medina does a masterful job as she shows what it's like to be a haunted, hunted girl desperate for love while hiding secrets of hate -- Yaqui's -- which she suffers silently until the violence leaves loud marks on her body. Then she has no choice but to share, and with it come the consequences. "Narcs" who rat on bullies know that they haven't seen anything yet. Will the same hold for Piddy?
A story of strong Latina women, YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS will charm you with its grit and honesty. It's hard not to cheer for Piddy and enjoy the sassy women who surround her, and Yaqui will be your favorite antagonist in quite some time. Yes, it may be a bit too edgy for most middle school readers, but it's a strong addition to any high school library -- school, classroom, or personal.
April 8, 2013
I liked this, but...don't totally understand all the rave reviews. I never quite managed to connect with Piddy or any of the other characters, and while I can certainly get behind the message (bullying = bad), I can't help wishing there was a little more depth here. Or something. I never really felt anything while reading this--not Piddy's fear of Yaqui, not the weirdness in her relationships with Mitzy and Joey, not her anger with her mother...it seemed to me like I was constantly told about those feelings, but not in a way that made them real and believable to me. But others clearly don't agree, so it might just be me. Still, it seems like a pretty realistic picture of what bullying can look like these days, and of the sorts of reactions a bullied teen might have to it, as well what kinds of solutions might generally be available (none of them great or easy). Anyway, I think I was just expecting more from this than it delivered, but it's definitely worth a read.
October 16, 2013
I was offered an ARC of this book for review months ago, but I declined because of the subject matter. I wasn’t sure I could read the story objectively, and I was afraid it was going to be unrealistic. Having finally read it, I discovered I was right about one thing and wrong about the other: I *did* have a hard time reading it objectively, but that’s because the story is so very realistic. I was emotionally sucked in, and sympathized with Piddy in a visceral way.
Bullies don’t always have a reason for picking on someone. Piddy had never seen or spoken to Yaqui before another girl announces that Yaqui wants to kick her ass. We do find out that it has to do with Yaqui’s boyfriend in a roundabout way, but, really, Yaqui has simply decided that she doesn’t like Piddy, and therefore will make Piddy’s life miserable. This is done in a realistic way that doesn’t come close to over-the-top. Piddy’s fear and stress are palpable, so the bad choices she makes feel natural and sympathetic. The ending is also realistic, because it is nowhere near perfectly happy. It’s just the best situation that Piddy could find, given the circumstances.
I’ve read other stories that contain bullying, and most of them invoke eye-rolling or disbelief, but that’s not the case with this story. It’s very powerful, and will resonate with those who have experienced it first-hand. It will also give insight to those who haven’t experienced it, and help them understand what someone who is being bullied is going through.
For parents who might be concerned that this isn’t appropriate for teens, I disagree. This is something teens deal with all the time, and a book like this might help them. Instead of eliminating that source, I recommend reading it with them, and then discuss it. Perhaps let them lead the discussion to see what they have gotten from it. I wish I’d had access to a book like this when I was younger.
Bullies don’t always have a reason for picking on someone. Piddy had never seen or spoken to Yaqui before another girl announces that Yaqui wants to kick her ass. We do find out that it has to do with Yaqui’s boyfriend in a roundabout way, but, really, Yaqui has simply decided that she doesn’t like Piddy, and therefore will make Piddy’s life miserable. This is done in a realistic way that doesn’t come close to over-the-top. Piddy’s fear and stress are palpable, so the bad choices she makes feel natural and sympathetic. The ending is also realistic, because it is nowhere near perfectly happy. It’s just the best situation that Piddy could find, given the circumstances.
I’ve read other stories that contain bullying, and most of them invoke eye-rolling or disbelief, but that’s not the case with this story. It’s very powerful, and will resonate with those who have experienced it first-hand. It will also give insight to those who haven’t experienced it, and help them understand what someone who is being bullied is going through.
For parents who might be concerned that this isn’t appropriate for teens, I disagree. This is something teens deal with all the time, and a book like this might help them. Instead of eliminating that source, I recommend reading it with them, and then discuss it. Perhaps let them lead the discussion to see what they have gotten from it. I wish I’d had access to a book like this when I was younger.
October 22, 2019
This was one of the audiobooks I received for free through the free audiobook summer program. I decided to give it a try. I liked how it talked about Bullying, mother daughter relationships, absent fathers, and even change in our lives and how we deal with it. I enjoyed the cast of characters. Some of the cons was we dont know how the rumor about the main character got started. I felt like I might have enjoyed this more if the main character made didnt slightly annoy me. Overall I think it was an okay read.
November 15, 2013
I first learned about this book on YouTube a few months ago. The title alone intrigued me so I knew I had to read it. This is one of those books every parent and teacher should read, as it's about bullying. The book is timely in that we hear stories about bullying daily, even among adults, so I think this book, the story, and the character of Piedad (Piddy)Sanchez, the narrator and protagonist, is relatable and real. While the bullying is a big part of the story, there are other elements and themes here that everyone, especially teens, can identify with, such as friendship, mother-daughter relationships, first love, loyalty, kindness and finding your way in the world. This book was based on the author's own experience in school which makes the story even more poignant. I'm glad I followed my instinct and read this , and I plan on reading more of Meg Medina's books.
July 20, 2013
I'll admit I was sold to Meg Medina's "Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass" for the strength of the title alone. On one hand it makes you want to laugh for the audacity of the words and the implied voice, and on another it makes you consider the meaning and think "Uh oh." This is the story of Piddy, a tenth grade (15-16 year old) Latina girl who has to deal with a myriad of different issues. The story focuses on establishing her life - her family, friends, school - and there's a refreshing quality both to the tone of Piddy's voice and her established relationships. It isn't until a little while into the story that we realize just how much she's tormented by Yaqui Delgado.
I'll admit that there's a bit of a distance between the bullying incidents and the fear that Piddy has over what Yaqui does. Yaqui humiliates and hurts Piddy in quite direct ways, but its interspersed with difficulties that Piddy faces with regards to her performance at school, her personal relationships and coming to terms with whether she can run away from her problems or face up to them. I think the strengths of this novel do come across in her coming to terms, the realism of her voice and circumstances. The drawback is that I think while the story starts out strong, and ends strong as well - the middle can meander a little and loses some steam in spurts because it attempts to develop some of the side stories in addition to the thematic of the title. When it was all considered though, I liked it for what it offered, and it's encouraged me to look into more of Meg Medina's work.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Candlewick Press.
I'll admit that there's a bit of a distance between the bullying incidents and the fear that Piddy has over what Yaqui does. Yaqui humiliates and hurts Piddy in quite direct ways, but its interspersed with difficulties that Piddy faces with regards to her performance at school, her personal relationships and coming to terms with whether she can run away from her problems or face up to them. I think the strengths of this novel do come across in her coming to terms, the realism of her voice and circumstances. The drawback is that I think while the story starts out strong, and ends strong as well - the middle can meander a little and loses some steam in spurts because it attempts to develop some of the side stories in addition to the thematic of the title. When it was all considered though, I liked it for what it offered, and it's encouraged me to look into more of Meg Medina's work.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Candlewick Press.
July 17, 2019
I didn't really want to read this; the cover's boldness somehow made me think it was trying too hard to be edgy, so I imagined a sacrine story about a girl who finds out that another girl only threatens her because of her issues at home, and in the end, they become good friends. I don't know how I got all of that from the cover, but I was pretty sure. Then, the audiobook was given out for free as part of a summer reading program, and it was all I had on my phone when I needed an audiobook. I'm so thankful!
This book is real. At first, it wasn't easy for me to identify with the protagonist, whom I'm going to call Pidi (audiobook--not sure what the spelling is of her nickname for Piedad). She's LatinX and her culture is strong. I loved hearing the accents of the secondary characters and having this community come alive through dialogue and descriptions of dancing to salsa music. But it didn't take long for me to see myself in Pidi.
I had almost the EXACT same experience with a little Hispanic tormentor and her crew when I moved to a new school in 8th grade. My reactions to the shame of having my hair pulled and everyone hissing "Puta!" as I walked by them in the halls was the SAME! I started out wanting to look more and more like them, to look "tough" myself so that I wouldn't be such an easy white target; I plastered my bangs up to a 10" wall on top of my head and learned from them to use a match to soften my eyeliner before applying for maximum blackness so that I looked like a "chola." I tried to assimilate by befriending the not-so-awful Cholas who had left the tormenting group, etc. At times while listening to Pidi's inner turmoil, I was yelling, JUST TELL THE PRINCIPAL! I was disgusted that she wouldn't share the truth with any adults who could help, because now I am in THAT role (the teacher, the trustworthy adult). However, I finally remembered that I didn't tell, either. It NEVER occurred to me that "being a narc" would have been an appropriate way to handle the problem. The more logical solution, to my 14-year-old mind (and Pidi's 16-year-old one) was to run away, be truant, try to get a transfer, try to be homeschooled, play sick for the rest of the year, avoid the halls, stay in the nurse's office all day, etc. Medina nailed this experience. Perfectly.
This novel portrays the awfulness of mean girls, bullies, and what it's like to be a victim of one (both domestic abuse and school bullying). It's real and raw. It also realistically shows the struggles between a single mom and her daughter, at no fault of the mother's. Pidi wonders why she's being awful in the way she treats others, as if it's out of her control. She worries that she's lost and releases herself to getting into more and more trouble because, why not? Pidi, you and I could be the same person. The positive is that Pidi's mother has a strong connection with a female best friend who serves as a non-parental role model, and Pidi has a role in a community of women because she works at the local hangout--the beauty salon. This network of quasi-family connections becomes extremely important to Pidi as she deals with this life crisis, and without them she could have been lost. Adult readers, and hopefully YAs as well, will recognize how important these relationships are to the well-being and development of teens.
I really loved this. Medina provides a strong, positive message to those who are victimized that is not in any way cheesy or unrealistic. I highly recommend to teens, especially girls.
This book is real. At first, it wasn't easy for me to identify with the protagonist, whom I'm going to call Pidi (audiobook--not sure what the spelling is of her nickname for Piedad). She's LatinX and her culture is strong. I loved hearing the accents of the secondary characters and having this community come alive through dialogue and descriptions of dancing to salsa music. But it didn't take long for me to see myself in Pidi.
I had almost the EXACT same experience with a little Hispanic tormentor and her crew when I moved to a new school in 8th grade. My reactions to the shame of having my hair pulled and everyone hissing "Puta!" as I walked by them in the halls was the SAME! I started out wanting to look more and more like them, to look "tough" myself so that I wouldn't be such an easy white target; I plastered my bangs up to a 10" wall on top of my head and learned from them to use a match to soften my eyeliner before applying for maximum blackness so that I looked like a "chola." I tried to assimilate by befriending the not-so-awful Cholas who had left the tormenting group, etc. At times while listening to Pidi's inner turmoil, I was yelling, JUST TELL THE PRINCIPAL! I was disgusted that she wouldn't share the truth with any adults who could help, because now I am in THAT role (the teacher, the trustworthy adult). However, I finally remembered that I didn't tell, either. It NEVER occurred to me that "being a narc" would have been an appropriate way to handle the problem. The more logical solution, to my 14-year-old mind (and Pidi's 16-year-old one) was to run away, be truant, try to get a transfer, try to be homeschooled, play sick for the rest of the year, avoid the halls, stay in the nurse's office all day, etc. Medina nailed this experience. Perfectly.
This novel portrays the awfulness of mean girls, bullies, and what it's like to be a victim of one (both domestic abuse and school bullying). It's real and raw. It also realistically shows the struggles between a single mom and her daughter, at no fault of the mother's. Pidi wonders why she's being awful in the way she treats others, as if it's out of her control. She worries that she's lost and releases herself to getting into more and more trouble because, why not? Pidi, you and I could be the same person. The positive is that Pidi's mother has a strong connection with a female best friend who serves as a non-parental role model, and Pidi has a role in a community of women because she works at the local hangout--the beauty salon. This network of quasi-family connections becomes extremely important to Pidi as she deals with this life crisis, and without them she could have been lost. Adult readers, and hopefully YAs as well, will recognize how important these relationships are to the well-being and development of teens.
I really loved this. Medina provides a strong, positive message to those who are victimized that is not in any way cheesy or unrealistic. I highly recommend to teens, especially girls.
August 13, 2016
Oooh, I really liked this one!
I've been thinking a lot about my frustration with my teen students--why don't they care about x? Why does it take them so long to do y? All of this is classroom stuff, of course, and those questions make me realize that I am very firmly AN ADULT and that I quite often lose touch with adolescent perspectives. In that sense, this was the perfect book for me to read.
I read YA because it helps me... to remember the turmoil of adolescence; to feel again that sense of being totally stuck and alone even when adults are saying they can/want to help you; to realize that what to adults seem like small problems with simple solutions are might actually be life-changing situations that are rife with decisions that are slowly/quickly helping you take steps toward who you are; to see with fresh eyes how tricky some life situations can be and that most teens are in the process of either letting them define who they are/what they can do or are using them to rise up and do what they determine what they think is important.
This isn't great literature, but it does all of the above. It also means that I still will be one of those adults who constantly remind kids to focus on their education and that help is right here; it just also means that while I'm doing all of that (which is often exhausting and frustrating), I will do my best to remember that bildungsroman is all-consuming and is usually ugly.
I also really love that the POV is a 1st generation Cuban immigrant living in Queens, surrounded by strong women, involved with a boy who is only a small part of the story and is not part of the solution. I also love how there are multiple solutions to Piddy's problem, and that she thinks about the pros/cons of them in order to make her own decision.
I've been thinking a lot about my frustration with my teen students--why don't they care about x? Why does it take them so long to do y? All of this is classroom stuff, of course, and those questions make me realize that I am very firmly AN ADULT and that I quite often lose touch with adolescent perspectives. In that sense, this was the perfect book for me to read.
I read YA because it helps me... to remember the turmoil of adolescence; to feel again that sense of being totally stuck and alone even when adults are saying they can/want to help you; to realize that what to adults seem like small problems with simple solutions are might actually be life-changing situations that are rife with decisions that are slowly/quickly helping you take steps toward who you are; to see with fresh eyes how tricky some life situations can be and that most teens are in the process of either letting them define who they are/what they can do or are using them to rise up and do what they determine what they think is important.
This isn't great literature, but it does all of the above. It also means that I still will be one of those adults who constantly remind kids to focus on their education and that help is right here; it just also means that while I'm doing all of that (which is often exhausting and frustrating), I will do my best to remember that bildungsroman is all-consuming and is usually ugly.
I also really love that the POV is a 1st generation Cuban immigrant living in Queens, surrounded by strong women, involved with a boy who is only a small part of the story and is not part of the solution. I also love how there are multiple solutions to Piddy's problem, and that she thinks about the pros/cons of them in order to make her own decision.
March 23, 2019
Ever want to kick your own ass while someone's threatening your ass? Meet Piddy (short for Piedad). She's experiencing this aspect.
Starting a school is never easy. You have new locker codes to memorize, new schedules to remember, and someone by the name of Yaqui Delgado gunning for you without any clue as to why. Piddy's balancing her bully along with grades reflecting her wariness, truancy, missing a friend who's moved, and possibly a love interest who isn't a love interest.
With support from her aunt, Lila, and other characters like Rob, social pariah to some , she navigates temporary problems with permanent solutions.
Pros :
1. Good and varied cast of characters. Ma, Joey, Lila, Mitzi, Darlene, Rob, and, even Yaqui, deal with real issues and reactions to said issues. No one's clean, but no one's saying and doing the opposite of what we'd actually see in life.
2. Bullying's an issue at the forefront and how said bullying affects its survivors. Poor grades. Truancy. Fear of retribution. All are real and thankfully, they are discussed.
3. Latinx representation!
4. Piddy's a good character to highlight this story. She's not a teen that talks and acts like an adult. She doesn't always have the answers, but she tries against a society, she feels, works against her. She demonstrates strength that's viable and understandable.
5. #ownvoices. Everything sounds authentic by an author that writes with proper representation in mind.
Cons :
None really. Drag a bit, but the story's heart kept me interested to the end.
4/5 Jade Elephants
Starting a school is never easy. You have new locker codes to memorize, new schedules to remember, and someone by the name of Yaqui Delgado gunning for you without any clue as to why. Piddy's balancing her bully along with grades reflecting her wariness, truancy, missing a friend who's moved, and possibly a love interest who isn't a love interest.
With support from her aunt, Lila, and other characters like Rob, social pariah to some , she navigates temporary problems with permanent solutions.
Pros :
1. Good and varied cast of characters. Ma, Joey, Lila, Mitzi, Darlene, Rob, and, even Yaqui, deal with real issues and reactions to said issues. No one's clean, but no one's saying and doing the opposite of what we'd actually see in life.
2. Bullying's an issue at the forefront and how said bullying affects its survivors. Poor grades. Truancy. Fear of retribution. All are real and thankfully, they are discussed.
3. Latinx representation!
4. Piddy's a good character to highlight this story. She's not a teen that talks and acts like an adult. She doesn't always have the answers, but she tries against a society, she feels, works against her. She demonstrates strength that's viable and understandable.
5. #ownvoices. Everything sounds authentic by an author that writes with proper representation in mind.
Cons :
None really. Drag a bit, but the story's heart kept me interested to the end.
4/5 Jade Elephants
April 2, 2022
Grrrrrrrrr. So frustrating! The review disappeared.
April 12, 2013
2.5.
When Piddy moves to a new school, she learns a girl named Yaqui Delgado wants to kick her ass. Why? It's never clear. There's rumors maybe Piddy's walking with too much sass at school or that she wants to get with Yaqui's boyfriend. But the rumors don't matter much when Yaqui acts on her threat, someone records the fight, and everyone's seen Piddy get her ass kicked (half naked, which was even more humiliating).
This is more than a bullying story, though. It's also about family, as Piddy discovers the truth of who her father was. She's also grieving the loss of her best friend -- when she moved, her friend and her drifted apart, even though they didn't live too far from one another. It was hard anyway.
The book is fine, and it offers a truthful look at bullying that's unprovoked. It's more about the territory than anything else. But I didn't find myself invested in Piddy's story, nor did I find myself feeling much of anything while reading it. The beating is pretty rough, but beyond that, my emotions never moved up or down. This book would be fine for younger teen readers (even with the provocative title -- which is good on Candlewick for taking a risk with). The writing itself is average at best.
Pair this one with Rita Garcia-Williams's Jumped, especially as both feature people of color and bullying.
When Piddy moves to a new school, she learns a girl named Yaqui Delgado wants to kick her ass. Why? It's never clear. There's rumors maybe Piddy's walking with too much sass at school or that she wants to get with Yaqui's boyfriend. But the rumors don't matter much when Yaqui acts on her threat, someone records the fight, and everyone's seen Piddy get her ass kicked (half naked, which was even more humiliating).
This is more than a bullying story, though. It's also about family, as Piddy discovers the truth of who her father was. She's also grieving the loss of her best friend -- when she moved, her friend and her drifted apart, even though they didn't live too far from one another. It was hard anyway.
The book is fine, and it offers a truthful look at bullying that's unprovoked. It's more about the territory than anything else. But I didn't find myself invested in Piddy's story, nor did I find myself feeling much of anything while reading it. The beating is pretty rough, but beyond that, my emotions never moved up or down. This book would be fine for younger teen readers (even with the provocative title -- which is good on Candlewick for taking a risk with). The writing itself is average at best.
Pair this one with Rita Garcia-Williams's Jumped, especially as both feature people of color and bullying.
August 7, 2016
3.5 stars
This book was just amazing. I loved the messages in this book and I loved Piddy. I liked how even after the shit she went through, she was able to make the right choice. To get her education back on track, fixing her relationship with her mother and most important of all, finding her strength and standing up for herself.
What I really wanted to find out more about was Yaqui. I wanted to know who spread the rumors about Piddy and Yaqui's boyfriend and I wanted to know more about Yaqui's character.
Also, I was hoping that the romantic interests involved Piddy and Rob. ;-;
This book was just amazing. I loved the messages in this book and I loved Piddy. I liked how even after the shit she went through, she was able to make the right choice. To get her education back on track, fixing her relationship with her mother and most important of all, finding her strength and standing up for herself.
What I really wanted to find out more about was Yaqui. I wanted to know who spread the rumors about Piddy and Yaqui's boyfriend and I wanted to know more about Yaqui's character.
Also, I was hoping that the romantic interests involved Piddy and Rob. ;-;
March 6, 2018
First of all, I love that title. That had a lot to do with choosing to read this book. That being said, I did not have high expectations for it. How wrong I was.
Piddy's story broke my heart. On her first day at her new school, an unknown girl approaches Piddy and warns her that Yaqui wants to beat her up. From this moment, starts a daily terror for Piddy. She does not know who Yaqui is or why she would want to beat her up. All she is told is that Yaqui does not like the way Piddy "shakes it" when she walks. There's also an implication that Yaqui thinks Piddy is trying to steal Yaqui's boyfriend. None of this is substantiated, yet Yaqui turns this into very real thing for Piddy who starts to become unsure of herself. What is she doing wrong? How can she change her walk? How can someone who doesn't even know her hate her so much? How can she plan ways to avoid Yaqui and her crew? The reader never gets much insight into Yaqui or crew but they are so very real, the fear is real, and probably even more so because the terror just builds and builds. When is the monster going to pop out of the bushes and beat Piddy up?
I really felt so bad for Piddy. There's bullies who inflict physical damage and there's bullies who inflict internal damage. Yaqui does beat up Piddy, but for me the real terror was that constant fear of not knowing what the day would bring. Would she run into Yaqui? Would today be the day Yaqui beats her up? It all is more compounded by the fact that Piddy can't reach out to anyone. She doesn't want to tell her mom, or her mom's best friend Lila. Her best friend from her old school seems to have no time for Piddy anymore. The one friend she has in school only serves to make Piddy feel worse with each new delivery of a message from Yaqui. Poor Piddy is all alone with this overwhelming problem. The problem becomes so huge that Piddy starts to suffer in school. She becomes angry at her mom, saying hurtful things to her.
The book won the Pura Belpre award and deservedly so. We have got to teach our children not to be bullies or haters (which is just one step down from being a bully in my opinion). And we have got to teach our kids to not glorify someone getting attacked. When Piddy does get beat up, it gets filmed on someone's phone and posted on the internet for all to see. Writing this review I can still feel the anger in me. No one should have to go to school and feel ostracized or hated.
My bows to the author for handling this topic in such a realistic way and for capturing what it feels like to be bullied without going over the top.
Piddy's story broke my heart. On her first day at her new school, an unknown girl approaches Piddy and warns her that Yaqui wants to beat her up. From this moment, starts a daily terror for Piddy. She does not know who Yaqui is or why she would want to beat her up. All she is told is that Yaqui does not like the way Piddy "shakes it" when she walks. There's also an implication that Yaqui thinks Piddy is trying to steal Yaqui's boyfriend. None of this is substantiated, yet Yaqui turns this into very real thing for Piddy who starts to become unsure of herself. What is she doing wrong? How can she change her walk? How can someone who doesn't even know her hate her so much? How can she plan ways to avoid Yaqui and her crew? The reader never gets much insight into Yaqui or crew but they are so very real, the fear is real, and probably even more so because the terror just builds and builds. When is the monster going to pop out of the bushes and beat Piddy up?
I really felt so bad for Piddy. There's bullies who inflict physical damage and there's bullies who inflict internal damage. Yaqui does beat up Piddy, but for me the real terror was that constant fear of not knowing what the day would bring. Would she run into Yaqui? Would today be the day Yaqui beats her up? It all is more compounded by the fact that Piddy can't reach out to anyone. She doesn't want to tell her mom, or her mom's best friend Lila. Her best friend from her old school seems to have no time for Piddy anymore. The one friend she has in school only serves to make Piddy feel worse with each new delivery of a message from Yaqui. Poor Piddy is all alone with this overwhelming problem. The problem becomes so huge that Piddy starts to suffer in school. She becomes angry at her mom, saying hurtful things to her.
The book won the Pura Belpre award and deservedly so. We have got to teach our children not to be bullies or haters (which is just one step down from being a bully in my opinion). And we have got to teach our kids to not glorify someone getting attacked. When Piddy does get beat up, it gets filmed on someone's phone and posted on the internet for all to see. Writing this review I can still feel the anger in me. No one should have to go to school and feel ostracized or hated.
My bows to the author for handling this topic in such a realistic way and for capturing what it feels like to be bullied without going over the top.
July 23, 2019
4.5 stars. Not gonna lie. I bought it for the title, but I’m really glad I did. This is hands down the best YA book on bullying I have ever read. I’ll start vague and then get very spoilery after a warning.
While bullies are ubiquitous in teen literature, I’m often distracted by how unlike my memories of being bullied at that age they are in most of the books I’ve read. They seem more like convenient plot devices that pop up just in time to inject dramatic tension into the story than pervasive sources of anxiety and shame that erode your confidence over time, cause you to change your habits, permanently damage your faith in adults and institutions that fail to protect you, and instill a sense of watchful paranoia in you that never really goes away. I don’t recall ever being surprised by a bully in the cafeteria or a school stairwell because the threat or violence and torment were always on my mind in those places.
I think Meg Medina must have had the same experiences I did, because she writes like someone who viscerally and empathetically understands what bullying does to a kid and how realistically hard it is to resolve the problem.
The story starts slow as we establish who Piddy Sanchez is before she ends up inexplicably on Yaqui Delgado’s radar. Piddy is an A student from a single parent household who has to change schools when her mom finds a more livable apartment. Piddy and her mom struggle with poverty in a way that is realistic without being maudlin. Mom has to carefully ration sick days while Piddy works after school sweeping up hair at Salon Corazon - a perfect place for a teenage girl to overhear frank conversations about Latina adult problems and relationships while she adapts to her own changing body and circumstances. Still she is aware that other kids her age have it worse than her. Like Joey Halper whose brutal home life is hinted at early on. When Piddy first finds out from her seemingly goody goody (but not actually good) friend Darlene that a girl named Yaqui Delgado whom she’s never even heard of wants to kick her ass, she relegates this potential threat to the back burner in favor of other problems because she hasn’t yet learned that just because you haven’t done anything to hurt another person doesn’t mean they can’t become your worst nightmare. But as the threats from Yaqui and her friends escalate, the problem moves from back burner to all consuming terror.
And beyond this point are explicit spoilers.
Midway through the story, Yaqui Delgado does indeed kick Piddy’s ass outside of school. The assault is realistically violent and graphic as any kid who has ever been beaten up can attest complete with the modern age humiliation of having it filmed and uploaded online. As a result, Piddy has injuries and nightmares. Her inattention and tardiness progress to skipping school and being given the label of a bad kid. We know she’s not a bad kid. She’s a victim of violence protecting herself. She refuses to confide in anyone and is silent despite the obvious bruises and bite marks. So in the absence of an explanation, friends and family make assumptions about the person she is becoming (a “chusma” as her mother unhelpfully calls her) and she internalizes these theories and ends up in a shame spiral that feels painfully true to life.
Rather than coming from a place of stubborn pride, we can see all too clearly why Piddy won’t trust anyone. Her life is full of bystanders who are either dangerously clueless or cowardly. Like the neighbor who refused to open her door or call for help when Piddy was being beaten - a brutal lesson to Piddy on how cruelty flourishes when people with the power to stop it look the other way. And I wanted to smack Piddy’s idiot English teacher for posting her creative writing story about The Yaqui Monster on a public board WITHOUT HER PERMISSION(!!!) or even a thought as to the consequences a student would face if it were read by her classmates. As a teacher, I would like to believe that people in my profession would be more cognizant of basic teen social dynamics. But I know from both sides of the classroom that they/we often do fall short.
I worried early on that this nuanced portrayal of a harassed girl would end with a tropey conclusion of Piddy either training and beating Yaqui in a fight or worse yet, having a nice chat where a suddenly self-aware Yaqui would be retconned into just another misunderstood teen and they’d put their differences behind them. Thank God, this book had way more respect for its readers. The book tells us honestly that some people are really awful and will continue to do harm even after you’ve proven who they are and what they did. When Yaqui does finally make the decision to out her bully and potentially press charges, the book doesn’t leave us with a syrupy “See? If only poor misguided Piddy had trusted adults from the beginning, she would have avoided so much pain and suffering!” message. We learn just how limited the school will be in keeping Piddy safe from retribution and that Piddy was right to be concerned for her own safety. It makes her decision that much more courageous.
I would recommend this book to all teens who are anxious about being bullied and the adults in their lives who need to know what they’re going though. If you’re a parent who is worried about bad language and fighting, don’t be. Your kids have heard and experienced worse and you’ll help them more by not trying to convince them that everything will always turn out fine and instead acknowledging that sometimes awful things do happen and that you can survive them.
While bullies are ubiquitous in teen literature, I’m often distracted by how unlike my memories of being bullied at that age they are in most of the books I’ve read. They seem more like convenient plot devices that pop up just in time to inject dramatic tension into the story than pervasive sources of anxiety and shame that erode your confidence over time, cause you to change your habits, permanently damage your faith in adults and institutions that fail to protect you, and instill a sense of watchful paranoia in you that never really goes away. I don’t recall ever being surprised by a bully in the cafeteria or a school stairwell because the threat or violence and torment were always on my mind in those places.
I think Meg Medina must have had the same experiences I did, because she writes like someone who viscerally and empathetically understands what bullying does to a kid and how realistically hard it is to resolve the problem.
The story starts slow as we establish who Piddy Sanchez is before she ends up inexplicably on Yaqui Delgado’s radar. Piddy is an A student from a single parent household who has to change schools when her mom finds a more livable apartment. Piddy and her mom struggle with poverty in a way that is realistic without being maudlin. Mom has to carefully ration sick days while Piddy works after school sweeping up hair at Salon Corazon - a perfect place for a teenage girl to overhear frank conversations about Latina adult problems and relationships while she adapts to her own changing body and circumstances. Still she is aware that other kids her age have it worse than her. Like Joey Halper whose brutal home life is hinted at early on. When Piddy first finds out from her seemingly goody goody (but not actually good) friend Darlene that a girl named Yaqui Delgado whom she’s never even heard of wants to kick her ass, she relegates this potential threat to the back burner in favor of other problems because she hasn’t yet learned that just because you haven’t done anything to hurt another person doesn’t mean they can’t become your worst nightmare. But as the threats from Yaqui and her friends escalate, the problem moves from back burner to all consuming terror.
And beyond this point are explicit spoilers.
Midway through the story, Yaqui Delgado does indeed kick Piddy’s ass outside of school. The assault is realistically violent and graphic as any kid who has ever been beaten up can attest complete with the modern age humiliation of having it filmed and uploaded online. As a result, Piddy has injuries and nightmares. Her inattention and tardiness progress to skipping school and being given the label of a bad kid. We know she’s not a bad kid. She’s a victim of violence protecting herself. She refuses to confide in anyone and is silent despite the obvious bruises and bite marks. So in the absence of an explanation, friends and family make assumptions about the person she is becoming (a “chusma” as her mother unhelpfully calls her) and she internalizes these theories and ends up in a shame spiral that feels painfully true to life.
Rather than coming from a place of stubborn pride, we can see all too clearly why Piddy won’t trust anyone. Her life is full of bystanders who are either dangerously clueless or cowardly. Like the neighbor who refused to open her door or call for help when Piddy was being beaten - a brutal lesson to Piddy on how cruelty flourishes when people with the power to stop it look the other way. And I wanted to smack Piddy’s idiot English teacher for posting her creative writing story about The Yaqui Monster on a public board WITHOUT HER PERMISSION(!!!) or even a thought as to the consequences a student would face if it were read by her classmates. As a teacher, I would like to believe that people in my profession would be more cognizant of basic teen social dynamics. But I know from both sides of the classroom that they/we often do fall short.
I worried early on that this nuanced portrayal of a harassed girl would end with a tropey conclusion of Piddy either training and beating Yaqui in a fight or worse yet, having a nice chat where a suddenly self-aware Yaqui would be retconned into just another misunderstood teen and they’d put their differences behind them. Thank God, this book had way more respect for its readers. The book tells us honestly that some people are really awful and will continue to do harm even after you’ve proven who they are and what they did. When Yaqui does finally make the decision to out her bully and potentially press charges, the book doesn’t leave us with a syrupy “See? If only poor misguided Piddy had trusted adults from the beginning, she would have avoided so much pain and suffering!” message. We learn just how limited the school will be in keeping Piddy safe from retribution and that Piddy was right to be concerned for her own safety. It makes her decision that much more courageous.
I would recommend this book to all teens who are anxious about being bullied and the adults in their lives who need to know what they’re going though. If you’re a parent who is worried about bad language and fighting, don’t be. Your kids have heard and experienced worse and you’ll help them more by not trying to convince them that everything will always turn out fine and instead acknowledging that sometimes awful things do happen and that you can survive them.
February 23, 2024
All adults in this story completely failed the main character.
June 19, 2015
4.5 stars
I haven't worked in a public school in many years, but this struck me as a realistic portrayal of bullying. It doesn't end with the kind of resolution I cheer for in the movies, where the bullied triumphs over the bully in a dazzling display of genius, talent or newly developed ninja skills. But I was happy with how it was resolved. I hope having a protagonist make the choice Piddy made will set an example for readers who are also victims of bullying.
Not my usual choice of book topics, but I read it for the library's teen book club, and I think it's going to generate good discussion.
I haven't worked in a public school in many years, but this struck me as a realistic portrayal of bullying. It doesn't end with the kind of resolution I cheer for in the movies, where the bullied triumphs over the bully in a dazzling display of genius, talent or newly developed ninja skills. But I was happy with how it was resolved. I hope having a protagonist make the choice Piddy made will set an example for readers who are also victims of bullying.
Not my usual choice of book topics, but I read it for the library's teen book club, and I think it's going to generate good discussion.
August 11, 2016
Also reviewed on my Youtube channel.
At its heart, this is a book about bullying. As a result, it's not always the easiest read. Piddy Sanchez and her mother have just moved to a new apartment. This means that she has to switch to a new school in September of her sophomore year. Not long after she starts at this new school, she's informed that Yaqui Delgado - a girl she's never met or heard of before - wants to kick her ass. She has literally no idea why, and brushes it off as nothing. But the taunts and torments from this mysterious bully become worse and worse as time passes, and Piddy reaches the point where she's afraid to go to school, afraid to catch the bus home, afraid to leave her apartment.
There are a whole bunch of nice little side plots going on - Piddy finds herself with a sort-of boyfriend for the first time, Piddy discovers the truth about her absent father, Piddy struggling to maintain her friendship with her best friend who's also moved and is pushing herself to make friends and join in. In essence, Piddy is growing up and isn't particularly thrilled about it. Add bullying on top of that, and she's basically over it.
In terms of diversity, this book is pretty great. Piddy's mother is Cuban and her absent father is Dominican. Her best friend is also Latina, her mother's best friend (who's essentially Piddy's aunt) is Latina, basically everyone that Piddy encounters outside of school is Latin American. As are a bunch of the characters she encounters at school. The female characters are all incredibly strong in their own ways, and it's a surprisingly female-dominated book. Really, the love interest guy is basically the only male character of any real significance, and Piddy's under no happily-ever-after illusions where he's concerned.
It's not always an easy read given the bullying that Piddy goes through in the course of the 260 pages of this book. But it was well written, full of strong characters, and I sped through it in a couple of hours.
At its heart, this is a book about bullying. As a result, it's not always the easiest read. Piddy Sanchez and her mother have just moved to a new apartment. This means that she has to switch to a new school in September of her sophomore year. Not long after she starts at this new school, she's informed that Yaqui Delgado - a girl she's never met or heard of before - wants to kick her ass. She has literally no idea why, and brushes it off as nothing. But the taunts and torments from this mysterious bully become worse and worse as time passes, and Piddy reaches the point where she's afraid to go to school, afraid to catch the bus home, afraid to leave her apartment.
There are a whole bunch of nice little side plots going on - Piddy finds herself with a sort-of boyfriend for the first time, Piddy discovers the truth about her absent father, Piddy struggling to maintain her friendship with her best friend who's also moved and is pushing herself to make friends and join in. In essence, Piddy is growing up and isn't particularly thrilled about it. Add bullying on top of that, and she's basically over it.
In terms of diversity, this book is pretty great. Piddy's mother is Cuban and her absent father is Dominican. Her best friend is also Latina, her mother's best friend (who's essentially Piddy's aunt) is Latina, basically everyone that Piddy encounters outside of school is Latin American. As are a bunch of the characters she encounters at school. The female characters are all incredibly strong in their own ways, and it's a surprisingly female-dominated book. Really, the love interest guy is basically the only male character of any real significance, and Piddy's under no happily-ever-after illusions where he's concerned.
It's not always an easy read given the bullying that Piddy goes through in the course of the 260 pages of this book. But it was well written, full of strong characters, and I sped through it in a couple of hours.
July 27, 2013
With a title like ‘Yaqui Delgado Wants To Kick Your Ass’, Meg Medina totally has my attention. Seriously, I love the swears and so when a title has a cuss word in it, I pay attention to it. Good thing that I did, because I feel that Medina’s latest is a book to pay attention to. It treads familiar territory with bullying being the main thrust and theme. Medina’s story has a message, but not one that feels like we are just beating a dead horse. It’s about staying true to yourself and not letting others break you, one that I personally could have used as a kid, and one I think plenty of teenagers should be hearing.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
November 24, 2020
A pretty good story with a pretty good message.
This is a story of a highschool aged Latina girl being bullied by a girl 'more' Latina than her. I really enjoyed reading about her life as the daughter of Caribbean immigrants, her community and life at her school. The bullying was very well portrayed, real and pretty intense.
What made this book a good book and not a great book for me was the final message. I kept wondering how she was going to resolve the issue because part of me wanted Piddy to kick Yaqui's ass doubletime, but of course I was pretty sure that wasn't where we were going. Instead she gives us the proper way to deal with bullying: talk to adults. I agree with her. The problem is it was portrayed in an idealized and oversimplified way. Yeah, good advice, but the girl's fears were real and in the story they were solved all neat and tidy. I'm not sure I'd believe that if I were being bullied and read this. I'd probably roll my eyes and go, yeah not in my life...
However, she gets extra points for having Spanish dialog and no grammatical errors! How many English language books have I read with ridiculously bad Spanish in them!? Too many. Thanks for that.
This is a story of a highschool aged Latina girl being bullied by a girl 'more' Latina than her. I really enjoyed reading about her life as the daughter of Caribbean immigrants, her community and life at her school. The bullying was very well portrayed, real and pretty intense.
What made this book a good book and not a great book for me was the final message. I kept wondering how she was going to resolve the issue because part of me wanted Piddy to kick Yaqui's ass doubletime, but of course I was pretty sure that wasn't where we were going. Instead she gives us the proper way to deal with bullying: talk to adults. I agree with her. The problem is it was portrayed in an idealized and oversimplified way. Yeah, good advice, but the girl's fears were real and in the story they were solved all neat and tidy. I'm not sure I'd believe that if I were being bullied and read this. I'd probably roll my eyes and go, yeah not in my life...
However, she gets extra points for having Spanish dialog and no grammatical errors! How many English language books have I read with ridiculously bad Spanish in them!? Too many. Thanks for that.
September 9, 2024
reading this for a class and surprisingly got me out of a reading slump!
being a queens native and all these descriptions felt like i was home and i genuinely love piddy and especially lila. although the school dealing with the bullying and aftermath could’ve been done better- it was going as realistic as can be. also i really love piddy and joey- if another book comes (doubt it) out about these characters i would definitely read it - i am a sucker for romance.
being a queens native and all these descriptions felt like i was home and i genuinely love piddy and especially lila. although the school dealing with the bullying and aftermath could’ve been done better- it was going as realistic as can be. also i really love piddy and joey- if another book comes (doubt it) out about these characters i would definitely read it - i am a sucker for romance.
March 26, 2013
"Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass," is what Piddy Sanchez is told, in the very first line of this moving novel about bullying. This is news for Piddy, she doesn't even know who Yaqui is. Turns out, Yaqui thinks that Piddy's stuck up, because of her good grades, lack of "Latina" attitude, and she shakes her butt when she walks. I love this premise because it shows exactly how inane the reasons are for a particular teen to be singled out of the crowd and bullied to, really, the end of their rope. Bullying is an inanity, I've seen too many books try to give good reasons to the bully for hating those they bully; that's just not how it works. More often than not it is a ridiculous non-reason that a student is picked out and picked on by her peers.
What I really loved about this book was that while the characters were Latina (and I know I missed things because of that - I really know very little about the Latina culture), they were people first and foremost. This was not the story of Piddy Sanchez, a Latina girl who was getting bullied for not being Latina enough. This was the story of Piddy Sanchez, a girl, who was getting bullied because of some ridiculous non-reason. Piddy's mother was not only "Piddy's Mother," but a woman with a rich and slightly disturbing past, first and foremost. Even the minor characters were richly written; there wasn't a single character that felt incomplete or flat. I could relate to almost all of the high school students.
Okay, now that I think of it, Yaqui's cronies were pretty flat, but they were barely characters, simply extensions of the twisted mind that was Yaqui.
Another wonderful thing about the way this book was written is that it expresses the difficulty and confusion that a bullying victim feels when trying to decide what to do. Sure, we're told over and over again that telling an adult is the correct thing to do, but as teenagers, all we can see is that if we tell an adult we'd be considered a narc or a tattletale and then the bully would probably hate us more. In fact, not only would that make the one bully hate us more, but it could possibly make the rest of the school hate us as well. Being a teenager is hard and this book expresses one facet of that, beautifully.
The chapter when all the threats come to a head, and there is a fight, is painful to read. I needed to put the book down after reading it. The humiliation and fear and desperate desire to forget it ever happened were so real. While, my bullies never made it to actually beating the shit out of me, it was something I lived in fear of for a good portion of my middle school career. Piddy's thought processes and actions throughout the entire book were so real. I can't help but wonder if Meg Medina went through something similar in high school, herself. We all have our horror stories from that part of our lives, in one way or another.
Honestly, I'd love to see this become a required reading book for high school or middle school English classes. There needs to be an update on some of the novels that we have our children reading about bullying, because some of them are so out-dated that they're down right unrelatable. This tale is horrific and completely relatable and modern.
I received this ebook for free from the publisher, via Netgalley.
I've been sitting on this review since February 23rd, I wanted to wait until pub. date for it to go live, and it's been truly making me antsy.
This review was originally published on RATS.
What I really loved about this book was that while the characters were Latina (and I know I missed things because of that - I really know very little about the Latina culture), they were people first and foremost. This was not the story of Piddy Sanchez, a Latina girl who was getting bullied for not being Latina enough. This was the story of Piddy Sanchez, a girl, who was getting bullied because of some ridiculous non-reason. Piddy's mother was not only "Piddy's Mother," but a woman with a rich and slightly disturbing past, first and foremost. Even the minor characters were richly written; there wasn't a single character that felt incomplete or flat. I could relate to almost all of the high school students.
Okay, now that I think of it, Yaqui's cronies were pretty flat, but they were barely characters, simply extensions of the twisted mind that was Yaqui.
Another wonderful thing about the way this book was written is that it expresses the difficulty and confusion that a bullying victim feels when trying to decide what to do. Sure, we're told over and over again that telling an adult is the correct thing to do, but as teenagers, all we can see is that if we tell an adult we'd be considered a narc or a tattletale and then the bully would probably hate us more. In fact, not only would that make the one bully hate us more, but it could possibly make the rest of the school hate us as well. Being a teenager is hard and this book expresses one facet of that, beautifully.
The chapter when all the threats come to a head, and there is a fight, is painful to read. I needed to put the book down after reading it. The humiliation and fear and desperate desire to forget it ever happened were so real. While, my bullies never made it to actually beating the shit out of me, it was something I lived in fear of for a good portion of my middle school career. Piddy's thought processes and actions throughout the entire book were so real. I can't help but wonder if Meg Medina went through something similar in high school, herself. We all have our horror stories from that part of our lives, in one way or another.
Honestly, I'd love to see this become a required reading book for high school or middle school English classes. There needs to be an update on some of the novels that we have our children reading about bullying, because some of them are so out-dated that they're down right unrelatable. This tale is horrific and completely relatable and modern.
I received this ebook for free from the publisher, via Netgalley.
I've been sitting on this review since February 23rd, I wanted to wait until pub. date for it to go live, and it's been truly making me antsy.
This review was originally published on RATS.
February 9, 2015
I really admire when a book uses devices that in less able hands would be cliches, but manages to transcend those to cliches into something more original and true. This is a book about bullying, father issues, and about characters not telling each other what they know - three things that I have seen many times in other books, but in the hands of Meg Medina, these themes and tropes are presented in a unique and authentic way.
Almost sixteen year old Piddy Sanchez is transferred to a new school at the start of her sophomore year, only to find that she has inexplicably become the target of the vicious Yaqui Delgado, a girl Piddy has never even seen or talked to. As the threats become worse, Piddy, who had always been academically engaged and had dreamed of being a scientist, starts to withdraw from everything: she has no spare mental thought available to do school work, because her thoughts are taken up with fear about Yaqui. She stops doing schoolwork, and even stops going to school, lying to her mom and auntie and evading her teachers and administrators when they ask what is wrong. Piddy sees the "This School is a No Bully Zone" posters around but has no faith that reporting Yaqui's behavior to adults will result in anything positive - she is certain that retribution from Yaqui and her friends will only make her life worse. This is, sadly, all too believable, and all too true in many many schools. Medina deftly and fairly portrays the strains put on low-income urban schools, and how these strains and the strains on the community can create a threatening environment in which students, somehow, are supposed to learn.
I found the resolution of the book to be satisfying, and far from neatly tied up or cliche.
This is the best book I have read on bullying at an urban school. Highly recommended.
Almost sixteen year old Piddy Sanchez is transferred to a new school at the start of her sophomore year, only to find that she has inexplicably become the target of the vicious Yaqui Delgado, a girl Piddy has never even seen or talked to. As the threats become worse, Piddy, who had always been academically engaged and had dreamed of being a scientist, starts to withdraw from everything: she has no spare mental thought available to do school work, because her thoughts are taken up with fear about Yaqui. She stops doing schoolwork, and even stops going to school, lying to her mom and auntie and evading her teachers and administrators when they ask what is wrong. Piddy sees the "This School is a No Bully Zone" posters around but has no faith that reporting Yaqui's behavior to adults will result in anything positive - she is certain that retribution from Yaqui and her friends will only make her life worse. This is, sadly, all too believable, and all too true in many many schools. Medina deftly and fairly portrays the strains put on low-income urban schools, and how these strains and the strains on the community can create a threatening environment in which students, somehow, are supposed to learn.
I found the resolution of the book to be satisfying, and far from neatly tied up or cliche.
This is the best book I have read on bullying at an urban school. Highly recommended.
March 3, 2014
I re-read this book as part of the 2014 Hub Challenge. I am so happy to see it continues to garner awards like The YALSA Quick Picks and The 2014 Pura Belpre Award Winner!!!Thanks to Rory and the Goodreads Group, YA Reads For Teachers (And Any Other Adults) for this MUST read book, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass by Meg Medina. From the first sentence, “Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass” (just like the title) to the last sentence, “And I’ve found my rhythm at last-strong and simple, constant and mine,” I was riveted and sickened by Piddy Sanchez’s plight of being in a new school and being threatened by a bully on the first day. Piddy doesn’t know Yaqui and therefore is clueless about why Yaqui is out to get her. Yaqui has a group of girls who terrorize Piddy at school and at her after school job. Worse to come is the brutal fight when Yaqui and her terrorists surprise Piddy on her way home from school, beat her to a pulp, and film the fight as they tear off her shirt. Piddy never tells her mother what has happened (she tells her mother she fell on the steps) but she does confide in her aunt and makes her swear not to tell anyone. As a result of this fight, Piddy loses herself. She begins to fail her classes, cut school, and her personality begins to change. What will happen to Piddy? This is a book for all high school students; one girl’s life was drastically changed as a result of the continued harassment she endured. I highly recommend it for all readers (plus reluctant readers and those who enjoy urban fiction), teachers, and parents. The author suffered through something similar in junior high and this book reaches out to teens and helps them find their dignity again.
February 23, 2014
WOW!!!! This book exceeded my expectations - it was honest and courageous. I kept expecting everything to turn out alright and no one to get hurt but that wasn't the case and yet ultimately it was a hopeful book. One of those that teachers and others who work with youth should read as a reminder of the safety net various adults play in the lives of kids. I stayed awake to finish this book and then couldn't fall asleep it effected me so strongly. Meg Medina - you rock!
September 20, 2014
I feel oddly ambivalent about this novel. It starts out slowly but eventually sucks you in. The beginning, when Piedad Sanchez is threatened, is quite believable; but the ending left too many things 'up in the air' to seem real. The secrets that the author implied were earth-shattering turned out to be relatively common. It was still enjoyable, and a terrific way to jump start student dialogue about bullying. Yet I walked away feeling it could have used a sequel.
Read
April 30, 2013An absolutely amazing book - to call it a "bully" book seems almost unfair because the character development is so far beyond a basic issues book. Medina takes readers on one girl's devastating decline when she becomes the target of a fearsome girl and holds us on the edge, showing both her inner and outer transformations.
September 10, 2016
review to come soon... :) I loved the book though!
April 6, 2016
Originally published at: A Girl that Likes Books
First impression
If you listen to the Book Riot podcast like me you have probably heard about how amazing Meg Medina is and how this book is delightful. If you are from Latino origin, like me you are going to smile without knowing it at most of the passages making reference to Piddy’s roots. A small book of under 300 pages that carries a lot of punch, huge amount of feelings and a great story about bullies.
Final thoughts
What happens when as a parent you do what you think is best for your child only to put them in a worst situation? This is exactly what happens at the beginning of this book. Piddy Sanchez stars at a new school because her mother decided they needed to move out of their not so great neighbourhood. Unfortunately for Piddy, she is not particularly welcomed in the new school, and the official bully, Yaqui Delgado, gets in her head that Piddy is after her boyfriend; the fact that she has pale skin (making her not Latin enough) has good grades and has no real friends doesn’t help. Piddy will be target of attacks, both verbal and physical that will jeopardize not only her academic performance but also who she is as a person and her relationship with her mother.
Meg Medina does two things wonderfully well in this book. She captures what it is to be a teenager struggling to be accepted by others at school, feeling like you are the only one having a hard time in life and opting for silence when maybe what you need is a helping hand; and what it is to be a Latino. Not just the Sofia Vergara image (and for the record, I really like Sofia Vergara, her character in Modern Family is hilarious) but what I live everyday: not finding the right word except in Spanish, craving food that you can’t prepare here for lack of ingredients and off course, the relationship with your family.
The book has hard sections to read, not only the bullying parts, but the way the author manages to make you feel how alone and helpless Piddy feels. You feel like reaching out to her and protecting her. At the same time you feel the butterflies in her stomach when she is happy, that’s is great character writing, when you feel what the character is feeling.
The rhythm and structure makes it that you don’t want to put the book down and don’t realize it has been a while since you changed position in your chair. The secondary characters are as lively as Piddy and it is heartwarming to see her little circle around her grew stronger as she does the same. You have plenty of examples of strong Latinas in the book, including Piddy and in her case you see her growth. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested by the subject of bullying or if you are looking for a good characterization of Latino characters.
First impression
If you listen to the Book Riot podcast like me you have probably heard about how amazing Meg Medina is and how this book is delightful. If you are from Latino origin, like me you are going to smile without knowing it at most of the passages making reference to Piddy’s roots. A small book of under 300 pages that carries a lot of punch, huge amount of feelings and a great story about bullies.
Final thoughts
What happens when as a parent you do what you think is best for your child only to put them in a worst situation? This is exactly what happens at the beginning of this book. Piddy Sanchez stars at a new school because her mother decided they needed to move out of their not so great neighbourhood. Unfortunately for Piddy, she is not particularly welcomed in the new school, and the official bully, Yaqui Delgado, gets in her head that Piddy is after her boyfriend; the fact that she has pale skin (making her not Latin enough) has good grades and has no real friends doesn’t help. Piddy will be target of attacks, both verbal and physical that will jeopardize not only her academic performance but also who she is as a person and her relationship with her mother.
Meg Medina does two things wonderfully well in this book. She captures what it is to be a teenager struggling to be accepted by others at school, feeling like you are the only one having a hard time in life and opting for silence when maybe what you need is a helping hand; and what it is to be a Latino. Not just the Sofia Vergara image (and for the record, I really like Sofia Vergara, her character in Modern Family is hilarious) but what I live everyday: not finding the right word except in Spanish, craving food that you can’t prepare here for lack of ingredients and off course, the relationship with your family.
The book has hard sections to read, not only the bullying parts, but the way the author manages to make you feel how alone and helpless Piddy feels. You feel like reaching out to her and protecting her. At the same time you feel the butterflies in her stomach when she is happy, that’s is great character writing, when you feel what the character is feeling.
The rhythm and structure makes it that you don’t want to put the book down and don’t realize it has been a while since you changed position in your chair. The secondary characters are as lively as Piddy and it is heartwarming to see her little circle around her grew stronger as she does the same. You have plenty of examples of strong Latinas in the book, including Piddy and in her case you see her growth. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested by the subject of bullying or if you are looking for a good characterization of Latino characters.
February 28, 2013
I loved this book. Loved. Even though it's about a latina teen trying to find her place in a new school- the story itself is universal and so many kids (and adults) can relate. Everyone has those moments where they don't fit in and too many kids find themselves in situations where they are the target of a bully. Piddy is forced to just try to survive every day without being physically and mentally assaulted, and the rest of her world begins to spiral out of control.
Medina does a great job showing how bullying can change who you are, how you see yourself and how you interact with the world. You begin to believe what people are saying about you and you begin to become someone new. You can become the person they think you are, or you can retreat and pull yourself away from everyone. Watching Piddy trying to figure out what to do was very interesting and a good reminder of what kids go through every day. I saw myself a bit in Piddy, but more then that I saw my students. They deal with things outside of school that I can imagine, but I can't even begin to understand. The fact that they show up everyday, the fact that Piddy tries to keep moving forward, is a testament to their strength.
The secondary characters in the story are also top notch. The people around Piddy all seemingly want the best for her, but they each have their own ways of doing it. Her mother wants to keep moving forward without ever looking back and that hurts Piddy, who desperately wants to know who her father is. Her mother so desperately want's something more for Piddy and doesn't want Piddy to make the mistakes she did, that she doesn't see her daughter falling apart in front of her. Piddy's friends, especially the neighbor boy who she grew up with, offer her an escape when things get bad. They don't pressure her to say what's wrong, because they are all t familiar with what pain looks like. I don't want to give much away on this book. I enjoyed going on the journey with Piddy too much and I don't want to ruin that for anyone else.
This is another one that I will be adding to my library collection for next year.
Medina does a great job showing how bullying can change who you are, how you see yourself and how you interact with the world. You begin to believe what people are saying about you and you begin to become someone new. You can become the person they think you are, or you can retreat and pull yourself away from everyone. Watching Piddy trying to figure out what to do was very interesting and a good reminder of what kids go through every day. I saw myself a bit in Piddy, but more then that I saw my students. They deal with things outside of school that I can imagine, but I can't even begin to understand. The fact that they show up everyday, the fact that Piddy tries to keep moving forward, is a testament to their strength.
The secondary characters in the story are also top notch. The people around Piddy all seemingly want the best for her, but they each have their own ways of doing it. Her mother wants to keep moving forward without ever looking back and that hurts Piddy, who desperately wants to know who her father is. Her mother so desperately want's something more for Piddy and doesn't want Piddy to make the mistakes she did, that she doesn't see her daughter falling apart in front of her. Piddy's friends, especially the neighbor boy who she grew up with, offer her an escape when things get bad. They don't pressure her to say what's wrong, because they are all t familiar with what pain looks like. I don't want to give much away on this book. I enjoyed going on the journey with Piddy too much and I don't want to ruin that for anyone else.
This is another one that I will be adding to my library collection for next year.
March 16, 2016
Right from the get-go, I loved this book. It starts out with a memorable opening line — “Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass” — and keeps right on to the end without losing momentum. Piddy Sanchez tells her story with a unique, genuine voice. The immediacy of the narrative kept me hooked for the two hours it took for me to finish the book.
I love funny books of any kind, so this book was right up my alley in terms of humor. At the same time, it deals with pretty serious subjects — bullying and, indirectly, abuse. The way these issues were handled was pretty well done. The book manages to stay away from being grimdark in tone while keeping things relevant.
What I loved most about the book was the family and friends of Piddy Sanchez. Piddy picks up a motley assortment of friends — friends who are stuck-up, geeky or cool. They all have their flaws and Piddy doesn’t gloss over them, which makes the friendships in the book seem all the more realistic. On top of that, the family around Piddy are just as complex and fascinating as her friends. Her mother’s best friend Lila is like the cool aunt I always wanted. She’s sassy, beautiful, and dispenses wisdom like she’s giving out candy — here, try it and you’re welcome. Piddy’s relationship with her mother is what really gets me. Her mother reminds me of my mother — snippy, full of strange advice, and strong. The story isn’t just about bullying. It’s about the mother-daughter relationship that is growing and changing. Strong female relationships are front and center in this book.
This was a fantastic book that I wouldn’t hesitate to put on a high school reading list.
Recommendation: Buy it now — or, at least, rush to your library and get it. It’s definitely worth a read.
I love funny books of any kind, so this book was right up my alley in terms of humor. At the same time, it deals with pretty serious subjects — bullying and, indirectly, abuse. The way these issues were handled was pretty well done. The book manages to stay away from being grimdark in tone while keeping things relevant.
What I loved most about the book was the family and friends of Piddy Sanchez. Piddy picks up a motley assortment of friends — friends who are stuck-up, geeky or cool. They all have their flaws and Piddy doesn’t gloss over them, which makes the friendships in the book seem all the more realistic. On top of that, the family around Piddy are just as complex and fascinating as her friends. Her mother’s best friend Lila is like the cool aunt I always wanted. She’s sassy, beautiful, and dispenses wisdom like she’s giving out candy — here, try it and you’re welcome. Piddy’s relationship with her mother is what really gets me. Her mother reminds me of my mother — snippy, full of strange advice, and strong. The story isn’t just about bullying. It’s about the mother-daughter relationship that is growing and changing. Strong female relationships are front and center in this book.
This was a fantastic book that I wouldn’t hesitate to put on a high school reading list.
Recommendation: Buy it now — or, at least, rush to your library and get it. It’s definitely worth a read.
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