Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

Piedad "Piddy" Sanchez is a 10th grader and has only been at her new school for five weeks, but she knows one thing, Yaqui Delgado wants to beat her up. Piddy does not know Yaqui, but she finds out that Yaqui dislikes her for being stuck-up and not being Latina enough. Piddy is so afraid of Yaqui and her gang that she is afraid to leave her house. Eventually, Piddy starts falling for her friend Joey, who has problems with an abusive father. This culminates with a videotape of Yaqui beating up Piddy and the school principal finding out about Yaqui's brutal and relentless bullying. Despite the likelihood of Yaqui being expelled, not all of her bullying gang will be, so Piddy transfers to a new school. A realistic novel about teenage life, but more importantly, a book "that sheds light on a serious issue without ever losing sight of its craft." ("A nuanced heart-wrenching," 2013).

Critical Analysis

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is a realistic fiction novel set in Queens, New York. The plot is simple with a contemporary setting. Piddy's character is intelligent, honest, and likable. Themes include bullying, domestic abuse, and friendship. Piddy's experiences are authentic and relate to the lives of contemporary youths today. There are consistent and accurate representations of various Latinx cultures using an intermix of Spanish with English in conversations. Traditional gender roles are implied with Piddy's mom, who has taught her to sew and do other things to improve her "for the future." (Medina, 2014, p. 20) Also, other cultural details mentioned include listening to Latinx music on the radio, food, and Catholic religious customs. As a contemporary realistic fiction novel, Medina's novel fits perfectly in this genre, and her 2014 Pura Belpre Award for this story is well deserved.

The story's strengths are that it increases the quality of contemporary Latinx literature for young adults while highlighting the serious issue of bullying in schools. Its weakness is that the reader never gets to see Piddy grow up. Readers may enjoy Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, a Latinx contemporary realistic fiction story with a similar story about the difficulties of adolescent life.

References

"A nuanced heart-wrenching". (2013, March 12). Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/meg-medina/yaqui-delgado-wants-kick-your-ass/

Medina, M. (2014). Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Candlewick Press.