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kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=3861
This book makes you feel. As Yaqui fills Piddy’s world with fear, Piddy begins to lose herself and get caught up in the terror. As a reader, you find yourself afraid with Piddy whenever she leaves her house, goes to school, or even thinks about doing either. A book that can do this is brilliant. Meg Medina has a way of sucking you into the world, and I think it is her use of imagery throughout. You can see the characters, hear the music Piddy listens to, feel the fear, etc. And Piddy’s voice is so crystal clear, that is something she never loses. When you finish reading, you can still hear Piddy’s voice in your head. I also feel that this is a wonderful diverse book in a time when the YA community is calling for diverse books (http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com/). This one should be in high school classrooms, and should be discussed as it has such important themes and beautiful writing (no matter what anyone thinks about it! http://megmedina.com/2013/09/04/author-uninvited-a-school-decides-im-trouble/).
This book makes you feel. As Yaqui fills Piddy’s world with fear, Piddy begins to lose herself and get caught up in the terror. As a reader, you find yourself afraid with Piddy whenever she leaves her house, goes to school, or even thinks about doing either. A book that can do this is brilliant. Meg Medina has a way of sucking you into the world, and I think it is her use of imagery throughout. You can see the characters, hear the music Piddy listens to, feel the fear, etc. And Piddy’s voice is so crystal clear, that is something she never loses. When you finish reading, you can still hear Piddy’s voice in your head. I also feel that this is a wonderful diverse book in a time when the YA community is calling for diverse books (http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com/). This one should be in high school classrooms, and should be discussed as it has such important themes and beautiful writing (no matter what anyone thinks about it! http://megmedina.com/2013/09/04/author-uninvited-a-school-decides-im-trouble/).
brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina won much praise and awards when it was released last year. It has also earned more than its fair share of controversy as people have tried to remove it from library shelves and disinvite Ms. Medina from author visits due to its contents. I am happy to say I've finally read, and it deserves every bit of praise it's received and more besides.
I had strong visceral reactions to this book. Tension, fear I could taste. I felt sick to my stomach in several places. The writing is so emotive I think anyone will experience some similar feelings. Mine were was even stronger because I transferred from a relatively safe academically driven high school to a high school with more gangs, drugs, and violence between my sophomore and junior years of high school. I know how it feels to be scared when you walk down the halls when that's not something you've ever experienced before. I know that desire Piddy feels to keep her head down, vanish, become nothing to save herself from being noticed. I don't know what it's like to actually be a specific target though, and watching Piddy's life unravel as the bullying got worse and worse was so hard.
One could say that this is an "issue book", a book about bullying to build empathy for those who may experience it and to educate everyone on what it looks like and the effect it can have. It is that. But more importantly, it is a book about a person. Piddy is smart and she has plans for her life. Plans she begins to throw away one at a time as she is further victimized. With few words and just showing Piddy's life, Medina paints a vivid picture of how terror can break a person and break them to pieces, more than just the physical results of a beating. Piddy's story is more than just the story of her problems with Yaqui Delgado though. It is about her strained relationship with her mother, further strained by the events presently occurring. It is about her relationship with her best friend, changing by absence after so many years of closeness. It is about her relationship with her mom's best friend, who is like her aunt and is her confidant. It is about her relationship with her community. All these work together to bring the setting and story alive without requiring a whole lot of description.
The book is also in many ways, the story of Yaqui Delgado. I really liked that Medina made no attempt at the whole redeemed bully story here. Yaqui is not a pleasant person. She is hardened. She is mean. But by simply presenting the facts of the world in which she lives, Medina highlights how the system is failing kids like Yaqui. It shows how truly overwhelmed, exhausted, and hand tied the school workers are when dealing with too large a population of students that they don't have the resources to help.
While not an easy book to read, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is an important book to read and one I look forward to sharing with my daughter in a few years.
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina won much praise and awards when it was released last year. It has also earned more than its fair share of controversy as people have tried to remove it from library shelves and disinvite Ms. Medina from author visits due to its contents. I am happy to say I've finally read, and it deserves every bit of praise it's received and more besides.
I had strong visceral reactions to this book. Tension, fear I could taste. I felt sick to my stomach in several places. The writing is so emotive I think anyone will experience some similar feelings. Mine were was even stronger because I transferred from a relatively safe academically driven high school to a high school with more gangs, drugs, and violence between my sophomore and junior years of high school. I know how it feels to be scared when you walk down the halls when that's not something you've ever experienced before. I know that desire Piddy feels to keep her head down, vanish, become nothing to save herself from being noticed. I don't know what it's like to actually be a specific target though, and watching Piddy's life unravel as the bullying got worse and worse was so hard.
One could say that this is an "issue book", a book about bullying to build empathy for those who may experience it and to educate everyone on what it looks like and the effect it can have. It is that. But more importantly, it is a book about a person. Piddy is smart and she has plans for her life. Plans she begins to throw away one at a time as she is further victimized. With few words and just showing Piddy's life, Medina paints a vivid picture of how terror can break a person and break them to pieces, more than just the physical results of a beating. Piddy's story is more than just the story of her problems with Yaqui Delgado though. It is about her strained relationship with her mother, further strained by the events presently occurring. It is about her relationship with her best friend, changing by absence after so many years of closeness. It is about her relationship with her mom's best friend, who is like her aunt and is her confidant. It is about her relationship with her community. All these work together to bring the setting and story alive without requiring a whole lot of description.
The book is also in many ways, the story of Yaqui Delgado. I really liked that Medina made no attempt at the whole redeemed bully story here. Yaqui is not a pleasant person. She is hardened. She is mean. But by simply presenting the facts of the world in which she lives, Medina highlights how the system is failing kids like Yaqui. It shows how truly overwhelmed, exhausted, and hand tied the school workers are when dealing with too large a population of students that they don't have the resources to help.
While not an easy book to read, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is an important book to read and one I look forward to sharing with my daughter in a few years.
maryehavens's review against another edition
4.0
I started this book much like Piddy - no clue what to expect. I thought it was a typical YA story centered around high school. I was surprised it was so visceral in Yaqui’s pursuit of Piddy for no reason except the reasons Leela gave.
It just wasn’t fair but that was the point.
Medina did a great job with the characters and the complexity of the situation, especially with Piddy starting a new school. The voices of the characters were very authentic, imo.
We’ve all witnessed, and maybe participated in or were the victim of, bullying. In this situation, I think the right steps were taken. I really thought Piddy was going to get in that bus! Glad she didn’t and that Leela was there to turn her around/give her perspective.
It just wasn’t fair but that was the point.
Medina did a great job with the characters and the complexity of the situation, especially with Piddy starting a new school. The voices of the characters were very authentic, imo.
We’ve all witnessed, and maybe participated in or were the victim of, bullying. In this situation, I think the right steps were taken. I really thought Piddy was going to get in that bus! Glad she didn’t and that Leela was there to turn her around/give her perspective.
booksnbeesem's review against another edition
4.0
This book makes me want to ensure my future children are capable of defending themselves.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
Piddy Sanchez moves to a new school her sophomore year. At her new school, she is threatened the first day with the title of the book. Piddy doesn't even know Yaqui Delgado and she can't think what she's done to incur her anger, but she has. This is a book about being different and being bullied because of it. Piddy is the exception to most victims of bullying because she takes a stand and the school helps her do it.
What I like about Piddy is that she isn't a stereotype of a victim of bullying. She is smart, she has friends and she has a strong support system at home. What makes Yaqui not like her is this perception of Piddy and Yaqui herself: Piddy thinks she's better (even if it is only in the way she carries herself). And I like the message that Piddy doesn't have to be a victim; she has options that are realistic.
A positive book for teens to better understand the mentality of a bully and the target of bullying.
What I like about Piddy is that she isn't a stereotype of a victim of bullying. She is smart, she has friends and she has a strong support system at home. What makes Yaqui not like her is this perception of Piddy and Yaqui herself: Piddy thinks she's better (even if it is only in the way she carries herself). And I like the message that Piddy doesn't have to be a victim; she has options that are realistic.
A positive book for teens to better understand the mentality of a bully and the target of bullying.
pussinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Meg Medina portrays an honest story about the effects of bullying. Piddy's descent into depression and self-loathing carries powerful emotional weight through Medina's prose. Yet this is not a bleak novel. Piddy has strong bonds with her mother, family friend Lila, and a couple childhood friends, all of whom help her make tough but necessary decisions in the end.
shanzberg's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful, realistic story about a girl being bullied for no good reason. Themes of identity were really powerful, and I liked the fact that the author lifted the curtain on Piddy actually deciding who she would become.
stressedspidergirl's review against another edition
3.0
It was one of those teen coming of age stories kind of. The setting and characters are a little different than usual, but the bullying is very real, and the effects it has on the main character are lasting and well written.
Her struggles to come to terms with herself, her heritage, and her place in the world are poignant.
It's a good read for teens, simple, quick, and the story isn't overwhelmingly negative or falsely happy. The old apartment and the people who live in it, while never fleshed out feel real.
Her struggles to come to terms with herself, her heritage, and her place in the world are poignant.
It's a good read for teens, simple, quick, and the story isn't overwhelmingly negative or falsely happy. The old apartment and the people who live in it, while never fleshed out feel real.
readwithpassion's review against another edition
4.0
There are many books about bullying, but it is rare to read a text that makes you truly feel frighted for the character being bullied. This text felt very real to me, and it will surely resonate with teenagers. There are many lessons about bullying, but there are also some phenomenal examples of family and friendship. Piddy's mother isn't perfect and like all parents, she makes mistakes, but she is a single mother who tries her best. The ups and downs of this mother-daughter relationship offer much to ponder and discuss. As adolescents go through high school, they form new bonds and often, they also grow apart from childhood friends. Piddy's circumstances of a new school with new friendships will absolutely connect with teens.
essja7's review against another edition
3.0
My daughter and I listened to this story as we drove to appointments and we really enjoyed it. It was definitely YA but addressed the issues of bullying well. We were keen each day to hear the next part and were always making predictions about which direction Piddy would (or should) go in her deperate hunt for safety.