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ruthelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Yet another title I can relate to. Not as much as Gabi, but dang this was GOOD.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
Best book title ever.
I liked this book a lot and the way the main character struggles to resolve the central bullying/ threats. My restorative justice heart longed for a more restorative way out of the problem in the end, yet I also appreciated the book portraying how sometimes you just have to get out of an unsafe situation and move on with your own life.
I liked this book a lot and the way the main character struggles to resolve the central bullying/ threats. My restorative justice heart longed for a more restorative way out of the problem in the end, yet I also appreciated the book portraying how sometimes you just have to get out of an unsafe situation and move on with your own life.
justjoel's review against another edition
2.0
This is a YA book that deals with bullying and abusive situations.
When she starts a new school, Piddy Sanchez receives a message that Yaqui Delgado wants to kick her ass. Piddy, who is just starting to develop womanly curves is at first surprised to realize she does, in fact, have an ass, though she remains confused as to who Yaqui is and why she is determined to attack her newly-discovered rump.
There are some humorous bits, but overall there's a lot of angst, trauma, and a hastily tied-together ending that didn't really do justice to the story or characters.
2 out of 5 stars.
When she starts a new school, Piddy Sanchez receives a message that Yaqui Delgado wants to kick her ass. Piddy, who is just starting to develop womanly curves is at first surprised to realize she does, in fact, have an ass, though she remains confused as to who Yaqui is and why she is determined to attack her newly-discovered rump.
There are some humorous bits, but overall there's a lot of angst, trauma, and a hastily tied-together ending that didn't really do justice to the story or characters.
2 out of 5 stars.
rennegade's review against another edition
5.0
Anecdote time!
On a normal day in 7th grade, I was on the bus ride to school when the girl behind me started poking me in the neck with a pencil. Hard. I leaned forward at first, confused about what was happening and thinking maybe it was accidental. It continued. Suddenly something hard (a book?) connected with the back of my head. The only person on the bus that I talked to was my friend who was sitting next to me, so I knew without turning around that it was a stranger. I could hear her and her seatmate giggling as something else hit me in the head. I let it go on for a while before I became enraged and lost it. Without turning around to see who was tormenting me, I swung my purse backwards and hit the person as hard as I could.
Big mistake.
For the rest of the bus ride, I was being hit, poked with pencils, getting my hair yanked, and hearing whispers about how I was going to get my ass kicked. I made a beeline for the school as soon as the doors opened, but it was no use. The girl and a couple of her friends surrounded me in the hallway. They started kicking, pushing, punching - all sorts of fun things. I did not recognize a single one of them.
They finally left me alone and I limped along to my class. I was crying so hard that my teacher sent me to guidance, where I told the counselor what happened. They pulled up surveillance footage from the bus and hallway and pinpointed the ringleader. She was brought to the principal's office and forced to apologize to me (amongst other punishments). I hardly acknowledged it, furious and hurt and confused as to why a complete stranger would suddenly decide she wanted to make me so miserable.
The premise of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is similar to my own middle school experience. Piddy Sanchez is bewildered to find that a girl she hardly knows has invented some invisible feud that can only be solved with an ass-kicking.
I absolutely loved this book. It perfectly captured one of the hazards that many people face whilst navigating those treacherous teen years. The author seamlessly wove the stories of Piddy's school woes and her budding feelings for an old neighbor and her strenuous relationship with her mother. I've known many Piddys and Yaquis during my own middle and high school experiences, so this book felt incredibly true-to-life.
I recently attended a panel at the Virginia Library Association's annual conference about reluctant readers in the young adult sector, and I had this pleasure of seeing Meg Medina speak. I had picked up her book a couple of months back but got so busy that it got pushed to the side. Hearing her speak inspired me to pick it back up, and I devoured it in a day or so.
This is a fantastic book for teens of all reading interest levels to read. It does not sugarcoat the pitfalls o the teenage years, and it presents itself as a completely relatable piece of fiction. I definitely recommend it!
On a normal day in 7th grade, I was on the bus ride to school when the girl behind me started poking me in the neck with a pencil. Hard. I leaned forward at first, confused about what was happening and thinking maybe it was accidental. It continued. Suddenly something hard (a book?) connected with the back of my head. The only person on the bus that I talked to was my friend who was sitting next to me, so I knew without turning around that it was a stranger. I could hear her and her seatmate giggling as something else hit me in the head. I let it go on for a while before I became enraged and lost it. Without turning around to see who was tormenting me, I swung my purse backwards and hit the person as hard as I could.
Big mistake.
For the rest of the bus ride, I was being hit, poked with pencils, getting my hair yanked, and hearing whispers about how I was going to get my ass kicked. I made a beeline for the school as soon as the doors opened, but it was no use. The girl and a couple of her friends surrounded me in the hallway. They started kicking, pushing, punching - all sorts of fun things. I did not recognize a single one of them.
They finally left me alone and I limped along to my class. I was crying so hard that my teacher sent me to guidance, where I told the counselor what happened. They pulled up surveillance footage from the bus and hallway and pinpointed the ringleader. She was brought to the principal's office and forced to apologize to me (amongst other punishments). I hardly acknowledged it, furious and hurt and confused as to why a complete stranger would suddenly decide she wanted to make me so miserable.
The premise of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is similar to my own middle school experience. Piddy Sanchez is bewildered to find that a girl she hardly knows has invented some invisible feud that can only be solved with an ass-kicking.
I absolutely loved this book. It perfectly captured one of the hazards that many people face whilst navigating those treacherous teen years. The author seamlessly wove the stories of Piddy's school woes and her budding feelings for an old neighbor and her strenuous relationship with her mother. I've known many Piddys and Yaquis during my own middle and high school experiences, so this book felt incredibly true-to-life.
I recently attended a panel at the Virginia Library Association's annual conference about reluctant readers in the young adult sector, and I had this pleasure of seeing Meg Medina speak. I had picked up her book a couple of months back but got so busy that it got pushed to the side. Hearing her speak inspired me to pick it back up, and I devoured it in a day or so.
This is a fantastic book for teens of all reading interest levels to read. It does not sugarcoat the pitfalls o the teenage years, and it presents itself as a completely relatable piece of fiction. I definitely recommend it!
bambiibamm's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was fantastic. Pretty realistic to today's youth and bullying. Even made me cry at certain point and i'm a grown woman. Read it in less than 24 hours because i couldn't put it down.
molly_dettmann's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 This book really got me. A must-read for anyone who has been bullied in any form (and really just anybody in jr. High/high school). It ends on a hopeful note, and is as realistic as it gets when it comes to the tricky dealings of bullying in school. It makes me feel for all the kids/teens who didn't have someone brave enough to speak up for them. Especially since being bullied can take away the voice you had for yourself.
bibliothecary_tyler's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
karimorton33's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book quite a lot! It was an easy read in that it was short, but with lots of substance that touched on real issues that teenagers (and everyone) has. (Read for Book Riot Live 2016)
crystal_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Review originally posted at Reading Through Life - http://readingtl.blogspot.com/2015/05/review-yaqui-delgado-wants-to-kick-your.html
Meg Medina does an excellent job of bringing us into Piddy's world. Piddy enjoys school, especially science courses and wants to work with animals someday. She's Latina, but when she transfers to a new school, she doesn't think she'll fit in with the Latina crowd. She never gets a chance to try. Before long, Yaqui and her gang are not only excluding her, they are targeting Piddy.
Piddy has no idea how to handle this, but her primary method is keeping her mother and adults in the school out of it. She fears that it will only get worse if those particular adults get involved. Fortunately, Piddy also has Lila to turn to in a crisis. Lila, a family friend, is a strong woman with a lot of love and support for Piddy.
Piddy has to decide who she is going to be and how she can make that happen. This book is a wonderful look at the experience of bullying and the many far reaching effects it can have on a person. It isn't just the physical effects that matter. The bruises and other damage are only one part of it. The constant fear can affect relationships, academics, and so much more.
For students going through bullying, this will be a book that shows them they aren't alone in their experience. For others, it is a huge reminder that the bystanders are choosing to be either part of the problem or part of the solution.
Recommendation: If you haven't read it yet, get it as soon as you can. I enjoyed the audiobook, but did prefer reading the hardcopy myself. Piddy's voice is real and I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to spend more time with this girl who was finding herself and working through this very difficult situation.
Extra: I was able to talk to Meg Medina a while ago and posted that interview over at Rich in Color. In it, she shares that the book is based on some experiences in her own life. You can read that interview here: http://richincolor.com/2013/07/meet-meg-medina/.
Meg Medina does an excellent job of bringing us into Piddy's world. Piddy enjoys school, especially science courses and wants to work with animals someday. She's Latina, but when she transfers to a new school, she doesn't think she'll fit in with the Latina crowd. She never gets a chance to try. Before long, Yaqui and her gang are not only excluding her, they are targeting Piddy.
Piddy has no idea how to handle this, but her primary method is keeping her mother and adults in the school out of it. She fears that it will only get worse if those particular adults get involved. Fortunately, Piddy also has Lila to turn to in a crisis. Lila, a family friend, is a strong woman with a lot of love and support for Piddy.
Piddy has to decide who she is going to be and how she can make that happen. This book is a wonderful look at the experience of bullying and the many far reaching effects it can have on a person. It isn't just the physical effects that matter. The bruises and other damage are only one part of it. The constant fear can affect relationships, academics, and so much more.
For students going through bullying, this will be a book that shows them they aren't alone in their experience. For others, it is a huge reminder that the bystanders are choosing to be either part of the problem or part of the solution.
Recommendation: If you haven't read it yet, get it as soon as you can. I enjoyed the audiobook, but did prefer reading the hardcopy myself. Piddy's voice is real and I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to spend more time with this girl who was finding herself and working through this very difficult situation.
Extra: I was able to talk to Meg Medina a while ago and posted that interview over at Rich in Color. In it, she shares that the book is based on some experiences in her own life. You can read that interview here: http://richincolor.com/2013/07/meet-meg-medina/.