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crowinator's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
I can think of few novels that I'd want to read less than a contemporary novel about a Latina teen struggling to cope with being bullied at her new school (it doesn't help that the title is horrible), but this is one of those times when I'm glad for assigned reading. It's so rare that a book like this manages to be so straight-forward without getting didactic; so authentic about the claustrophobic, trapped feeling of being bullied without painting a hopeless picture or making me cry my eyes out with horror; and has such a realistic ending (I'm looking at you for those last two, Leverage). It would be an interesting to pair with Everybody Sees the Ants in a book discussion group, because even though they are quite different (this one has no magical dreams or Greek-chorus ants, for example), there are parallels in how the bullied students learn to speak out and how the bullying is dealt with by adults and on a school administration level. There really is no one-size-fits-all answer to bullying, but neither is bullying an unsolvable problem, and this novel balances both truths well.
I can think of few novels that I'd want to read less than a contemporary novel about a Latina teen struggling to cope with being bullied at her new school (it doesn't help that the title is horrible), but this is one of those times when I'm glad for assigned reading. It's so rare that a book like this manages to be so straight-forward without getting didactic; so authentic about the claustrophobic, trapped feeling of being bullied without painting a hopeless picture or making me cry my eyes out with horror; and has such a realistic ending (I'm looking at you for those last two, Leverage). It would be an interesting to pair with Everybody Sees the Ants in a book discussion group, because even though they are quite different (this one has no magical dreams or Greek-chorus ants, for example), there are parallels in how the bullied students learn to speak out and how the bullying is dealt with by adults and on a school administration level. There really is no one-size-fits-all answer to bullying, but neither is bullying an unsolvable problem, and this novel balances both truths well.
dlberglund's review against another edition
4.0
This book has a lot going for it. It was hard for me to evaluate analytically, however, because I kept personalizing the bullying struggle...how am I, as an educator, supposed to stop these insane types of escalating bullying? This is a frightening kind, and one I've seen in smaller doses- the person without a logical reason that is in the bullied person's control. (Not that there are many kinds of bullying that make sense.) Each time she upped her bullying game, I looked harder around me and wondered if I could be as clueless as the educators in the book. How do we make school safe for each kid? How do I protect the Piddies and fill up the Yaquis in ways that prevent them from turning against others?
I thought the portrayal of Yaqui was somewhat simplistic (wrong side of the tracks, dysfunctional and possibly completely absent family) but I was glad there wasn't a gushy 'let's all make up' moment. In reality, we don't get to see and heal the emotional baggage of our bullies, and I didn't want this book to turn into an after school special.
I thought the portrayal of Yaqui was somewhat simplistic (wrong side of the tracks, dysfunctional and possibly completely absent family) but I was glad there wasn't a gushy 'let's all make up' moment. In reality, we don't get to see and heal the emotional baggage of our bullies, and I didn't want this book to turn into an after school special.
bkowalczik's review against another edition
5.0
Did I want to spend time reading about girls fighting? Not my first choice, but I decided to read it because it was a book choice for the goodreads discussion group for YA teachers and librarians.
So glad I read it. I loved the main character, Piddy. And although her life is far from "ideal" she has a loving mother and a great adult friend-of-them-both. This was a great brief look into a life I have never known, dealing with issues much more intense than I ever had to deal with.
I can remember one summer evening sometime during my sixth grade year a neighborhood boy in Southern California throwing a knife towards my feet at the school playground where I had gone to play. I remember thinking, I should stand my ground or I think my fear is going to embolden him and he might actually do some real damage. Fortunately my brother came to get me for dinner and I could gracefully leave. This was a kid I thought was pretty nice, although when we first met he told me he had just been released from juvenile detention. . . . And then I was one of those tormented a bit in junior high (all four of them.)
I also loved the beauty shop where Piddy and Lila worked on Saturdays! Such community! (I long for community.) I appreciate the longing felt by Piddy and how the problem was finally resolved.
I do wonder about the Yaqui's in the world. How do we reach them?
So glad I read it. I loved the main character, Piddy. And although her life is far from "ideal" she has a loving mother and a great adult friend-of-them-both. This was a great brief look into a life I have never known, dealing with issues much more intense than I ever had to deal with.
I can remember one summer evening sometime during my sixth grade year a neighborhood boy in Southern California throwing a knife towards my feet at the school playground where I had gone to play. I remember thinking, I should stand my ground or I think my fear is going to embolden him and he might actually do some real damage. Fortunately my brother came to get me for dinner and I could gracefully leave. This was a kid I thought was pretty nice, although when we first met he told me he had just been released from juvenile detention. . . . And then I was one of those tormented a bit in junior high (all four of them.)
I also loved the beauty shop where Piddy and Lila worked on Saturdays! Such community! (I long for community.) I appreciate the longing felt by Piddy and how the problem was finally resolved.
I do wonder about the Yaqui's in the world. How do we reach them?
lblanke724's review against another edition
4.0
Piddy has the cards stacked against her as she moves to a new school during her sophomore year and is noticed by the school bully. While she tries valiantly to remain above the fray, when Yaqui Delgado does indeed kick her ass, Piddy changes. This is truly a "poignant and all too-realistic" story about a girl in a bad situation. As an educator, I felt like it gave me an insight into the emotional turmoil of the victims and a better look at how the system's hands can be tied in situations like this. A good read!
howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Piddy starts a new school in the middle of the semester and knows that it's not going to be an easy ride. It's not the classes that are harder than her old school, it's the people. From day one, she is told that Yaqui Delgado wants to kick her ass - and is calling her names, names that would start rumors. And Piddy never did anything to the girl! Couldn't even pick Yaqui out of a lineup. But with no friends at her new school to watch her back, and her mother too busy working to confide in, Piddy starts skipping classes, then entire days, then tries to escape into a boy from her past. But Yaqui is always there, and Piddy realizes the only way to make this problem go away is to face it head on, even if she has to do it alone.
sarahsulliv's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Another solid, unflinchingly honest anti-bullying book. Loved the main character and thought the narrative was painfully believable. Full review up at Slatebreakers http://slatebreakers.com/2013/06/24/review-yaqui-delgado-wants-to-kick-your-ass-by-meg-medina/#more-1993
kate_m_m's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Very realistic with a strong depiction of a loving but contentious mother/daughter relationship. Some elements felt dated after only 5 years but definitely has strong kid appeal!
sarah_elsewhere's review against another edition
3.0
Tough read, good characters (bully was a bit one dimensional but in a reasonable to the story way). Narrator was a bit whiney.
kirchenberth's review against another edition
2.0
A good story, just really predictable. Everything you think might happen does. The bits of Spanish give you a better taste of the culture, but for those who can't speak Spanish it gets annoying to keep looking everything up
mcskireader's review against another edition
4.0
I still have occasional nightmares as a 35 year old about having to go back to the hell that was high school, and I had an easier time than sweet, smart Piddy did. Such a good book with great characters.