Emily Metz

Individual Book Choice and Response

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

Summary (from Amazon.com)

One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and
wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesnt even know who Yaqui is, never mind what shes done to piss her off.
Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isnt Latin enough with
her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isnt kidding around, so Piddy better watch her
back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father shes never met and
how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the
harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddys life. Is there any way for
Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina
portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.

Response

Connections: Like Piddy, I also went through a lot of changes in my late middle school to early high
school years. I moved several times, and felt like I constantly had to prove myself to fit into a certain
image. When Piddy was changing her look and the way she thought to mirror more of Yaquis
appearance and personality, I couldnt help but remember those stages in my own life. My changes also
caused a lot of division between my mom and I, but just like Piddy and Ma, my relationship with my
mom finally started to get better over the years. Even though Piddy went through some rocky moments,
Im glad she didnt turn out to be just like Yaqui after all.

I also felt a connection between what Mr. Flatwell, the principal, was saying to Ma and Lila at the
conference near the end to what I experience as a teacher in a somewhat similar environment. I have
heard parents complain about their children being bullied or express their dissatisfaction with the
behavior of other students in the school. Although we as the school faculty try to do the best we can,
sometimes its hard to keep track of all of the bad students, like Mr. Flatwell was describing. Also, just
like Mr. Flatwell noted, our doors are open to everyone, and every child deserves a chance (that being
said, students who are seriously a problem are dealt with accordingly). Public schools see all sides of
humanity and the effects of the environment, and although safety is a priority, it doesnt (and shouldnt)
always translate to kicking everyone out who doesnt fit into a certain mold.

Favorite Parts: One of my favorite parts in the book is when Ma finally shared the story of her and
Agustin with Piddy. Although it wasnt a happy story, or the closure Piddy was hoping for after
wondering about her father for so long, that moment between Piddy and Ma was a touching moment
and I as the reader was relieved to see this turning point in Piddys almost complete downward spiral.

Another favorite part was the relationship between Piddy and Joey. Although he might not have been
the best influence for Piddy, their young love seemed sincere and sweetthe kittens probably helped
with the latter! I also didnt get the connection between Mrs. Halpers response to her abusive husband
and Piddys response to Yaqui until Piddy thought about the consequences of Mrs. Halper not reaching
out her help when Piddy was asked about the bullying she was receiving.
One other favorite part was of course when Piddy found out she was accepted to McCleary Magnet
School. The vision of all of the women dancing in the salon, Ma finally taking a day off and visiting the
salon (a sign of her conquering her past), and a tangible symbol of Piddys life finally on a positive road
with the acceptance letter filled my heart with joy and almost made me cry!

Golden Lines: Because theres always a Yaqui in every school, in every place in the world. I met a few
malditas along the way myself, she says. You think I could look like this and not have people hate on
me? (p. 219) Lila was of course a favorite character in this book. I felt like this conversation was what
helped Piddy start to realize that the feelings and events that were going on in Piddys life now was only
temporary, and that there was so much more to life than high school drama. This is a lesson that so
many high school students need, which is why I think this book would be perfect for any middle-high
school classroom.

Im thinking, too, of Rob and his wolf picture for all to see, the way hes still standing despite all the
abuse thats heaped his way, even from people who should know better. He sucks at people, and yet
hes the most humane. (p.237) Rob was also a great character (there were so many!). There were many
similarities between what Rob was going through and Piddys interaction with Yaqui and her crew. Im
glad she had a role model like Rob to see what it meant to stand back up after being pushed down.

Questions: How is Joey doing in Pennslyvania? Does Piddy stay in touch with Rob, Darlene, and Mitzi?
Does Yaqui change her ways, or does she find a new victim?

Reviews and Response

From Kirkus Reviews:

A nuanced, heart-wrenching and ultimately empowering story about bullying.

When 15-year old Piedad Sanchez's mother moves them to another part of Queens, Piddy is unprepared
for the bullying that awaits her at her new school. Yaqui Delgado doesnt know Piddy but decides shes
stuck-up and shakes her ass when she walksaccusations weighty enough to warrant a full-fledged
bullying campaign. As her torments escalate, readers feel the intensity of Piddys terror in her
increasingly panicked first-person narration. Interweaving themes of identity, escapism and body image,
Medina takes what could be a didactic morality tale and spins it into something beautiful: a story rich in
depth and heart. Piddy's ordeal feels 100 percent authentic; there are no easy outs, no simple solutions.
Displaying a mature understanding of consequences and refreshingly aware (no deducing supporting
characters feelings before the protagonist, here), Piddy also exhibits an age-appropriate sense of
vulnerability. The prose is both honest ("growing up is like walking through glass doors that only open
one wayyou can see where you came from but can't go back") and exquisitely crafted ("Fear is my
new best friend. It stands at my elbow in chilly silence").

Far more than just a problem novel, this book sheds light on a serious issue without ever losing sight of
its craft. (Fiction. 13-18)

Response:

I agree that this story felt 100% authentic. It didnt come across as a lesson about why bullying is bad. I
cringed at some of the choices Piddy made, but it felt like real feelings and reactions from a young girl
consumed with fear and frustration. I think this novel would make a great discussion starter about
bullying and the consequences of your actions on others.

From The Washington Post:

Books about bullying are on the rise as adults grapple with its causes and impact and young people
struggle to deal with it. This gritty novel manages to transcend the usual earnest fictional treatment by
delivering a protagonist who is more than a mere victim and an ending that rings complicatedly true. At
her new high school, Piddy Sanchez is surprised to find herself targeted by tough Yaqui Delgado, a fellow
Latina who objects to Piddys good grades and wiggly walk. Piddy tries, by turns, to avoid, ignore and
reason with Yaqui to no avail, and her terror mounts as Yaquis small cruelties intensify. What can Piddy
do? Shes sure that turning to adults will only further enrage Yaqui and her friends. While this situation
is certainly compelling, Meg Medina widens her story to involve readers not just in Piddys problem but
also in her larger life. Piddys curiosity about her absent father and her evolving relationship with a
scraggly neighbor boy add depth and intrigue. Her pithy accounts of her neighborhood in Queens, her
worried face mother and a glamorous family friend contain humor and insight. This unflinching novel,
with its richly developed main character, deserves a place with two other nuanced bully books for teens:
Rita Williams-Garcias Jumped, a 2009National Book Award finalist that explores the mindsets of bully,
victim and bystander; and Adam Rexs Fat Vampire, in which a main character confronts her guilt as a
cyberbully.

Mary Quattlebaum

Response:

I agree that the ending rings complicatedly true. No, there is no justice in the form of clear
punishment for Yaqui. As Mr. Flatwell explains, even if Yaqui is expelled, it would be nearly impossible to
expel her whole crew. The solution is to transfer Piddy, which Lila thinks is unfair. Luckily, there was still
a happy ending for Piddy, as she is accepted to McCleary. I might just have to pick up Jumped and Fat
Vampire!

From The Book Smuggler

One morning before school Piddy Sanchez is greeted by a girl she barely knows with a message that
says:

Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass.

Piddy has recently moved to a new house and transferred to a new school away from her friends and if
that move wasnt already difficult enough, she becomes the target of her new schools resident bully.
The worst thing is: she doesnt even know Yaqui Delgado and has no idea why shed want to kick her ass.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass features a plot that deftly explores bullying and its consequences
with a thoughtfulness that is threaded in an all-rounded story. What strikes me the most about Yaqui
Delgado though is how the bullying is shown as something that doesnt happen in a vacuum. That the
actions of the bully and the reaction of the bullied are deeply rooted in a society that seems
unfortunately ripe and ready for this sort of dynamics to happen.
Piddy is relentlessly attacked by Yaqui first with words, later with fists. Those attacks are never
justified in any possible way and even though Yaquis perspective is non-existent, there is a degree of
sympathy for her when the narrative explores the type of society we live in with its class separation,
racial profiling and low expectations about disenfranchised kids. You grab power where you can, right?

This is Piddys story though and its the portrayal of her fear that is almost palpable and which spirals out
of control and leads her down uncharted territories, that really rings true. There is an inevitable sense of
isolation spurred by Piddys not wanting to tell her family about her problems at school for a myriad of
understandable reasons. And an equally inevitable connection to folks that do might get what she is
going through. Piddys slow progression from fear to attempting to control said fear by showing a faade
of toughness feeding off her own anger was an emotional roller coaster to read. The portrayal of
everything she goes through in the course of this story was painfully realistic from the progression of the
bullying and the way that we can connect her story to real-life ones to the way that the bullying is
eventually dealt with in a manner that might not have been ideal or easy but which was ultimately
convincing. I had feared we might have been heading toward an ending that glorified a romantic you
can do it if you put your mind to it approach when 99.9% of the time, this is simply not how one deals
with the often complex situations involving bullying. Putting a kids safety first no matter how should
be everybodys first concern.

One other aspect of the book that really spoke to me is how the bullying here is also about womanhood.
It is impossible to separate gender issues from this story. Although we never really know for sure what
makes Yaqui hate Piddy so much, it is hinted multiple times that part of it stems from Piddys curvy body
and attention-seeking attitude. Regardless of whether there is any degree of truth in Yaquis
accusations (there isnt), this narrative that reduces a woman to her body, that seeks negative
connotations to anything that is remotely sexual and empowering about a woman is one that is
unfortunately recurrent in the society we live in. Its interesting too because to start with Piddy is not
even aware that her body has changed or that this change will incite and attract this type of attention
and vitriol. One of the results of the bullying is that she will start hiding her curves, she will even stop
dancing. And this question of internalised misogyny is equally shown in the repeated conversations
between and Piddy and her mother who is always worried that Piddy will be one of those lose girls.

This is a brilliant book. Well deserving its accolades.

Response:

I liked how Ana discussed the gender issues and misogyny brought up in this novel. Physical appearance,
especially that of a curvy female, is constantly brought up throughout the book, from Lilas attention
from men to Piddy serving as a target because of her maturing body features. It would be interesting to
discuss with students how this story might be different if the protagonist was a male instead, or if Piddy
wasnt considered curvy or attractive.

Example Student Response: Twitter Conversation

Explanation: This activity is based on a response shared by Marilyn Pryle. For the response, students
create a twitter feed and/or conversation based on the events and characters in the novel. This
response encourages students to think critically about character development, plot, and overall themes
from the story. Students use Twitter handles, hashtags, and tweets to reflect their inferences and
understandings of these story elements. I felt like this activity was a great response idea for this novel
since the characters are in high school, and social media plays an integral part in the story via the fight
video. I also felt like this response allowed for interpretations of the relationships between many of the
characters in the story.

Example:

@ps_elephant: Nervous abt my 1st day @ McCleary. @editornchief SAVE ME! #atleastitsnotDJ

@editornchief: @ps_elephant You will do g8! Send me some essays in ur free time. #newspaperlife

@yung_inked: @ps_elephant @editornchief dont mk me jealous u 2!!! #toofaraway

@MitziOrtega08: @ps_elephant Call me after school!!! Cant wait to hear about it! #bff

@Darlene_the_Great: @ps_elephant Im so JELLY that ur @ McCleary! And its all thanks to me

#iwin

@editornchief: @Darlene_the_Great @ps_elephant actually, it was me

@ps_elephant: @editornchief @Darlene_the_Great ActuallyI think it was Yaqui

#happyendingafterall