Inquiry Blog, ​All American Boys

John Anderlik 14 April 2019

Book
Medina, Meg. ​Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass​. Somerville, MA: Candlewick, 2013.

Genre
Young Adolescent Realistic Fiction

Audience
6th grade through 10th grade

Read Alouds
“‘I don’t even know Yaqui Delgado, Darlene’ I tell her with a shrug. ‘I’m not worried.’
‘Well she know you. And she hates your guts. You’re new here, Piddy, so take my word for
it. You’re as good as dead. These Latin girls mean business. If I were you, I’d stay home
tomorrow ​(Medina, p. 5-6)​.’”
→ This quote compresses what bullying means in the school in a few sentences. Many
students become victims of bullying from peers they do not even know. Students begin to fear
their safety in school, ultimately jeopardizing their education. The extent of worriness grows
throughout the novel as Piddy eventually stays home “sick” to escape Yaqui.

“They are my mother’s worst nightmare of what a Latin girl can become in the United
States. Their big hoop earrings and plucked eyebrows, their dark lips painted like those
stars in the old black-and-white movies, their tight T-shirts that show too much curve and
invite boys’ touches ​(Medina, 2013. p.56)​.”
→ This quote describes Latin women from Piddy’s perspective. While reading this part
in the book, I thought it exposed readers to the stereotypes we hold towards Latinxs in America.
Although she considers these stereotypes to be her “mother’s worst nightmare,” Piddy later
conforms to society by transforming herself into an “American” Latin girl.

“‘​El secreto​ is to use the darker shade down here. Then you put the lighter tone up here on
your ​mejillas.​ See?’ Lila holds up a hand mirror. ‘Look at those new cheekbones! You
could be Penelope Cruz’s sister​ (Medina, 2013, p. 109)​!’”
→ This quote helps the reader explore Piddy’s identity. The author frequently
incorporates Spanish words into the text making it easy to understand Piddy’s culture. Using
Spanish words in the dialogue allows for ELLs to use aspects of their primary language while
reading. Through Medina’s writing, readers that aren’t able to depict the meaning of the Spanish
words are able to use context clues to better comprehend what is going on.
Summary
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass​, written by Meg Medina, is a novel about Piddy Sanchez
- a victim of bullying. During her first few weeks of school, it is apparent that Piddy sways her
hips too much as she walks; that is the reason for Yaqui’s ambush. The biggest problem… Piddy
doesn’t know who Yaqui is, let alone what she looks like. Piddy fails to tell her Ma and aunt
about the fight, leaving her to cope with the pain. The book takes a reader on a journey through
dealing with the harmful effects of oppression and building trust in unexpected ways.

Themes
- Bullying: ​This is the most prevalent theme throughout ​Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick
your Ass​; the reader constantly learns of new threats and comments Yaqui makes towards
Piddy. Even though the bullying is physical, Piddy experiences social and emotional
harm. Not only was the theme prevalent in the novel, it touches young adolescents.
Bullying is a common subject in schools. Similar to Piddy, victims tend to hide their
feelings and not share their experiences, which often leads to more hurt. The novel
showed how isolation plays out in being the victim of bullying; we need to teach students
to feel comfortable talking about their pain.
- Trust:​ With isolation, comes a lack of trust - something Piddy struggled with throughout
the majority of the novel. However, the book shined a light on the importance of finding
that​ person whom you can trust. Finding a group of peers, teachers, or family to tell your
struggles to is important in the middle school. Identifying that Piddy broke relationships
due to a lack of trust is another element that readers should take away.

Literary Elements
- Foreshadowing: ​I immediately was able to identify this literary element within the story.
Many of the events told actually happened [to the reader] before they occured. Piddy’s
fight with Yaqui, Ma’s past, and her Latinx girl transformation are all examples of
foreshadowing. I believe that Medina uses foreshadowing as a tool to draw the reader
into the text; students are able to predict what may happen next.
- Conflict: ​There is a central conflict throughout the whole novel: bullying. Piddy’s
day-to-day tasks and interactions were affected by Yaqui threatening her. I think using
conflict in a YA Literature book can serve as an important teaching tool. Middle school is
roughly the time students learn a great amount of literary elements - conflict/resolution
being one of them. Having students read ​Yaqui Delgado…​, then connecting it to a literary
element unit could be beneficial.
Connections
I thought that ​Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass​ related to my life in my K-12
schooling in some aspects. Although not based on looks, both Piddy and I struggled to feel like
we belonged in a sea of our peers. Although I never was bullied to the physical extreme that
Piddy was, I often felt the social and emotional pain that she did. Eventually, I learned to cope
and found a caring, trustworthy group of friends...no need to worry!
From a literature perspective, I read ​Esperanza Rising​ a few semesters ago and thought
the two books touched on similar things - broadly. Both Piddy and Esperanza felt “lost” and
un-welcomed because of the way they acted and looked. The two characters are empathetic to
their bullies; their bullying is a result of an internal force.

Reader Response
I can’t say that I enjoyed this book as much as ​All American Boys​, but I did think that it was a
good read. I think that it is important to include books that address matters of bullying in our
classroom libraries. Medina portrayed several aspects of bullying in ​Yaqui Delgado…​ including:
isolation, types of bullying, and affects from the aftermath; all these things seemed to accurately
depict the cliché of bullying. As a prospective ESL endorsement, it would be a good text to have
as Medina incorporated several Spanish words into the text. Overall, I think students would
enjoy ​Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick your Ass​.

Connection to Inquiry Essential Question

What does it mean to be latinx youth?
→ According to our class discussions, and ​Yaqui Delgado…​, being a Latinx youth
involves being family-oriented. Although she is the victim of bullying, Piddy tries to hide her
emotions at home, because Ma wants her to succeed in school. The book also explores the
stereotypes society has on Latinx women. The reasoning that Piddy gets attacked by Yaqui is for
swaying her hips; Piddy only does this because she is a dancer. The boys at school were
constantly staring at her face, and body. Overall, the book encourages that being a Latinx youth
is defined by looks and family.