Meg Medina

Meg Medina is an award-winning Cuban American author who writes picture books, middle grade, and YA fiction.

Books by This Author

Tía Isa Wants a Car

Illustration of woman hugging a child sitting on a classic car near the beach
Illustrated by: Claudio Muñoz
Age Level: 6-9
Language: Spanish

The narrator and her aunt work to save money to buy a shiny green car to take them to the sea. Though it takes time, Tía Isa and her niece reach their goal and buy the car that brings them to the beach. Cheerful illustrations and an upbeat narration with a sprinkling of Spanish words create recognizable characters in a realistic setting based on the author's childhood memories. Also available in Spanish.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

Blue locker with grafitti
Age Level: Young Adult
Language: Spanish, Spanish vocabulary featured

One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to get her attention. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel dealing head-on with bullying, Meg Medina draws upon her own experiences to portray a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is. Winner Pura Belpré award.

Pages

Anthologies and Collections

Flying Lessons & Other Stories

Flying Lessons & Other Stories
Age Level: Middle Grade

Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) — celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. For more great stories, see the WNDB anthology Fresh Ink.

Voces Sin Fronteras: Our Stories, Our Truth: True Comics from the Latin American Youth Center

Comic book drawings of a group of diverse faces
Illustrated by: Santiago Casares
Age Level: Young Adult
Language: Spanish, Spanish (Bilingual Eng/Sp)

During a time of heated immigration debate and unrest, this book is an opportunity to hear directly from youth who are often in the headlines but whose stories don’t get told in full. Sixteen young people from the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) in Washington, D.C. came together to tell their own stories of immigration and transformation in comics form. The result is this side-by-side bilingual collection of graphic memoirs that not only builds connections across language, but also breaks down barriers and expands hope.