Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass: The Graphic Novel

By Saily Marrero

For its 10th anniversary, Meg Medina’s (she/her) young adult novel, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, was adapted into a graphic novel with the help of illustrator Mel Valentine Vargas (they/them). This new adaptation, just as the original young adult novel, follows Piedad “Piddy” Sanchez as she navigates a new school and the bullying she encounters. Perfect for an audience that’s interested in what bullying is and how it affects its victims.

While there are various themes and issues explored in the novel, like single parent households, Latin representation, puberty, smoking, and domestic violence, the issue of bullying is the central theme in this story. As the title suggests, our protagonist, Piddy, is singled out by Yaqui Delgado, another student at school. Not much reason is given as to why Yaqui decides to bully Piddy, only speculation. Some think it’s because of the way she walks, others think it has something to do with Yaqui’s boyfriend, however the real reason, if there ever was one, is never revealed.

Throughout the novel we see all types of bullying like verbal, social, physical, and even cyberbullying. According to the Stop Bullying website verbal bullying is “saying or writing mean things” (Stop Bullying, 2024c). Piddy is called “stuck up”, “a skank”, and “a slut” among other things (p. 4 & 188). Some of these names come from Piddy’s bully, Yaqui while others come from other students at school.

There are also various examples of physical bullying, which is defined as “hurting a person’s body or possessions” (Stop Bullying, 2024c), which occurs several times throughout the novel. On page 49 – 51, Yaqui throws a milk carton at Piddy during their lunch period. Later (69 – 70), Yaqui rips Piddy’s necklace off her neck in the middle of the hallway. The worst instance is when Yaqui and her friends assault and beat Piddy after refusing to fight her (166 – 171). This last attack also becomes an example of both social and cyberbullying when they videotape the attack and post it online where others begin posting mean and insulting comments about Piddy. The Stop Bullying website defines social bullying as “hurting someone’s reputation or relationships”, examples include “spreading rumors about someone” and “embarrassing someone in public”, both of which happen to Piddy (Stop Bullying, 2024c). Meanwhile, according to an article published by the American Psychological Association, cyberbullying “occurs when someone uses technology to demean, inflict harm, or cause pain to another person” (Abramson, 2022), which also happens to Piddy.

We not only see the bullying itself, but the ways in which it affects its victims. Bullying victims are more likely to experience decreased academic achievement, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-harm, among other symptoms (Stop Bullying, 2024a). In Piddy’s case, we quickly see it affecting her education with one teacher reporting that she “is inattentive… has missing assignments” and “not working up to their potential” (78). This only worsens after Yaqui attacks her on the street when she stops going to school completely and begins experiencing anxiety. Because she is afraid of being attacked again, she struggles with going outside to take out the trash (183 – 184) and going to her part-time job at the salon (240 – 244). Although as readers we know Piddy’s thoughts and understand her behavior, the adults in her life are left wondering why she’s acting differently. Lila, a family friend, says it best, “… You’re not being Piddy these days. You won’t go to school. You’re fighting with your mami. You’re disappearing all the time. You don’t want to go to work” (241). This goes to show how every facet of Piddy’s life is affected by the bullying she endures at school.

Just as we see the bullying and its effects on Piddy, Medina and Vargas also show their readers a resolution. The Stop Bullying website advises adults to support the victim, address the issue immediately, find out what happened, and if needed seek medical attention (Stop Bullying, 2024b). Meanwhile, children are encouraged to stand up to their bully, tell a trusted adult (like a parent, teacher, or school counselor), and to find friends or stay in public places to avoid being bullied (Stop Bullying, 2024d). While Piddy did try to do some of these things, the problem persisted until adults were involved. In the book, the bullying was reported by a fellow student, bringing it to the attention of adults who then investigated the problem and did what was necessary for her to feel safe again in a school environment. In her case, that meant being removed from the school and placed in another where her bully did not have access to her.

Vargas’s illustrations are mostly in black and white with pops of light blue, especially for emphasis or in moments of heightened emotions. For example, her phone is the only blue thing on page 189 after Piddy sees the video of her attack online. This highlights how her phone is a source of her bullying problems. Although the attack is depicted and looks severe, it’s illustrated in a way that it is safe for young adult audiences to see. The reader can see her injuries in the form of scratches all over her body, some even remain for the rest of the story, a physical manifestation of the impact the bullying left on her life. There are depictions of partial nudity, so this book is best suited to mature young adults.

Reference List

Abramson, A. (2022). Cyberbullying: What is it and how can you stop it? https://www.apa.org/topics/bullying/cyberbullying-online-social-media

Stop Bullying. (2024a). Effects of Bullying . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved June 17, 2024 from https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects

Stop Bullying. (2024b). Respond to Bullying . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved June 17, 2024 from https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/on-the-spot

Stop Bullying. (2024c). What Is Bullying . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/what-is-bullying

Stop Bullying. (2024d). What Kids Can Do . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.stopbullying.gov/kids/what-you-can-do

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Saily Marrero, M.S.I. is the Nursing & Health Studies, Psychology, and Biology Librarian at the University of Miami. She enjoys reading Graphic Novels and Romance.