Meg Medina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meg Medina
|
|
|---|---|
Medina in 2023
|
|
| Born |
Margaret Rose Medina
June 11, 1963 |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Newbery Medalist 2019 |
| Spouse(s) | Javier Menéndez |
| Children | 3 |
Meg Medina is an American author who writes books for children and young adults. Her stories often celebrate Latino culture and the experiences of young people. She was chosen as the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature for 2023 and 2024.
Meg Medina won the important John Newbery Medal in 2019 for her book Merci Suárez Changes Gears. She also received the Pura Belpré Award for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your ... in 2014. Her book Mango, Abuela and Me was honored with a Pura Belpré Award in 2016.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Meg Medina was born in 1963. She is the younger of two daughters. Her parents, Lidia Regla Metauten and Juan Norberto Medina, came from Cuba in the early 1960s. Her parents separated before she was born.
Her mother moved with her children to Queens, New York. Other family members from Cuba later joined them there. Medina often uses her early life experiences in her books. These stories explore themes like immigration and family challenges. They also touch on being separated from loved ones and facing money problems.
Medina went to P.S. 22 and Junior High School 189 in Queens. In high school, she briefly reconnected with her father. She attended Seekonk High School in Massachusetts.
She started college at Hunter College in New York City. Later, she transferred to Queens College to finish her degree. She studied Communication Arts and English Writing. In 1983, she married Javier Menendez, a friend from childhood. She graduated the next year.
Meg Medina's Writing Career
Medina first worked as an assistant at a publishing company. Then, she taught for ten years in New York City Public Schools. After moving to Florida in 1988, she taught in the School District of Palm Beach County.
She also started writing as a freelance journalist. She wrote for magazines like iCE Magazine and South Florida Parenting. In 1998, her family moved to Richmond, Virginia. There, Medina began focusing on writing fiction for young readers.
First Books and Awards
Medina's first book for middle schoolers was Milagros: Girl from Away. It was published in 2008. She then started working with Candlewick Press. Her picture book Tia Isa Wants a Car won the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award in 2011. This book was based on her aunt buying a family car.
Her young adult novel, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your ..., tells the story of Piddy Sanchez. Piddy faces a tough school bully. This book won the Pura Belpré Award in 2014. It also received the International Latino Book Awards for Best YA Fiction in English.
Her picture book Mango, Abuela, and Me was honored in 2016. It is about a Spanish-speaking grandmother and her English-speaking granddaughter.
Later Works and Recognition
Medina's young adult historical fiction novel Burn Baby Burn came out in 2016. It is about 17-year-old Nora Lopez. She tries to survive the summer of 1977. ..... This book was considered for the National Book Award.
In 2019, Medina won the Newbery Medal for Merci Suárez Changes Gears. This middle grade novel shows the life of 12-year-old Merci Suárez. She deals with daily challenges with her Cuban-American family. They also face her beloved grandfather's Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Medina has always supported more diverse books for children. She has helped new authors and worked on reading programs for the Latino community. She was a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. She also served as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature from 2023 to 2024.
Awards and Special Recognition
Meg Medina has received many awards for her books:
- Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for Tia Isa Wants a Car (2012)
- Cybils Award for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your ... (2013)
- Pura Belpré Award for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your ... (2014)
- Latino Book Award for Best Young Adult Fiction Book for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your ... (2014)
- Pura Belpré Award Author Honor Book for Mango, Abuela and Me (2016)
- National Book Award longlist for Burn Baby Burn (2016)
- Newbery Medal for Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2019)
- Charlotte Huck Honor Book for Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2019)
- Appointed National Ambassador for Children's Literature (2023-2024)
Meg Medina's Books
- Tia Isa Wants a Car (2011)
- Tia Isa quiere un carro (2012)
- The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind (2012)
- Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your ... (2013)
- Mango, Abuela and Me (2015)
- Mango, Abuela Y Yo (2015)
- Burn Baby Burn (2016)
- Yaqui Delgado quiere darte una paliza (2016)
- Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2018)
- Merci Suárez se pone las pilas (2020)
- Evelyn del Rey is Moving Away (2020)
- Evelyn del Rey se muda (2020)
- She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor (2021)
- Merci Suárez Can't Dance (2021)
- Merci Suárez Plays It Cool (2022)
- Merci Suárez No Sabe Bailar (2022)
- She Persisted: Pura Belpré (2023) with Marilisa Jiménez García
- No More Señora Mimí (2024)
- No más Señora Mimí (2024)
- Merci Suárez se hace sa lista (2025)
Books She Contributed To
Meg Medina has also written stories for these collections:
- Been There, Done That, edited by Mike Winchell (2016)
- Flying Lessons & Other Stories, edited by Ellen Oh (2017)
- The Radical Element, edited by Jessica Spotswood (2018)
- The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth, edited by Cheryl and Wade Hudson (2020)
- Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed, edited by Saraciea Fennell (2021)
- A Little Bit Super, edited by Leah Henderson and Gary Schmidt (2024)
