Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. Candlewick Press, 2013., 260 pages.

Piddi Sanchez is in a new school when one day, in a hall crowded and noisy between classes, a girl she thinks is named Vanesa jumps in front of her and says "Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass". Then Vanesa disappears into the crowd before Piddi can even ask "Who is Yaqui Delgado?".
Piddi needs to learn how to navigate this-- as well as other life situations-- the best friend she left behind seems to be moving on; her mother works all the time and Piddi cannot talk to her anymore; Hair salon chisme leads to a terrible revelation about the father she never met-- and more. A quick read sprinkled with spanish slang terms that do not always work in english (caramel) I loved this coming of age story that stays real about bullying and the behavior of adults, the predicaments kids find themselves in and the limits and possibilities of school anti bullying and discipline policies. Loved it.

Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes. Chronicle Books, 2010. 224 pages.

With her mom working in Costa Rica for the summer and her father dead, 12 year old Izzy is visiting her nana and her mom's home village in New Mexico for the first time. Izzy hopes to find out more about her father----(her mom is secretive) and in the process she learns about herself-- her family and her heritage. Full of el sabor de la south west, Izzy visits her ancestral village, hears the folklore and sees the old ways, learns to cook, meets her nana- a seer and curandera, visits with her father's ghost, improves her relationship with her mom, and finds friendship and love. yes, the storyline is somewhat predictable but this is a sweet and gentle story appropriate for the 10-13 year olds-- a time when we all tried to figure out who we were, where we came from and how we would fit in. i really enjoyed this book and recommended it to two 6th grade girls (neither of whom are latino) who like to read and are curious about the world around them. They loved it too. **includes a glossary of common spanish words and an easy tortilla recipe.