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Learn more about Meg Medina's life, writing, and activities as National Ambassador through these Library of Congress resources and services.
Meg Medina is a Cuban-American author who writes for readers of all ages. Her middle-grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears received a Newbery Medal and was a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year, among many other distinctions. Its sequel, Merci Suárez Can’t Dance, received five starred reviews, while Merci Suárez Plays It Cool received four stars, with Kirkus calling it “a fabulous finale to a memorable trilogy.”
Her picture book Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away received honors including the 2021–2022 Charlotte Zolotow Award and was the 2020 Jumpstart Read for the Record selection, reaching 2.24 million readers. She received a 2016 Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for her picture book Mango, Abuela, and Me. Her young adult novel Burn Baby Burn earned numerous distinctions, including being longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award and shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize. She is the 2014 recipient of the Pura Belpré Author Award and a 2013 Cybils Award winner for her young adult novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which was published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas. Meg Medina also received the 2012 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for her picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car and an Honorary Patron of Letters Degree from the Library of Virginia for "significant contributions to the fields of history, library science, the literary arts or archival science."
Meg Medina’s work examines how cultures and identity intersect through the eyes of young people. Medina brings her audiences stories that are culturally specific and universal. While her stories mostly feature protagonists who are strong girls, Medina’s stories are relatable to all people who decide to pick up her book.
When she is not writing, Meg Medina works on community projects that support girls, Latino youth, and literacy. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.
The following Library of Congress news releases provide more information about Meg Medina's activities as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.
Blog posts about Meg Medina, including posts about her activities as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, are listed below.
The Library of Congress website hosts a number of webcasts, podcasts, and other video featuring Meg Medina. These are listed below.
The Library of Congress holds a number of books by Meg Medina in its physical collections. A selected bibliography of books by Medina held in the Library of Congress's general collections follows below. Additional copies of books by Medina are held in the Library's Young Readers Center.
You can identify additional materials by Meg Medina by searching the Library of Congress Online Catalog using the following heading:
The Library's subscription databases, available only to on-campus users, include many articles, interviews, essays, and literary criticism related to Meg Medina's life and work. If you need assistance locating resources related to Medina in these databases or in our physical collections, please contact us using our Ask a Librarian service.
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to online content are included when available.
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass: the Graphic Novel by 
Merci Suárez Can't Dance by 
She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor by 
Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by 
Merci Suárez Changes Gears by 
Mango, Abuela, and Me by 
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by 
The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind by If you would like to contact Jason Reynolds please direct your inquiries as suggested below:
Meg Medina
c/o Candlewick Press
99 Dover Street
Somerville, MA 02144
