“Storytelling is important because that’s the way we continue tradition.” - Paulina
Being a story teller is a true talent and children’s author, Meg Medina, shares her gift with us in this week’s episode. We talk about how many of Meg’s stories are inspired by the memories & traditions she created & learned in her own family, how we can tap into our inner child to unleash our creativity and why we need Latinx voices in the book world. Plus she shares about her new book, “Merci Suarez Can’t Dance” and a few of her other titles that are favorite bedtimes stories in our homes too!
More about Meg: Meg Medina is an award-winning Cuban-American author who writes picture books and middle-grade and young adult fiction. Her middle-grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears received a Newbery Medal and was a New York Times Notable Children’s Book of the Year, an International Latino Book Award nominee, and a Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature finalist, among many other distinctions. About this sequel, Meg Medina says, “I’m so excited to bring my readers into the world of the Suárez family and Seaward Pines once again. . . . New friends, new teachers, and new self-doubts. It’s been a thrill to write about all the zany things that the seventh grade can throw at a person.”
Her most recent picture book, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, published in September 2020 to several starred reviews. Her young adult novel Burn Baby Burn earned numerous distinctions, including being long-listed for the 2016 National Book Award and short-listed 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. She also received the 2012 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for her picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car.
Meg Medina’s work examines how cultures intersect through the eyes of young people, and she brings audiences stories that speak to both what is unique in Latino culture and qualities that are universal. Her favorite protagonists are strong girls. In March 2014, she was recognized as one of the CNN 10 Visionary Women in America. In November 2014, she was named one of Latino Stories’ Top Ten Latino Authors to Watch.
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.
Our Favorite Titles from Meg Medina
Her newest book - Merci Suarez Can’t Dance
April is Independent Book Store Month! Learn more about how you can support at indiebound.org and to find an independent bookstore near you.
LINKS
Follow Meg on Instagram @megmedinabooks and on Twitter @Meg_Medina - she’s most active there!
Visit MegMedina.com to order her books directly and for more news, events and resources on all things children’s literature.
