On her website, Meg Medina – who won the Pura Belpré Award for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, and received a Belpré Honor for Mango, Abuela and Me — describes herself as a “Latina author of libros for kids of all ages.”

Libros, of course, is Spanish for books, and Medina’s use of both languages speaks to her passionate belief that her books about Latinas are both specific and universal. Her new novel, Burn Baby Burn, tells the story of high school senior Nora Lopez and her struggles with family, money, love, and the question of what to do next, as well as what it was like to live in the dangerous, chaotic, and exciting New York City of 1977. From her home in Richmond, Va., Medina spoke with PW about her new YA book and how it reflects her larger writing interest, which is family as seen through the lens of Latina teenagers.

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