Story Me!
Author Meg Medina loves a good story—and she wants kids to share their favorites.
Meg Medina is the Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
Cuéntame! Translated from Spanish, it means “story me.” Author Meg Medina says it’s important to share stories, whether from books or from real life.
“‘Cuéntame’ is a phrase we use when you’re sitting down with a friend you haven’t seen in a while,” Medina says. “And you say ‘Bueno, cuéntame, so tell me what’s happening.’ … I love that idea because that is what I’m asking: ‘Story me up.’ Tell me the books that you love, [and] I’m going to tell you some of the books that I love.”
Medina is doing a lot of that these days. As the 2023–2024 Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, it’s her job to highlight the importance of children’s books. She calls her approach to the job “Cuéntame! Let’s Talk Books.” And she regularly visits schools and encourages kids to read and share stories with each other.
Growing up in a storytelling family is what led Medina to become an author.
“I came to writing through stories in my family,” she said. “I had very talkative Cuban aunts and grandmothers and mother, and they did a lot of talking and storytelling in the house. And that just developed my ear for story.”
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden (left) interviewed Meg Medina at the start of Medina’s term as ambassador in January 2023.
Today, she writes books for all ages. Her 2018 book, Merci Suárez Changes Gears, about a girl facing all the changes that come with starting middle school, won the Newbery Medal—one of the highest honors in children’s literature. But everyone has stories to tell—not just writers. And when Medina talks to kids, she wants to hear theirs.
“[I want kids to know] I’m listening, I’m listening. I’m listening to what their passions are, to what interests them, and I’m really interested in being in conversation with them,” she said. “I’m part of their reading family. That feels really exciting.”
