The Tequila Worm

Canales, Viola (2005). The Tequila Worm. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Sofia is a 14 year old Mexican-American girl growing up in McAllen, Texas (Hey! I live in McAllen). Like most hispanics in south Texas, she is extremely close to her family and somewhat sheltered from the world outside her barrio. Sofia is a fantastic student and a great soccer player. Because of this, she is offered a schoarship to a prestigious and elite private school in Austin, Texas. The problem is, she doesn't know if her parents will let her go. For that matter, she doesn't know if she is ready to leave. This struggle makes her stronger and she realizes that family will be family no matter what happens.  She knows that she will be the same person with the same family values even though she will be hundreds of miles away.

The author definitely uses language and vocabulary as a strong literary device. She uses many Mexican words to show the strong influence in the area Sofia lives. Dialogue between characters definitely let the reader sense how close the family was and how much the characters loved one another.