The Tequila Worm

Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. The old storyteller (Chapter 1)

2. The holy host (Chapter 3)

3. Taco head (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Berta only ever allows Sofia to take a small bite of her chocolate, but when Sofia takes a big bite on this day and ends up biting Berta’s finger, they start fighting. (Chapter 2)

2. A small hole is made in each egg, and the inside is removed. The shells are left to air dry, and then they are colored or dyed and filled with confetti or small toys. (Chapter 4)

3. Sofia’s mom thinks it is a bad idea to be a curandera for Halloween because curanderas are sacred healers and should not be treated as a bruja, or witch. (Chapter 5)

Chapters 7-11

Reading Check

1. 300 miles (Chapter 7)

2. Julia (Chapter 9)

3. Berta (Chapter 11)

Short Answer

1. Tía Petra covers her furniture and the carpet in plastic because she wants everything to stay new and last forever. She has even requested for her casket to be lined with plastic to serve as a barrier against insects and dirt after she dies. (Chapter 8)

2. Sofia and Papá clean the pinto beans for the refried beans together every Tuesday. After rinsing them, they sort through them handful by handful, carefully removing the dirt and picking out the broken ones. (Chapter 9)

3. Sofia notices that Berta has grown up; she thinks that she looks older and prettier with her makeup and bright blue dress. (Chapter 10)

Chapters 12-15

Reading Check

1. $400 (Chapter 12)

2. The hottest days of summer (Chapter 14)

3. Special cascarones (Chapter 14)

Short Answer

1. Sofia needs five dresses for formal dinners at Saint Luke’s, so Berta uses her sewing abilities to alter and create new dresses for her. (Chapter 12)

2. Sofia receives her first marriage proposal. (Chapter 13)

3. Mamá gives Sofia a bag of homemade empanadas, a box of Ibarra Mexican chocolate, and a box of items for her homemade alter. (Chapter 15)

Chapters 16-21

Reading Check

1. Sofia’s roommate (Chapter 16)

2. By bus (Chapter 18)

3. A book of poems (Chapter 19)

4. Cancer (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Items from Sofia’s alter keep appearing at the front of the church. (Chapter 16)

2. Sofia begins writing stories about her family. (Chapter 17)

3. The frozen tamales are for Mamá in case she dies in the coming year. This way, she can eat her own tamales on the Day of the Dead. (Chapter 18)

4. Sofia must wash the doll (Baby Jesus), glue it back together, and make new clothes for it. (Chapter 19)