The Tequila Worm

Sofia, a Mexican-American girl from the Rio Grande Valley town of McAllen, Texas, studies while her best friend dreams of her quinceanera. To achieve her dream of attending the private academy that has awarded her a scholarship, Sofia needs $400, five new dresses, and her mother's permission. Although each of these tasks seem individually insoluble to her, through their accomplishment, she learns the value of having good comadres-and being one. The reader will follow the story of a young Sofia and cousin Berta from first communion, to Day of the Dead celebrations, and finally to Berta's quinceanera, after which Sofia exits for her private school and new experiences there. The charm, though is in the details of the quiet moments depicted with Sofia's family--telling stories from the storyteller's bag, cleaning pinto beans, and discussing the problems of the day at the sobremesa-and the excellent characterization. The reader can't help but smile at Tia Petra and her penchant for plastic, or at Sofia's bafflement of Berta's newfound enjoyment of sappy charro movies, but mild amusement is not the only emotion that will be provoked during the course of this read. Tequila Worm touches on the reality of death at various points of the story at different levels of reaction, and the reader should not be surprised to learn that this is a build-up to the climax and greatest lesson of the novel as a whole. The loosely woven chapters of The Tequila Worm are chronological, but can stand alone with their individual lessons of life with family and friends in the small Texas town of McAllen. Canales shows off excellent story-telling skills in this almost-autobiography. Sofia and the other characters feel authentic, and fresh, presenting a neighborhood life that may rarely exist outside of fiction for many of the target audience of grades six to nine. Although holding special appeal for readers of Mexican-American descent, this book has the capacity to entertain and teach a lesson in understanding one's own self to many readers, regardless of their previous experience with Mexican traditions.

This relentlessly charming first-person novel brings readers into the tightly woven fabric of life in the Tejana world, full of celebrations and food, full of joy and delight. Great writing with a consistently authentic voice of the hopeful teenage heroine.

Sophia's early years are spent with her wonderful, supportive Mexican-American family and friends in South Texas. When she has the opportunity to attend an elite boarding school on scholarship, Sophia must make a decision that will affect her future and her family. Canales combines cultural details, vivid characters, and humerous and touching situations into a realistic and involving growing-up story that transcends culture and ethnicity.

Looking for a present for a friend's daughter, I came upon The Tequila Worm. The warm, evocative prose drew me into the story of Sofia and pulled me along so smoothly that I forgot about time. I remember having read a fascinating piece in the New York Times a year ago or so about quinceanera and its place in Latino culture. I enjoyed reading about Sofia's reaction to this sort of cotillion, her apprehension of enrolling in a WASPy boarding school far from home, and her idea of applying to Harvard. Sofia lives the American Dream, but without turning her back on family. Well, I'll have to get a new copy for my friend's daughter -- my copy stays with me, even though I am an adult. I will read it again someday.

Sofia Casas, the heroine of The Tequila Worm,is the best storyteller-heroine of a young adult book since Harriet the Spy. When the book begins, Sofia is growing up in the barrio of a border town in Texas, with magical rituals and wacky relatives (imagine being wrapped in a beige blanket to go trick or treating as a bean taco!). When the opportunity to attend a fancy Anglo boarding school comes along, Sofia is eager to leave her old world behind. Her quest to persuade her family to allow her to go, and then to earn the extra money, is simultaneously funny and deeply moving. And ultimately, she learns to keep hold of her traditional culture and become a "comadre" even as she moves into a new world. Sometimes, The Tequila Worm made me laugh out loud. Sometimes it brought a lump to my throat. It's the kind of book you'll read again and again, and each time through, you'll notice something new about the exotic world it brings to life, and about the story teller's craft.