The Tequila Worm

Canales, Viola. 2005. THE TEQUILA WORM. New York: Random House Children's Books. ISBN 0385909055.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Viola Canales' first novel is a delightful look into the life of a young Mexican-American girl named Sofia. The men, women, and children in The Tequila Worm are drawn with great care to develop them fully into believable, easily recognizable characters. Sofia and her adoring younger sister, Lucy, live in a tidy house in a barrio in McAllen, Texas with their mother and father. The family dynamic is one of love and support for each other, their extended family, and their neighbors.

Each chapter in the book is presented as a vignette; a situation, event, or occasion that provides the reader with a peek into the lives of the characters, revealing their true natures and their feelings for each other. Colorful descriptions make the characters come alive. "Clara had a square face on top of a big round body, and the biggest eyes and the widest mouth: she was especially proud of her catfish mouth, which she painted scarlet. She wore a big black onyx tongue around her neck" (p. 1). Thus we are introduced to Clara, the storyteller in the very first chapter. The themes of strong family ties and respect and support for others flows from the day to day interactions of Sofia, Lucy, their cousin, Berta, and their parents. Once childhood rivals, Sofia and Berta grow close enough to become comadres, or "Someone who makes people into a family" (p. 5). When Sofia is given an opportunity to attend a boarding school in Austin, she gets help with her wardrobe from Berta, an accomplished seamstress. In turn, Sofia helps Berta prepare for her quinceanera.

The author sprinkles Spanish words and phrases in an unobtrusive way throughout the book to bring the barrio to life. References to the sobremesa, a time after dinner for the family to share, and the canicula, the forty days between July fourteenth and August twenty-fourth, are just two examples of this practice. The use of the Spanish words for grandmother(abuelita), waltz (vals), and witch (burja), are a few examples that add a Latin flavor to Sofia's story and enhances the barrio setting.

Strong family ties, and a solid grounding in the barrio community, give Sofia the courage to attend boarding school far from home, endure discrimination and bullying, cope with the death of her father, and aspire to college and law school.

AWARDS

Pura Belpre Award 2006

ALA Notable Books for Children 2006

PEN Center USA West Literary Awards 2006

REVIEW EXCERPTS

"Readers of all backgrounds will easily connect with Sofia as she grows up, becomes a comadre, and helps rebuild the powerful, affectionate community that raised her." - Booklist

"Touching on elements of mysticism but never allowing conventions or symbols to detract from her characters, Canales creates a delightfully stirring first novel." - Voice of Youth Advocates

BOOK HOOK

>Visit the blog, Latina YA, at http://latinaya.blogspot.com to learn more about literature for young Latinas including author biographies, book reviews, and discussion groups.

>Learn more about Mexican-American customs, like the quinceanera, the Day of the Dead celebration, and the Christmas nacimiento. Compare these with similar practices in Western, European, African and other cultures.