Chapters 1-12

Reading Check

1. A pair of jeans (Chapter 1)

2. “[T]hose who weren’t afraid to see his ugliness” (Chapter 5)

3. Because he is not good with farming or ranch work (Chapter 6)

4. That they will be the first man and woman in the family to graduate from school (Chapter 7)

5. A soccer jersey and a carving knife (Chapter 9)

6. Because he had never seen her take off her Virgen de Guadalupe medallion in his “whole life” (Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. Miguel wakes up on his birthday morning expecting to see a few presents from his grandmother; instead, he sees an envelope on the ground with a letter from his father telling him it is “time” for him to cross the border. (Chapter 1)

2. Before, Miguel dreamed that he would become a famous, rich soccer player. Now, he believes that his dream is “dead” since he lost a spot on the local team. (Chapters 2-5)

3. Elena is Miguel’s 13-year-old sister whom he worries about because she never really had a relationship with her mother.