Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. In the beginning of the story, who does Jaime learn has died?

2. What US state do the children decide to flee to?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Jaime’s family know the gang means when they say that they want Jaime and his cousin to “deliver a gift to a friend”? (Chapters 1-3)

2. What is Jaime’s grandmother’s plan to deal with the Alphas, and why does the family reject this plan?

3. How does Jaime’s aunt use her skills as a seamstress to help Jaime and Ángela prepare for their journey north?

Paired Resource

“Childhood Stolen by Street Gangs”

• This article by Ioan Grillo, writing for the United Nations Refugee Agency, explains how gangs in Central America target children with violence, forcing the children to flee their homes. (Content Warning: This resource contains mentions of threatened sexual violence against children. Depending on your group and setting, this might be best utilized as a teacher-appropriate, not student-facing, resource.)
• This resource relates to the themes of The Drug Trade’s Impact on Central American Families and Children and The Experience of Migration.