Characters & Relationships
Who are the three toddlers Santiago babysits in Chapter 1?
Jesús, Apolo, and Artemisa
Why does Tía Roberta send Santiago away at the start of the story?
Tío Ysidro lost his job because Tía insulted the boss's wife, so they can no longer afford to keep Santiago
What border town do Santiago, María Dolores, and Alegría travel through before crossing into the U.S.?
Capaz
What object does María Dolores give Santiago to hold as a promise she will return while he works in the cantina?
A black lava stone smoothed into a flattened heart, passed down through her family
What memory from age four does the sound of rain always bring back to Santiago?
Dancing barefoot in a downpour with his mother Sofinda, catching rain in their mouths and singing silly songs
What is the name of the woman Santiago meets at the food truck who shares her meal with him?
María Dolores Piedra Reyes
How does Santiago spend the bus fare coins Tía gives him instead of going to la malvada's house?
He buys bread, raw meat scraps, and a small Coca-Cola, then sleeps in an abandoned shack
What kind of danger does the perfectly groomed dirt road in Chapter 13 represent, and how do they cross it?
It records footprints for border patrol; they cross walking backward while Santiago sweeps it with a chamisa branch
What does young Alegría ask when she first accepts Santiago, and what method does he use to tie her shoe?
She asks if Santiago is her new brother; he ties her shoe using bunny ears and a poem about a rabbit hiding from a coyote
Why does Santiago decide NOT to return to Capaz after the car crash, even though the desert is dangerous?
He recognizes the gold-watch brothers' thugs may have seen him, and going back means returning to his old life
What does Santiago call his grandmother, and what does the nickname mean
La malvada ( it means "the evil one")
What causes Domínguez to slam on the brakes and nearly kick the cowboy out of the car?
The cowboy called Domínguez a murderer for the deaths of a previous crossing group
Where do the three travelers sleep at the end of Chapter 13 after crossing the border?
In a cave inside a slot canyon at the base of the mountain range
What hidden gift does Don José slip beneath Santiago's ice cream bar when they leave Capaz?
A twenty-dollar U.S. bill, which Santiago hides in his sock
What promise does Santiago make to María Dolores in the cave in Chapter 14?
He promises to take care of Alegría if anything happens to María Dolores, and agrees to stay and live with them
What is the name of María Dolores's young daughter who travels with them?
Alegría
How does the group's car crossing come to a violent end in Chapter 10?
A white SUV driven by armed men shoots at them and runs the station wagon off the road, killing Domínguez
What critical problem does Santiago notice about their water supply in Chapter 15?
They have barely more than one full bottle left
(far less than they realized)
What does Santiago confess to Alegría on the bus about reading, and what does she offer to teach him?
He cannot read at all; Alegría offers to teach him to read their names
How does Santiago's attitude toward money differ from María Dolores's, and what does she say about it?
Santiago was raised to see himself as a burden; María Dolores says money buys neither happiness nor love, and that he is worth spending it on
What is the name of the coyote Santiago selects to guide them across the border?
Domínguez
What does Santiago discover when he scouts the slot canyon in Chapter 15?
The canyon walls narrow until there is no path through, so they must climb over the mountain range instead
What landmark does Santiago spot from the mountain summit at dawn in Chapter 15 that gives them a destination?
A faint road running behind a flat-topped mesa with symmetrically sloping sides
What lighter does Santiago pocket near the overturned car, and who did it belong to?
Domínguez's lighter, which Santiago later uses to start fires during their desert journey
What is the name of Santiago's mother, and how did she die?
Sofinda Reyes de la Luz; she was hit by a car running a red light while crossing the street holding five-year-old Santiago's hand