Esperanza Rising

Ryan, P. M. (2000). Esperanza Rising. New York City, NY: Scholastic.

Esperanza Rising is a book about a girl living in Mexico who is forced to leave home after her father dies and her house burns down from a fire. There is a constant struggle as she moves to a new place where she is no longer considered rich. Esperanza has to learn to work as her mother gets sick and is put into a hospital. In the end, Esperanza learns how to be happier when Miguel brings her grandma to the United States to live with them.

The book is one of high quality literature in the fact that the book allows student's to walk in someone else's shoes. The book also draws student's in as Esperanza's struggles are similar to struggles they have to deal with in their daily lives. The book is stereotypical in the way it portray's Mexican's in America as being poor and having to work only in the fields. The book also is based off of the author's own personal experience which obviously leads to bias.

The girl in the story Esperanza seems to struggle with being content and happy. Despite her situations, she always is thinking about unrealistic expectations that later turn out differently then she expected. Esperanza is a delightful character in that she represents what seems to be most of the middle school population as they challenge ideas and authority and question life. Esperanza though she is a SUPER COMPLAINER! follows through with what she is asked of and doesn't resist despite her complaining. In a way, it teaches student's that we all go through bad times, but that doesn't mean you can back out of something just because it's difficult.

The book didn't have any illustrations, but the illustrations that seemed to arise from reading the book was that of a Mexican family living in a shanty hut, eating poor man's food and waiting to go work. The author's writings made the dirt come alive and the tastes and smells stick on each of the pages. Actually, sometimes, I wanted to put the book down because it seemed all too realistic, as if you were stepping into Esperanza's hard world. 

My reading buddy also read this book along with me; and she absolutely enjoyed it. She enjoyed the facts like Esperanza struggling to sweep and her journey to a new land. 

The age appropriateness of this book would be ages 9-13

Lexile Level: 750L 

Mini Lesson: I would use this book to have a discussion about "Have you ever had a situation where you had to leave somewhere you were comfortable to go to somewhere that made you uncomfortable? How did that make you feel? What was it like? How did the other people treat you? Were there things that contributed to making you feel comfortable/uncomfortable? How can we help others adjust to the United States if we know they are new here? 

Literary Elements: 
Tone: Uncomfortable, Complaining, Adventure, Sadness, Joy, Earthy
Setting: Rich Mexico, Poor United States
Characters: Array from young to old, Mexican's- hard working, caring for families, love, appreciation, heritage