Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. 304 p. Scholastic Inc., March, 2000.
Happy Thursday! #tbt features Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. This work of historical fiction was inspired by the author's grandmother's immigration experience during the Great Depression.
Esperanza lives with her parents and grandmother on a ranch in Mexico. She's about to turn thirteen and wants for nothing. All that changes when her father is murdered and her uncle claims that Esperanza's mother cannot inherit and run the ranch. When Esperanza's mother refuses his proposal of marriage, he threatens her and shortly afterward, the ranch burns to the ground, injuring Esperanza's grandmother. The only option is for the family to flee Mexico to California along with other Mexicans seeking a better life in the U.S.
Esperanza does not adapt well to the changes in her circumstances and is quick to judge those she deems are beneath her. Life is hard in California and Esperanza desperately wishes her grandmother could join them. But how can that happen with her uncle discovering their whereabouts?
Esperanza Rising won the Jane Addams Award as well as the Pura Belpré Award.
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