Esperanza Rising - By Pam Munoz Ryan ( Paperback )

About the Book

Esperanza Ortega lives in a beautiful home filled with servants and the promise of one day presiding over all of Rancho de las Rosas. But tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and Mama to flee from Mexico to California and settle in a farm labor camp.

Book Synopsis

Esperanza Rising joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!

Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances-because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

Review Quotes

Awards and Praise for Esperanza Rising:

Pura Belpré Award Winner

Américas Award Honor Book

Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winner

Willa Cather Award Winner

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist

ILA Notable Book for a Global Society

ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

* Told in a lyrical, fairy tale-like style . . . Readers will be swept up. --Publishers Weekly, starred review

* This well-written novel belongs in all collections. -- School Library Journal, starred review

Ryan writes a moving story in clear, poetic language that children will sink into, and the book offers excellent opportunities for discussion and curriculum support. -- Booklist

Ryan's... style is engaging, her characters appealing, and her story is one that-though a deep-rooted part of the history of California, the Depression, and thus the nation-is little heard in children's fiction. It bears telling to a wider audience. -- Kirkus Reviews

Awards and Praise for Esperanza Rising: Pura Belpré Award WinnerAméricas Award Honor BookJane Addams Children's Book Award WinnerWilla Cather Award WinnerLos Angeles Times Book Prize FinalistILA Notable Book for a Global SocietyALA Top Ten Best Books for Young AdultsNew York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and SharingA Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year* Told in a lyrical, fairy tale-like style . . . Readers will be swept up. --Publishers Weekly, starred review* This well-written novel belongs in all collections. -- School Library Journal, starred reviewRyan writes a moving story in clear, poetic language that children will sink into, and the book offers excellent opportunities for discussion and curriculum support. -- BooklistRyan's... style is engaging, her characters appealing, and her story is one that-though a deep-rooted part of the history of California, the Depression, and thus the nation-is little heard in children's fiction. It bears telling to a wider audience. -- Kirkus Reviews

About The Author

Pam Muñoz Ryan is the recipient of the Newbery Honor Medal and the Kirkus Prize for her New York Times bestselling novel, Echo, as well as the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award and the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for multicultural literature for her body of work. Her celebrated novels, Echo, Esperanza Rising, The Dreamer, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi Léon, and Paint the Wind, have received countless accolades, among them two Pura Belpré Awards, a NAPPA Gold Award, a Jane Addams Children's Book Award, and two Américas Awards. Her acclaimed picture books include Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride and When Marian Sang, both illustrated by Brian Selznick, and Tony Baloney, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham, as well as a beginning reader series featuring Tony Baloney. Ryan lives near San Diego, California, with her family.