Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. Scholastic Inc. New York, 2000.

                Author Pam Munoz Ryan puts a spin on the classic tale of “a rich girl who loses everything” story in her adolescent novel, Esperanza Rising. The story begins with wealthy, spoiled Esperanza anticipating her fourteenth birthday; she lives in Mexico, and her father owns a thriving vineyard. Although Esperanza loves the family help, especially her crush, Miguel, she is stuck in a hierarchical mentality that leads her to believe her superiority over Miguel and his family. Esperanza is very close to her father, and she is devastated when her father is unjustly killed by some robbers. Adding to her grief, her evil uncles threaten to destroy her family’s life if her mother does not marry one of them. After her two uncles burn down their family home, Esperanza, her mother, and Miguel’s family move to California to escape their wrath. Although they successfully enter America, their transition is not as smooth as Esperanza anticipated because of the language barrier between Spanish and English, as well as unfamiliar financial issues during the Great Depression. Furthermore, Esperanza has a difficult time adjusting to being poor and feeling insignificant in a new country, which is only worsens when her mother gets sick, and Esperanza needs to work to help her family.

                Overall, Ryan’s novel is certainly appropriate for middle school students; the reading level is not particularly challenging, but its themes of perseverance and growing into a better person are interesting and relatable. However, I think that this novel could be a challenge for teachers to use in a classroom because it is definitely more female-centered, and Esperanza is a character that, especially in the beginning, can be difficult to relate to. Although I think that sometimes unlikeable characters are interesting, I think that some young people, may resign her to filling the role of an irritating and spoiled young girl.