Esperanza Rising

            A book that I have recently finished is Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan.  This book is about a young girl who is very rich in Mexico. One day a tragedy strikes her family.  They have nothing left and they have to come to the United States to work.  Esperanza is heartbroken.  She doesn’t’ know how to work because she has always been waited on, so having to come to the United States and take care of herself is very difficult. Her mother becomes very ill so she must start to support her family.  With the help of close friends Esperanza is able to overcome her troubles and support her family. Esperanza is a mature young woman determined to help her family. 

            When her mother gets sick, Esperanza realizes that she must work and soon. You see how determined and brave she is when she says, “’I could work in the fields or in the sheds and Melina and Irene have already offered to watch Pepe and Lupe…I am tall.  I’ll wear my hair up.  They won’t know.’”  (p.166) This quote clearly illustrates the fact that Esperanza realizes that she must support her family if she is going to be able to pay the bills and help her mom survive. Also, Esperanza knows that if her mother is truly going to get better she needs to bring her Abuelita up from Mexico.  This fuels her need of work, to bring her family back together.  This shows how mature and determined Esperanza is. 

            In conclusion, Esperanza Rising is a very inspirational book about troubles and hard times and how to overcome them.  I recommend this book to nine years old and up because some parts are very sad, like when she loses her father and when her uncles try to hurt her family.  This book is very inspirational and I highly recommend it.