What happens in the book Esperanza Rising? The book follows the story of a young Mexican girl who is forced to flee Mexico after her father's death. She ends up in a work camp in Oklahoma, where she learns lessons about the lower class and life. She is also faced with the injustices that migrants face.

This book's Lexile measure is 750L and is frequently taught in the 6th to 8th grade.

On one important level Esperanza Rising is a heartwarming story of a young girl who learns the importance of love and sacrifice for family and friends, but on another level it is also a lesson in the cultural as well as personal struggles that poor families, especially immigrants and farm laborers, must experience.

The book was inspired by some actual events, the results of my research, and my own imagination. (It will be helpful for the reader to read the author's note in the back of the book.) Although the book is based loosely on my grandmother's immigration and parallels her story, Esperanza Rising is a work of fiction.