num_pages: 5
description: Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a young girl could fancy dresses; a beautiful home filled with servants in the bountiful region of Aguascalientes, Mexico; and the promise of one day rising to Mama’s position and presiding over all of El Rancho de las Rosas.But a sudden tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. There they confront the challenges of hard work, acceptance by their own people, and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression.  When Mama falls ill from Valley Fever and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must relinquish her hold on the past and learn to embrace a future ripe with the riches of family and community.
language: English
title: Esperanza Rising
titlecomplete: Esperanza Rising
genres: Family, Fiction, Cultural, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, School
ratings_count: 98366
places: Los Angeles area, California, Aguascalientes
awards: awardedAt: 978336000000
name: Jane Addams Children's Book Award
category: Older Children, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: California Young Readers Medal
category: Middle School/Junior High, awardedAt: 978336000000
name: Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature, awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: Pura Belpré Award
category: Narrative
publisher: Listening Library