Esperanza Rising

PAM MUÑOZ Pam Munoz is a very talented person, having received her bachelor and master degrees at Sand Diego State University. She is now married and has four children in North San Diego County. Pam was raised in San Joaquin Valley, the oldest of three sisters and has many cultures including Spanish ,Italian, and Oklahoman One interesting fact about Pam is her birthday is on Christmas Day! Pam has written over 25 books, some including Paint the Wind, Becoming Naomi Leon, Riding Freedom, and many other picture books. Riding Freedom won the California Young Reader Medal, and many of her books are bestselling.

Plot Esperanza’s papa dies when bandits attack him, and Tio Luis wants Mama to marry him to make his position of mayor more powerful. So Esperanza, Mama, Miguel, Hortensia, and Alfonso move to a Mexican Camp in California to escape from Tio Luis.

Characters and Settings Esperanza, Mama, Papa, Miguel, Abuelita, Tio, Miguel, Alfonso, and Hortensia. Settings: Their house in Mexico, and The Mexican Camp in California.

Conflict and Themes Esperanza’s Mama is very sick, and Esperanza needs enough money to send Abuelita to the camp to care for Mama. They also need to stay away from Tio to stay safe.

Grape Vineyards In the book Esperanza’s Papa owns a vineyard, where grapes grew to turn in wine. People believe grape vineyards were around as soon as people were made. The first people to use grapes were the Phocaea's. They brought things to Europe including the grape vine. France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal are known as the wine countries.

Plagues The phylloxera bug makes it hard for other countries to grow grapes, because the bug Grape phylloxera; a tiny louse destroyed all of the growing grapes. Phylloxera ate the roots of the plants, making the grape plant die. It wiped out most vineyards in Europe. Other plagues to grape vineyards are gophers, rabbits, little-leaf, and grape-berry moths.

Grape Vineyards Con. Some types of grapes are: Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, chardonnay, Chenin blanc, merlot, and pinot blanc. Grapes need a sunny area and good pruning to taste good.

QUINCEÑARAS Hispanic families celebrate their daughter’s fifteenth birthday, where she becomes a young woman, no longer a child. The woman you are celebrating for always wears a tiara, it’s a tradition. Planning for the quiencenara begins a year ahead of time, with a ceremony in a church and a reception afterwards. The dresses for the quiencenara girl are very glamorous, and it is traditional to wear a floor-length gown.

Quincenaras Quiecenaras require much preparation and organization, with decisions on flowers, music choices, and cake. The cake is usually fancy, but most bakeries sell cakes for the special occasion. Quincenara, or quince anos, means fifteen in english. There is always a dance at the party, where the girl dances with her Dad. A Quincenara is like a wedding but without a groom and a younger age.

Sources www.quincenaraparty.com www.pammunozryan.com