Novel Ties: A Study Guide

Novel •Ties
Esperanza Rising
Pam MuÑoz Ryan
A Study Guide
Written By Lois Hoffman
Edited by Joyce Friedland and Rikki Kessler
LEARNING LINKS INC.
2300 Marcus Avenue • New Hyde Park • New York 11042
ESPERANZA RISING
For the Teacher
This reproducible study guide consists of lessons to use in conjunction with

the novel Esperanza Rising. Written in chapter-by-chapter format, the guide contains
a synopsis, pre-reading activities, vocabulary and comprehension exercises, as well as
extension activities to be used as follow-up to the novel.
In a homogeneous classroom, whole class instruction with one title is

appropriate. In a heterogeneous classroom, reading groups should be formed: each
group works on a different novel at its reading level. Depending upon the length of time
devoted to reading in the classroom, each novel, with its guide and accompanying les-
sons, may be completed in three to six weeks.
Begin using NOVEL-TIES for guided reading by distributing the novel and
a folder to each child. Distribute duplicated pages of the study guide for students to
place in their folders. After examining the cover and glancing through the book,
students can participate in several pre-reading activities. Vocabulary questions
should be considered prior to reading a chapter or group of chapters; all other work
should be done after the chapter has been read. Comprehension questions can be
answered orally or in writing. The classroom teacher should determine the amount of
work to be assigned, always keeping in mind that readers must be nurtured and that
the ultimate goal is encouraging students’ love of reading.
The benefits of using NOVEL-TIES are numerous. Students read good

literature in the original, rather than in abridged or edited form. The good reading
habits will be transferred to the books students read independently. Passive readers
become active, avid readers.
Novel-Ties® are printed on recycled paper.
The purchase of this study guide entitles an individual teacher to reproduce pages for
use in a classroom. Reproduction for use in an entire school or school system or for commercial
use is prohibited. Beyond the classroom use by an individual teacher, reproduction, transmittal
or retrieval of this work is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.
Copyright © 2003, 2006 by LEARNING LINKS INC.

ESPERANZA RISING
SYNOPSIS
Thirteen-year-old Esperanza has a wonderful life with Mama, Papa, and her
grandmother Abuelita on their ranch in Mexico. Even though it is 1930 and most of the
world is suffering in the grip of the Great Depression, the family is wealthy enough to
employ servants; Esperanza is always beautifully dressed. She and her best friend
Marisol Rodríguez are looking forward to their presentation parties when they become
fifteen.
All this is changed when Papa and some of his workers are ambushed and
killed. Tío Luis, Esperanza’s unscrupulous uncle, wants to marry Mama, take over the
ranch, and send Esperanza away. As a way of threatening Esperanza and Mama, he sets
the ranch on fire. Mama and Esperanza, along with their servants Hortensia and Alfonso,
and their son Miguel, escape to California. Abuelita is too ill to accompany them.
With few choices available to them, Mama and Esperanza join Hortensia’s family
and other Mexican immigrants as farm laborers, subsisting on extremely low wages and
living in poor and crowded conditions. Esperanza struggles to adapt to her new life despite
crippling difficulties. There is a strike which causes disagreements and hard feelings
among the workers and a terrible and destructive dust storm. Mama develops a serious
lung disease, causing her to be hospitalized for five months. Esperanza also comes face
to face with the Americans’ prejudice against Mexicans when she discovers that not all
migrant workers are treated in the same way.
Although life around her becomes extremely bleak, Esperanza has positive
experiences. She makes friends with Isabel. She also develops many skills, such as taking
care of babies and doing household chores. Finally, with the help of Miguel, Abuelita is
reunited with her family. Through the losses she suffers and the new experiences she has,
Esperanza becomes a different person. She matures into a courageous, generous, opti-
mistic, and determined young woman, ready to face the challenges and joys of the future.
LEARNING LINKS INC. 1

ESPERANZA RISING
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Mexican Revolution of 1910
For most of Mexico’s history, a small minority of the population controlled the
country’s power and wealth, while the majority of the country lived in poverty. The gulf
between the rich and poor grew wider under the leadership of General Porfirio Diaz. He
was challenged by Francisco Madero who led a series of strikes throughout Mexico.
Although Diaz was pressured into holding an election in 1910, in which Madero
was able to gather a significant number of votes, he imprisoned Madero and maintained
control of the government. The insurgency continued, however, and Diaz resigned in 1911.
Madero was elected president and hoped to implement land reforms in which
some land owned by the wealthy would be redistributed to the poor. Impatient for land
reform to begin, Emiliano Zapata usurped Madero and immediately chased out estate
owners and divided their lands among the peasants.
During this time, Mexico remained in great disorder. The country broke into
many factions and guerrilla units roamed across the country, destroying and burning
large haciendas and ranchos. Madero was taken prisoner and executed while different
factions fought for presidential control.
In 1917, Venustiano Carranza rose to the presidency and organized an
important convention whose attendees drafted a constitution that is still in effect. It
established a farm cooperative program that redistributed much of the country’s land
from the wealthy land holders to the peasants.
November 20th is celebrated as a national holiday in Mexico, commemorating
the day when Madero denounced President Diaz, declared himself president of Mexico,
and called for a national insurrection.
The Great Depression

The prosperity and the economic policies of the 1920s in the United States sur-
prisingly led to the crash of the stock market in 1929 and the Great Depression that fol-
lowed. Since the wages of farmers and unskilled workers had not grown during the time
of prosperity, there were more goods on the market than could be bought. Europe, still in
debt following World War I, could not buy America’s goods. When there are more goods on
the market than can be consumed, prices fall. Also, easy lending policies allowed people
to borrow money for homes, household goods, and stocks well beyond their means.
The collapse of the stock market in the United States had a domino effect on
the economy. Farmers in Texas, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma,
and Missouri, unable to invest money in their land, which was suffering from drought
conditions, were forced to abandon their farms to become part of the migrant labor force
that moved to the west coast of the United States. Willing to accept lower wages and
poorer working conditions than their Mexican and Mexican-American counterparts, they
successfully competed for existing jobs on the cotton and fruit farms in California and
Oregon. Poverty and unemployent lasted until 1941, the year America entered World War
II and began to spend heavily on national defense.
During the height of the depression, there were sixteen million people unem-
ployed in America. This was about one-third of the labor force at that time. Since federal
programs for unemployment insurance and social security did not yet exist, the effects of
the Great Depression were devastating.

ESPERANZA RISING
GLOSSARY OF SPANISH WORDS
abuelita grandmother
aguacate avocado
almendra almond
arroz rice
buena suerte good luck
burro donkey
calabaza squash plant
campesinos peasants
cebolla onion
ciruela plum
compañero close friend and companion
cosecha harvest
dedos fingers
durazno peach
esparragos asparagus
fantasma ghost
gata cat
gayaba guava
higo fig
jefe boss
mano hand
melone melon
milagro miracle
nieta granddaughter
papas potatoes
Quinceañeras presentation party for a 15-year-old girl
rebozo blanket shawl
reina queen
sala drawing room
tormenta de polvo dust storm
uvas grapes
vaqueros cowboys

ESPERANZA RISING
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Preview the book by reading the title and the author’s name and by looking at the
illustration on the cover. Also, read the chapter titles. What do you think the book
will be about? When and where do you think it takes place? Will it be a story about
real life or a fantasy?
2. Read the Background Information on the Mexican Revolution on page two of this
study guide and do some additional research to learn about the political climate in
Mexico from 1900 to 1930. As you read the book, notice how political events in Mexico
affected the lives of the characters.
3. Read the Background Information on the Great Depression on page two of this study
guide and do some additional research about this period in American history. As you
read the book, notice how Esperanza and the Mexican farm workers were affected by
the Great Depression.
4. Although all of the Spanish words in the book are defined in context, spend a moment
before you begin the book to become familiar with the Glossary of Spanish Words on
page three of this study guide. Work with a partner to memorize these words and pro-
nounce them aloud. Add other Spanish words and phrases to the list.
5. Imagine yourself moving permanently to a foreign country with your family. What are
some of the problems you would face? How would you go about overcoming these
problems?
6. We often say that life has its ups and downs. Divide a piece of paper into two
columns. On the left side make a list of the “ups” in your life—the good and positive
things that have happened to you. On the right side make a list of “downs”—the neg-
ative and bad things that have happened to you. As you read the book, record the
“ups” and “downs” in Esperanza’s life.
7. In this novel Esperanza has to make some difficult decisions. Have you ever had to
make an important decision? What were your choices? How did you go about making
up your mind?
8. Several characters in this novel show courage. What is your definition of courage?
Think of someone you have either read or heard about who had great courage. What
difficulties did the person face, and how did the person’s courage help him or her to
overcome them? As you read the book, notice the characters who displayed courage.
9. Do some research to learn about current economic conditions in Mexico and the status
of Mexicans who come to America as farm workers. As you read, compare current
conditions to those described in the book.
10. On the following page you will find a chart that shows important events that affected
Mexicans who immigrated to America and the year the event occurred. As you read
the book fill in the third column with events in the book that reflected the history of
the time.

ESPERANZA RISING
Year Events in History Events in Book
1910 The Mexican Revolution begins.

Hundreds of thousands of people flee
north from Mexico and settle in the
southwestern United States.
1911 In Mexico, the long dictatorship of

Porfirio Diaz comes to an end when
he is forced to resign in a revolt led
by Francisco Madero.
1921 The first of two national origin quota

acts is passed to curtail immigration
from eastern and southern Europe.
As a result, Mexico becomes a major
source of American farm workers.
1929 With the onset of the Great

Depression, Mexican immigration to
the United States slows down and
many workers return to Mexico.
1930– Many Mexican workers are displaced

1940 by the dominant southern whites and
blacks of the migrant agricultural
labor force.
1933 Mexican farm workers in the Central

Valley, California cotton industry
go on strike, supported by several
groups of independent Mexican union
organizers.

ESPERANZA RISING
AGUASCALIENTES, MEXICO; LAS UVAS; LAS PAPAYAS; LOS HIGOS
Vocabulary: Draw a line from each word on the left to its definition on the right. Then
use the numbered words to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
1. venom a. warm and friendly

2. propriety b. anger
3. forlorn c. politeness; good manners
4. resurrected d. feeling of anxiety over a future event; foreboding
5. cordial e. poison
6. premonition f. sad
7. composure g. brought back to life
8. indignation h. calmness
......................................................
1. The teacher asked the class to give the new students a(n) ____________________
welcome so they would feel at home in their new country.
2. Even though the baseball fans were yelling and shouting insults, the pitcher kept
his ____________________ and won the game for the team.
3. By cutting back the overgrown bushes and removing weeds, the Smiths
__________________ the garden in their new home.
4. The child expressed great ____________________ when his parents blamed him for
something he had not done.
5. As Kim looked back at the house that had been her birthplace, her heart filled with
____________________ thinking about the landlord who had forced her to leave.
6. Jon felt ____________________ when his best friend moved to another state.
7. Mother taught us that ____________________ was important in life, especially saying

“please” and “thank you.”
8. When a black cat crossed my path, I had a(n) ____________________ that bad luck
would come my way.
Read to find out why Mexico becomes unsafe for Mama and Esperanza.

ESPERANZA RISING
Aguascalientes, Mexico; Las Uvas; Las Papayas; Los Higos (cont.)
Questions:
1. How does Papa express his love for his land?
2. What evidence suggests that Esperanza’s family is wealthy?
3. Why had Papa been warned about going out to work the cattle?
4. Why had Esperanza’s relationship with Miguel come to an end?
5. How does Papa’s death affect Esperanza and her family?
6. Why does Tio Luis want to marry Mama?
7. Why don’t Mama and Esperanza discuss the cause of the fire?
8. How does Mama trick Tio Luis?
Questions for Discussion:

1. What is “the deep river” between Esperanza and Miguel? Are you aware of similar
deep rivers in your own world?
2. Do you think Papa was guilty of causing the difficulties that his family faced after his
death?
3. Do you think Mama makes the right decision? Can you think of other options she
might consider?
4. Should Mama and Esperanza be hopeful about the life they will face in America?
Literary Elements:
I. Foreshadowing—Foreshadowing refers to the hints or clues that an author provides
that suggest what will take place later in the story. For example:
[Esperanza]…pricked her finger on a vicious thorn. Big pearls
of blood pulsed from the tip of her thumb and she automatically
thought, ‘bad luck.’
What does this foreshadow?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
II. Symbolism—A symbol in literature is a person, object, or event that represents an
idea or a set of ideas. What did Esperanza’s trunk symbolize? What did its destruc-
tion symbolize?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

ESPERANZA RISING
Aguascalientes, Mexico; Las Uvas; Las Papayas; Los Higos (cont.)
III. Simile—A simile is a figure of speech in which two unlike objects are compared using
the words “like” or “as.” For example:
The flames ran along the deliberate rows of the vines, like long
curved fingers reaching for the horizon, lighting the night sky.
What is being compared?
__________________________________________________________________________________
What mental image does this create?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
I V. Metaphor—A metaphor is a suggested or implied comparison. For example:

Her [Esperanza’s] smile faded, her chest tightened, and a heavy
blanket of anguish smothered her smallest joy.
What is being compared?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Why is this an apt comparison?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
V. Personification—Personification in literature refers to human qualities that an

author grants to nonhuman objects. For example:
He gently touched a wild tendril that reached into the row, as if
it had been waiting to shake hands.
What is being personified?
__________________________________________________________________________________
How does it convey Papa’s feelings about his vineyard?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Writing Activities:
1. Pretend you are Esperanza and that you are preparing to leave your home in Mexico
for the United States. Write a farewell letter to your best friend Marisol Rodríguez
explaining the reasons for your departure and how you feel about it.
2. Esperanza’s Papa shares with her his love for the land. Think of an object or a person
that you love. Describe that person or object by using words that will create a picture
in the reader’s mind. Tell why this person or object is important to you.

ESPERANZA RISING
LAS GUAYABAS; LOS MELONES
Vocabulary: Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Draw a line from each word
in Column A to its antonym in Column B. Then use the words in Column A to fill in the
blanks in the sentences below.
A B
1. frail a. unfamiliar
2. peasants b. fresh
3. monotonous c. changing
4. irritable d. plentiful
5. intimate e. fertile
6. barren f. robust
7. stagnant g. aristocrats
8. sparse h. patient
......................................................
1. To avoid gossip, Jodi shared her secrets only with her most ____________________
friends.
2. Getting caught in traffic often makes people ____________________.
3. The Mexican ____________________ worked long hours in the fields yet received very
low wages.
4. The grass on the front lawn became ____________________ because it was not given
sufficient water and fertilizer.
5. After being hospitalized for a month with a severe illness, the patient appeared
____________________.
6. The moon is a(n) ____________________ place where no trees, grass, or flowers can be
found.
7. It is not safe to drink the water from a(n) ____________________ pool.
8. The ____________________ voice of the speaker caused many people in the audience to
fall asleep.
Read to find out how Mama and Esperanza face the drastic changes in their lives.

ESPERANZA RISING
Las Guayabas; Los Melones (cont.)
Questions:
1. Why do Mama, Esperanza, and Hortensia have to leave at night hidden in a wagon?
2. During the wagon ride, why does Hortensia recall the story of a train journey that
Esperanza made with Miguel and Papa?
3. Why does Mama make a yarn doll for the little girl on the train?
4. How did Papa’s death change Miguel’s life?
5. Why does Esperanza’s mother say, “Now we are peasants, too.”
6. How does Mama convince the officials to let her cross the border?
7. Why does Miguel apologize to Esperanza for her cousin Isabel’s comments?
8. How will Esperanza and her mother earn their living in California?
9. Why does Esperanza dislike Marta?
10. According to Isabel why do the farm workers of different nationalities live in
separate camps?

1. Do you think Esperanza’s reaction to the people on the train is justified? Can you
understand her feelings?
2. What does Esperanza learn from the new people she meets—the little girl, Carmen,
and Isabel?
3. In what ways was Esperanza becoming more aware of class distinctions?
4. How do you think Esperanza and her mother will be able to endure their new life?
Literary Devices:
I. Symbolism—What was the symbolic importance of Esperanza’s inability to hear the
earth’s “heartbeat” once she arrived in California?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

ESPERANZA RISING
II. Simile—What is being compared in the following simile?

As they rounded a curve, it appeared as if the mountains pulled
away from each other, like a curtain opening on a stage, revealing
the San Joaquin Valley beyond.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
What visual image does this create?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Literary Elements:
I. Sensory Details—A writer uses words that appeal to our five senses to make a story
more vivid. Esperanza experiences new sights, smells, and sounds as she leaves her
familiar life in Mexico and travels to California. Fill in the chart below with appropri-
ate words and expressions from the chapters you have just read.
Sights Smells Sounds
II. Characterization—We may learn a great deal about a character from his or her
actions. Reread the section of the story that tells about Miguel and the thieves. Then
fill in the chart below.
Miguel
Action Character trait

ESPERANZA RISING
Social Studies Connection:

Do some research on migrant workers in the United States during the years of the Great
Depression. Use a social studies textbook, an encyclopedia, or the Internet. What were
some of the hardships in the lives of migrant workers? Be prepared to share your infor-
mation with the class. [If you use the Internet, try www.google.com using the keywords
migrant workers great depression in the Search box.] Then do some additional research to
learn about the life of farm workers today. What problems still exist in the lives of
migrant workers?
Writing Activities:
1. Doing something important for the first time can be challenging, exciting, and some-
times scary. Think of the first time you did something important, such as the first day
you attended school, the first time you went away to camp, or the first time you tried
to swim. When and where did the experience take place? How did you feel? What did
you learn from the experience?
2. Imagine you are Esperanza or Miguel and write a journal entry describing your
thoughts and feelings about the trip from Mexico and your arrival in California.

ESPERANZA RISING
LAS CEBOLLAS; LAS ALMENDRAS
Vocabulary: Analogies are equations in which the first pair of words has the same rela-
tionship as the second pair of words. For example, DARK is to LIGHT as MERRY is to
GLUM. Both pairs of words are opposites. Choose the best word from the Word Box to
complete each of the analogies below.
WORD BOX
awkward humiliation obvious swaddle
debris moat ridicule temporary
1. DULL is to EXCITING as _______________________ is to GRACEFUL.
2. WRAP is to PRESENT as _______________________ is to INFANT.
3. _______________________ is to NOTICEABLE as ELDERLY is to OLD.
4. SWIMMING POOL is to RECREATION as _______________________ is to

PROTECTION.
5. OCEAN is to SEA as EMBARRASSMENT is to _______________________.
6. GARBAGE is to _______________________ as PLAYTHING is to TOY.
7. PRAISE is to _______________________ as BUILD is to DESTROY.
8. _______________________ is to PERMANENT as COMMON is to UNUSUAL.
Read to find out why it is so hard for Esperanza to adjust to her new life.
Questions:
1. Why does Esperanza feel like a misfit?
2. Why does Mama believe that she and Esperanza are fortunate?
3. How has Mama’s appearance changed since she left Mexico?
4. Why is it difficult for Esperanza to do the jobs she is assigned?
5. How does Miguel help Esperanza?
6. Why does Miguel decide to work in the fields instead of working on the railroad?
7. How is the mystery of the bundle that Miguel and Alfonso had to water at each train
stop solved?
8. Why does Esperanza feel humiliated at bath time?
9. Why does Marta come to the jamaica?
10. Why aren’t many of the workers at Isabel’s camp eager to strike?

ESPERANZA RISING
Las Cebollas; Las Almendras (cont.)

1. Why do you think Esperanza tells Isabel that her current situation is temporary?
2. Why are Mama and Esperanza so emotionally affected by the rose bushes that Miguel
and Alfonso plant?
3. What do you think Mama means when she tells Esperanza, “Do you know I am so
proud of you? For all you are learning”? What is Esperanza learning?
4. Do you think the workers should strike?
Literary Device: Symbolism

What do the roses symbolize?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
What does the kitten that Marta holds symbolize?

______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Writing Activity:
Write about an object you possess, such as a photograph, a souvenir, a letter, a piece of
jewelry, or a toy or game from your early childhood. Tell about the memories this object
brings forth. What feelings do you associate with it? Who or what does the object symbolize?

ESPERANZA RISING
LAS CIRUELAS; LAS PAPAS
Vocabulary: Use the words from the Word Box and the clues below to complete the
crossword puzzle.
WORD BOX
amber intent propelled
atrocious listless regimented
bereft musty ritual
contagious nimble roil
Across Down
4. ceremony 1. light and quick
5. very unpleasant 2. drove forward
7. too tired to care about anything 3. disturb
8. deprived of something 5. yellowish-brown
10. uniform 6. tending to spread from person to
11. having a damp, moldy smell person, as an illness
9. having the attention fixed upon
Read to find out what happens as a result of a dust storm.

ESPERANZA RISING
Las Ciruelas; Las Papas (cont.)
Questions:
1. Why is Esperanza left alone to care for the two babies?
2. Why do the babies become ill under Esperanza’s care?
3. Why doesn’t the strike take place?
4. Why is the dust storm so destructive?
5. How does Mama become ill? Why is Esperanza fearful after hearing the doctor’s
diagnosis?
6. Why does Esperanza continue working on the crocheted blanket that Abuelita had begun?
7. Why is Mama taken to the hospital?
8. Why does Esperanza decide to work in the sheds?

1. How would you assess Esperanza’s first day caring for Lupe and Pepe? Do you think
the babies should have been left in her care?
2. What is happening to Esperanza’s memories about life in Mexico? Has this ever
happened to you?
3. What does Esperanza mean when she says that Isabel has nothing but she has every-
thing? Do you know anyone who is like Isabel? Do you know anyone who has
everything, but has nothing?
4. Do you think that Esperanza will succeed in being strong for Mama?
Science Connection:
Do some research on infectious diseases to learn why Mama in 1930 received so little
medical help for her lung disease. Find out when the first antibiotics were used to treat
diseases.
Literary Devices:
I. Simile—What is being compared in the following simile?
It [the dust] had settled on the world, covering everything like
a suede blanket.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Why is this better than saying “Dust was everywhere”?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

ESPERANZA RISING
Las Ciruelas; Las Papas (cont.)
I I. Metaphor—What is being compared in the following metaphor?

Would she [Esperanza] ever escape this valley she was living
in? This valley of Mama being sick?
__________________________________________________________________________________
What mood does this create?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Writing Activity:
Return to the pages in which the dust storm is described. Notice the details and descrip-
tive language that the author uses. Write about a dramatic natural event that you have
experienced. Use language that will help the reader relive your experience.

ESPERANZA RISING
LOS AGUACATES; LOS ESPÁRRAGOS
Vocabulary: Use the context to determine the meaning of the underlined word in each of
the following sentences. Then compare your definition with a dictionary definition.
1. The cotton sheet was pulled taut over the mattress so that it would be free of
wrinkles on the bed.
Your definition ____________________________________________________________________
Dictionary definition ________________________________________________________________
2. As part of the wedding ceremony, rose petals from the flower girl’s basket were
strewn all along the aisle.
Your definition ____________________________________________________________________
3. Although she had a closet full of clothes, Sophie impulsively bought a dress she saw
in a store window.
Your definition ____________________________________________________________________
4. When the wind blew Mr. Brown’s hat off his head, he ran down the street trying to
retrieve it.
Your definition ____________________________________________________________________
5. The boys enjoyed playing softball in the vacant lot so that traffic would not interrupt
their game.
Your definition ____________________________________________________________________
6. Your recuperation from knee surgery will be faster if you do special exercises.
Your definition ____________________________________________________________________
7. When the watchdog let out a menacing growl, the intruder became frightened and
ran away.
Your definition ____________________________________________________________________

ESPERANZA RISING
Los Aguacates; Los Espárragos (cont.)
Read to find out if Esperanza joins the strike.
Questions:
1. What evidence reveals that Esperanza did good work in the shed cutting potatoes for
planting?
2. Why is Esperanza told that she may not visit her mother in the hospital for one month?
3. Why doesn’t Miguel shop for groceries at the store closest to camp?
4. Why are Marta and her mother living in conditions that are worse than those at
Esperanza’s camp?
5. How does Esperanza help a starving family?
6. Why does the strike become a time of opportunity for Miguel?
7. How does the strike present Esperanza with a difficult conflict?
8. Why does Miguel disagree with his father and insist that “things will get worse” for
the workers?
9. What tactic does the government use to stop the strike?
10. How does Esperanza help Marta?

1. In what ways did people of Mexican origin face prejudice in 1930? Does this prejudice
still exist in the United States?
2. Do you sympathize more with the strikers or those that cross the picket lines to go to
work? Do you think the farm workers could improve their lives without striking?
3. Why do you think the government chooses such drastic measures to end the strike?
Are there any other options to employ? Could such an action take place today?
4. Do you think Esperanza should have risked her own safety to help Marta? What does
this reveal about Esperanza’s character?
Literary Devices:
I. Symbolism—What does the change in Esperanza’s hands symbolize?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
What does the damaged piñata on the tree symbolize?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

ESPERANZA RISING
Los Aguacates; Los Espárragos (cont.)

The picket signs lay on the ground, discarded, and like a mass
of marbles that had already been hit, the strikers scattered
into the fields…
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Science Connection:
Do some research to learn about the disease of pneumonia. Find out why it is considered
a dangerous illness and why it was even more dangerous in 1930 when Mama became ill.
Writing Activity:
Imagine you are a reporter and write a news article about the striking farm workers.
Remember that a reporter must be fair and present all sides in an issue. Your article
should include a headline, a byline (your name), a dateline (date and place), a lead para-
graph that tells the who, what, when, where, and why about the story, and one or two body
paragraphs that contain other important details.

ESPERANZA RISING
LOS DURAZNOS; LAS UVAS
Vocabulary: Synonyms are words with similar meanings. Draw a line from each word in
Column A to its synonym in Column B. Then use the words in Column A to fill in the
blanks in the sentences below.
A B
1. optimism a. full-grown
2. primly b. endless
3. mature c. doubtfully
4. antiseptic d. hopefulness
5. skeptically e. cheered
6. buoyed f. formally
7. infinite g. germ-free
......................................................
1. The walls and floors were scrubbed and the doctors’ instruments were sterilized so
that everything in the operating room was ____________________.
2. My parents promised me a dog when I was ____________________ enough to care for

it on my own.
3. The teacher regarded her student ____________________ when he gave her a lame
excuse for not doing his homework.
4. Lisa ____________________ called her babysitter “Miss Wallace” instead of calling her
“Cindy.”
5. You have a greater chance of success if you face a new challenge with
____________________.
6. As a talented writer, scientist, and musician, Paul was assured by his guidance coun-
selor that he would have ____________________ choices for his future profession.
7. The hopes of the stranded victims of a boating accident were ____________________

when they saw the Coast Guard coming to their rescue.

ESPERANZA RISING
Los Duraznos; Las Uvas (cont.)
Read to find out if Abuelita comes to America.
Questions:
1. Why does Esperanza know that Isabel’s wish to be la reina will not come true?
2. How does the arrival of the families from Oklahoma affect Esperanza and the other
Mexicans at the camp?
3. In what ways does Esperanza reveal that her feelings about the inequalities in
American life are becoming stronger?
4. Why does Esperanza give Isabel her porcelain doll and a bag of peaches?
5. How does Esperanza and Hortensia’s family prepare for Mama’s return from the
hospital?
6. Why did Miguel take Esperanza’s money?
7. Why is Abuelita amused when she sees the blanket she started and Esperanza has
almost finished?
8. Why was it risky for Miguel to take Abuelita out of Mexico?

1. Do you think Esperanza or Miguel is more realistic about the future of Mexicans in
America?
2. Do you think Esperanza should feel guilty about Miguel’s departure?
3. Why do you think the small homemade shrine inspires deep feelings in many of the
people who come to Esperanza’s cabin?
4. Why doesn’t Esperanza understand and speak English? Do you think she will learn
the language one day?
5. Why do you think the chapters of this book are given the names of fruits and
vegetables instead of the months of the year? Why do you think two different
chapters in the book are called “Las Uvas”?
6. Why is Esperanza once again able to hear the earth’s heartbeat?
Literary Devices:
I. Cliffhanger—A cliffhanger is a device borrowed from serialized silent films in which
an episode ends at a moment of suspense or heightened tension. In a book it usually
appears at the end of a chapter to encourage the reader to continue on in the book.
What is the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter entitled “Los Duraznos”?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

ESPERANZA RISING
Los Duraznos; Las Uvas (cont.)

Then, like the irrigation pipes in the fields when the water is
first turned on, her [Esperanza’s] anger burst forth.
__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Literary Element: Theme

Theme in literature refers to the statement(s) about life the author is trying to get across
to the reader. Often the theme is repeated in different parts of the book. For example:
Papa says in Chapter One, “Wait a little while and the fruit will fall into your hand.”
Toward the end of the book, this quote is repeated by both Miguel and Esperanza.
What does this quote mean?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
How does this quote apply to Esperanza’s life?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
How may it apply to other people’s lives?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Writing Activity:
Write a letter to yourself and put today’s date on it. In the letter write about your hopes
and dreams for the year to come. What are your goals? What do you want to accomplish?
What do you hope will happen to you, your family, and your friends? When your letter is
finished, put it in a safe place. Reread it one year from now to see if you have come closer
to your goals.

ESPERANZA RISING
CLOZE ACTIVITY
The following passage has been taken from the chapter entitled “Las Papas.” Read it
through completely and then go back and fill in each blank with a word that makes
sense. Then, you may compare your language with that of the author.
What had Abuelita told her when she’d given her the bundle of crocheting? And
then she remembered. She had said, “____________________1 this for me, Esperanza…and
promise me ____________________2 take care of Mama.”
After Mama fell ____________________,3 Esperanza picked up the needlework
and began ____________________4 Abuelita had left off. Ten stitches up ___________________5
the top of the mountain. Add one ___________________.6 Nine stitches down to the bottom of
____________________7 valley, skip one. Her fingers were more ____________________8 now
and her stitches were more even. ____________________9 mountains and valleys in the
blanket were ____________________.10 But as soon as she reached a ____________________,11
she was headed back down into a ____________________12 again. Would she ever escape
this valley ___________________13 was living in? This valley of Mama ___________________14
sick?
What else had Abuelita said? After ___________________15 had lived many moun-
tains and valleys they ___________________16 be together again. She bent over her
____________________,17 intent, and when her hair fell into ____________________18 lap,
she picked it up and wove ____________________19 into the blanket. She cried when she
___________________20 of the wishes that would go into ___________________21 blanket forever.
Because she was wishing that ____________________22 would not die.
The blanket grew longer. ____________________23 Mama grew more pale. Women
in the ____________________24 brought her extra skeins of yarn and ____________________25
didn’t care that they didn’t match. Each night when she went to bed, she put the growing
blanket back over Mama, covering her in hopeful color.

ESPERANZA RISING
POST-READING ACTIVITIES
1. Return to the chart of historical events that you began in the Pre-Reading Activities
on page five of this study guide. Fill in the column with any events in the novel that
reflect the historical events noted in the second column. Compare your responses with
those of your classmates.
2. Return to the Pre-Reading Activity in which you defined “courage.” Work with a part-
ner to list all of the characters who exhibited courage and give examples of behavior
that showed courage. Compare your responses with those of your classmates.
3. Prejudice refers to an unfavorable opinion about a person, group of people, or object

that is formed without prior knowledge, thought, or reason. How were Esperanza and
her family and friends affected by prejudice? Was there anything they could do to
change the feelings of prejudice that were leveled against Mexicans and Mexican
Americans? Have you ever observed or been the object of prejudice?
4. In a chart, such as the one below, compare Esperanza at the beginning and the end of
the novel. One comparison has been done for you.
Esperanza at the Beginning Esperanza at the End
Esperanza lived a privileged life in Esperanza lived in poverty on a

Mexico with her loving family. California farm laborers’ camp with
her mother and loving friends.
5. Imagine that Esperanza Rising is made into a film. Who might play the role of
Esperanza? What scenes might be best shown in a film version of the story? Which
scenes might be too difficult or inappropriate to show in a film? Would any scenes
need to be changed or omitted?
6. In fiction, as in real life, all problems may not be solved. At the end of Esperanza
Rising, which problems remain unresolved? In an imaginary sequel to this novel,
what do you think will happen to Esperanza, her family, and her friends? Do you
think the title of the book suggests what Esperanza’s future will be?
7. Use the recipe for flan on the next page to share Esperanza’s favorite dessert with
your classmates.

ESPERANZA RISING
Post-Reading Activities (cont.)
Coconut Flan
What you need:
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Arrange six 3/4-cup custard cups in a 13 × 9 × 2-inch baking pan.
3. Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Mix in coconut.
4. Divide mixture among cups. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up
sides of cups.
5. Bake flans until just set in center, about 30 minutes.
6. Remove flans from pan and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared
1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
8. Literature Circle: Have a literature circle discussion in which you tell your person-
al reactions to Esperanza Rising. Here are some questions and sentence starters to
help your literature circle begin a discussion.
• How are you like Esperanza? How are you different?
• Do you find the characters in the novel realistic? Why or why not?
• Which character did you like the most? The least?
• Who else would you like to read this novel? Why?
• What did you learn about the conditions of life among Mexican farm workers in the
United States in the 1930s?
• What questions would you like to ask the author about this novel?
• It was not fair when. . .
• I would have liked to see. . .
• I wonder. . .
• Esperanza learned that. . .

ESPERANZA RISING
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Anaya, Rudolfo A. Bless Me, Ultima. Warner Books.

__________________. Farolitos for Abuelo. Hyperion Books.
__________________. The Farolitos of Christmas. Hyperion Books.
Atkin, S. Beth. Voices From the Fields. Little, Brown.
Bunting, Eve. Going Home. HarperCollins.
* Cushman, Karen. The Midwife’s Apprentice. HarperCollins.
* Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. Scholastic.
Mickaelsen, Ben. Sparrow Hawk Red. Hyperion Books.
Nascimbene, Yan. A Day in September. Creative Editions.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. Land of Hope. Random House.
* Patterson, Katherine. Lyddie. Penguin.
* Peck, Richard. A Long Way From Chicago. Random House.
Smith, Roland. The Last Lobo. Hyperion Books.
* Soto, Gary. The Skirt. Random House.
Spurr, Elizabeth. Mama’s Birthday Surprise. Hyperion Books.
Stanley, Diane. Elena. Hyperion Books.
* Taylor, Mildred. Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Penguin.
* Taylor, Theodore. The Maldonado Miracle. Random House.
Thomas, Jane Resh. Lights on the River. Hyperion Books.
Walsh, Jill Paton. A Chance Child. Farrar Straus & Giroux.
* Uchida, Yoshiko. A Jar of Dreams. Simon & Schuster.
Some Other Books by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride. Scholastic.
Becoming Naomi Leon. Scholastic.
California, Here We Come! Charlesbridge.
The Flag We Love. Charlesbridge.
Hello, Ocean. Charlesbridge.
Mice and Beans. Scholastic.
One Hundred is a Family. Hyperion Books.
Riding Freedom. Scholastic.
*NOVEL-TIES Study Guides are available for these titles.

ESPERANZA RISING
ANSWER KEY
Aguascalientes, Mexico; Las Uvas; Las Papayas; Los Higos

Vocabulary: 1. e 2. c 3. f 4. g 5. a 6. d 7. h 8. b; 1. cordial 2. composure 3. resurrected
4. indignation 5. venom 6. forlorn 7. propriety 8. premonition
Questions: 1. When Esperanza was a little girl, her father would take her for walks and express his
deep love for his land. He would encourage her to touch the soil and lie down to feel the
“earth’s heart beat.” 2. It is clear that Esperanza’s family is wealthy because at the age of
fifteen, Esperanza will have a “presentation” party, wear a white gown, dance with all the
wealthy boys, and receive many wonderful birthday gifts from Papa. Her family owns a
large vineyard and oversees many servants. 3. Papa had been warned about going out to
work the cattle because he could become the target of bandits or people who resented the
inequality of wealth in Mexico even after the Revolution had been won. 4. Although
Esperanza and Miguel, the son of the family’s servants, had been close friends while grow-
ing up, the social disparity between them mitigated against a friendship or romantic liai-
son, particularly after Esperanza pointed out the social barriers. 5. When Papa dies,
Esperanza and Mama grieve while Esperanza’s unscrupulous uncles threaten to take away
their house and land and to send Esperanza away to boarding school. 6. Tio Luis wants to
marry Mama because her beauty and esteemed position among the people will advance his
political goals. 7. Mama and Esperanza do not need to discuss the cause of the fire because
it is assumed that the uncles were to blame. 8. Mama tricks Tio Luis by “accepting” his pro-
posal but actually planning to escape to the United States with Esperanza.
Las Guayabas; Los Melones

Vocabulary: 1. f 2. g 3. c 4. h 5. a 6. e 7. b 8. d; 1. intimate 2. irritable 3. peasants 4. sparse
5. frail 6. barren 7. stagnant 8. monotonous
Questions: 1. Mama, Esperanza, and Hortensia have to leave at night well hidden in a wagon because
they fear being attacked by bandits and noticed by Tio Luis’s spies. 2. Hortensia recalls the
train journey in order to distract Esperanza from the discomforts of the wagon ride. 3. Mama
makes a yarn doll for the peasant girl on the train as a gift and as a way of apologizing for
Esperanza’s rudeness in not allowing her to touch her special doll. 4. If Papa had lived,
Miguel could have trusted in his love for him and his influence to help him reach his goal
of working on the railroad in Mexico. With Papa gone, Miguel must leave Mexico in order
to reach beyond his lowly social status. 5. Mama says, “Now we are peasants, too” because
they will now be migrant workers; their life of luxury is over. Actions which once seemed
socially incorrect, such as engaging in intimate conversation with a stranger, are to be con-
sidered normal now that they are poor and uprooted. 6. So that the officials will let her cross
the border, Mama stands straight and tall and looks directly into the official’s eyes. She
speaks in a way that assures them that her work papers are to be trusted. 7. Miguel apol-
ogizes to Esperanza because Isabel’s remarks suggested that he had once criticized
Esperanza for being rich and spoiled. 8. To earn a living, Mama and Esperanza will work
on a large farm in California picking crops. 9. Esperanza dislikes Marta because she is the
object of her insults. Marta sarcastically calls her a “princess,” and she expresses deep
resentment toward landowners like Papa. 10. According to Isabel the farm workers of dif-
ferent nationalities are housed in separate camps so that they will not communicate with
each other and not compare working conditions. The conditions are so bad that the land
owners fear the workers will organize and strike.
Las Cebellas; Las Almendras

Vocabulary: 1. awkward 2. swaddle 3. obvious 4. moat 5. humiliation 6. debris 7. ridicule 8. temporary
Questions: 1. Esperanza feels like a misfit because she does not speak English, and she is not accus-
tomed to the poor living conditions in the camp. She also feels a pang of envy whenever she
sees children running to their fathers. 2. Mama tells Esperanza that they are fortunate
because they are together and have gotten a job and a place to live immediately while oth-
ers have to wait months. 3. Since she left Mexico, Mama appears older and more dowdy. She
now wears a long cotton dress with an apron tied over it instead of the elegant dresses she
used to wear in Mexico. She wears her hair in a long braid instead of a beautiful plaited bun
so that she can wear a hat while she works. 4. Accustomed to servants doing all of the
household work, Esperanza does not know how to wash clothes or even how to sweep. She
needs to be taught the skills that every young girl in the camps already knows. 5. Miguel
helps Esperanza by teaching her the correct way to sweep with a broom and by being sym-
pathetic with her lack of knowledge. 6. Although Miguel has great mechanical skills, he is

ESPERANZA RISING
only offered menial jobs on the railroad because of prejudice directed against Mexicans.
Disillusioned, Miguel decides to do field work, instead. 7. The mystery of the bundle is
solved when Miguel and Alfonso reveal the rose plants which they had rescued from the fire
at Rancho de las Rosas, carried all the way from Mexico, and planted near their cabin.
8. Esperanza is humiliated at bath time because she forgets her new situation in life and
expects Hortensia to undress and bathe her, as all the women and girls look on. 9. Marta
comes to the jamaica because it is a gathering for hundreds of farm workers, a place where
she hopes to organize workers to join together to strike. 10. The workers at Isabel’s camp
are more comfortable than those at migrant camps and are not eager to strike. Unlike the
migrant camps, the workers can stay in one place and have better sanitary conditions. If
they strike, the owners may replace them with former dust bowl farmers who are desper-
ate to work.
Las Ciruelas; Las Papas

Vocabulary: Across—4. ritual 5. atrocious 7. listless 8. bereft 10. regimented 11. musty; Down—1. nimble
2. propelled 3. roil 5. amber 6. contagious 9. intent
Questions: 1. Esperanza is the only one who can care for the babies because Isabel is going to school
and everyone else is working. 2. The babies become ill because Esperanza is too inexperi-
enced to know that uncooked fruit cannot be digested by infants. 3. The strike does not take
place because those workers who are against it are afraid of being unable to feed their fam-
ilies and themselves, and those workers in favor of it are prevented from striking by the
dust storm. 4. The dust from the storm destroys the entire cotton crop, leaving the migrant
cotton workers without jobs. People’s lungs are filled with dust and their faces and bodies
become encrusted with the dust. 5. Mama develops Valley Fever, a lung infection from the
dust spores she inhaled during the storm. Esperanza is fearful after hearing the doctor say
that her mother’s recuperation could take six months if she survives the initial infection.
Esperanza is afraid her only living parent will die. 6. Esperanza continues working on
Abuelita’s blanket because she wants to fulfill her grandmother’s parting concerns, partic-
ularly now that Mama is ill. Esperanza also believes superstitiously that the mountains
and valleys she crochets in the zig-zag pattern will speed Abuelita’s arrival in California.
7. Mama is taken to the hospital so that she may receive the care that she needs to recover
from the lung illness and also come out of a state of depression into which she has fallen.
8. Esperanza decides to work in the sheds in order to earn money to bring Abuelita to
California. Esperanza is sure that her presence will make Mama well.
Los Aguacates; Los Espárragos

Vocabulary: 1. taut–tight 2. strewn–scattered 3. impulsively–without planning beforehand 4. retrieve–
get back 5. vacant–empty 6. recuperation–recovery 7. menacing–threatening
Questions: 1. It is clear that Esperanza did a good job cutting out eyes in potatoes because she is about
to start on another job—tying grapevines. Miguel had told her that if she did well at one
job, another would be offered to her. 2. Esperanza is told that she may not visit her mother
for one month because she has contracted pneumonia, an illness that would make her weak
and susceptible to other infections that could be fatal. 3. Miguel doesn’t shop at the closest
store because he prefers to travel farther to Mr. Yakota’s store in order to be treated with-
out prejudice. 4. Marta and her mother have moved to a camp that is even worse than any
other because all of the strikers were evicted from the migrant worker camp. They now live
together in a makeshift camp with no facilities and are guarded for their own protection.
5. Esperanza helps a starving family by giving them some of the beans she had just bought
and by giving the children a donkey piñata filled with sweets. 6. Since many railroad work-
ers joined the strike, Miguel, who is willing to work, has an opportunity to get a job as a
mechanic on the railroad. 7. When the strike begins, Esperanza is faced with the conflict
between her sympathies for the needs of striking workers and her personal need to earn
money for her family. She is faced with threats from strikers as she crosses the picket lines.
8. Miguel insists that “things will get worse” because the Valley is being flooded by more
and more people who are desperate enough to pick cotton for very low wages. 9. To stop the
strike, the government sends in immigration officials to deport only the farm workers who
are on strike. Even striking workers who are citizens are deported. 10. Esperanza protects
Marta from Immigration by giving her an apron and some asparagus so that she looks like
a worker instead of a striker.

ESPERANZA RISING
Los Duraznos; Las Uvas

Vocabulary: 1. d 2. f 3. a 4. g 5. c 6. e 7. b; 1. antiseptic 2. mature 3. skeptically 4. primly
5. optimism 6. infinite 7. buoyed
Questions: 1. Esperanza knows that the school officials, who have shown prejudice against Mexicans and
Asians in the past, will choose a blonde, blue-eyed child to be la reina, instead of Isabel, their
best third-grade student. 2. The arrival of the families from Oklahoma has a devastating
effect upon Esperanza and the other Mexicans at her camp. Miguel loses his mechanic’s job
at the railroad and must do a menial railroad job or return to the fields. The Mexican farm
workers fear that they will ultimately have to accept lower wages and they chafe at the new,
better appointed living quarters being offered the Oklahomans. 3. It is clear that Esperanza’s
feelings about the inequities in American life are stronger when her temper flares upon hear-
ing that Miguel was fired. She also argues passionately with Miguel about discrimination
against Mexicans and the hopelessness of expecting to improve their lives. 4. Esperanza gives
Isabel the porcelain doll and the peaches because she sympathizes with her young friend’s dis-
appointment over not being chosen Queen of the May. 5. To prepare for Mama’s homecoming,
Esperanza and Hortensia clean the cabin until it is antiseptically clean. Alfonso fashions
cushions for a chair that Mama can place outside in the shade. 6. Miguel took the money
Esperanza had been saving to unite Abuelita with Mama. He returns to Mexico, helps Abuelita
escape from Tio Luis, and brings her to California. 7. Abuelita is amused and delighted to see
the blanket she had started almost finished by her granddaughter: it is long enough to fit
three beds because Esperanza knit for the five months that her mother was ill. 8. It was dan-
gerous for Miguel to take Abuelita out of Mexico because she was being spied upon by Tio Luis
who was so powerful and evil that he might have caused them harm.

®
Little Novel •T ies
Study Guides for Primary Picture Books
Abby...........................................L0813 Clifford the Big Red Dog............L0685 The Last Puppy..........................L0736 Ox-Cart Man...............................L0646
Alexander, and the Terrible, Horrible, Clifford the Small Red Puppy.....L0342 The Legend of the Bluebonnet...L2929 Pinkerton, Behave!.....................L2130
No Good, Very Bad Day.......L0043 Cloudy with a Chance Leo the Late Bloomer.................L0690 Roxaboxen.................................L1187
Alexander Who Used to Be of Meatballs..........................L3135 The Little Island.........................L0715 The Snowy Day..........................L0658
Rich Last Sunday.................L2045 Corduroy....................................L0344 Lyle, Lyle Crocodile....................L1536 Stevie.........................................L1360
Amelia Bedelia...........................L0206 Crictor........................................L1198 Madeline....................................L0505 Stone Soup (Brown)..................L0412
Anansi the Spider.......................L0897 Curious George..........................L0345 Madeline’s Rescue.....................L0662 The Story of Ferdinand..............L0414
Anna Banana and Me.................L0266 Dandelion...................................L1226 Make Way For Ducklings...........L0380 Strega Nona...............................L1647
Arthur’s Baby.............................L1047 Franklin Fibs...............................L2398 May I Bring a Friend?................L0382 Sylvester/Magic Pebble..............L0653
A Big Fat Enormous Lie.............L0795 Gilberto and the Wind................L1668 Mike Mulligan and Timothy Goes to School............L1225
Blueberries for Sal ....................L0331 Goodnight Moon........................L0687 His Steam Shovel................L0774 Umbrella....................................L1368
Bringing/Rain to Kapiti Plain......L2666 Gregory the Terrible Eater..........L0704 Millions of Cats..........................L0691 Where the Wild Things Are........L0422
Caps For Sale.............................L0336 Harry the Dirty Dog....................L0771 Miss Nelson is Missing..............L0707 Whistle For Willie.......................L0801
A Chair For My Mother..............L1370 Humphrey’s Bear.......................L1186 Miss Rumphius..........................L0932 Why Mosquitoes Buzz in
Ira Sleeps Over..........................L0696 People’s Ears........................L0423
Novel • T ies ®
Study Guides
GRADE 1 Juan Bobo....................................S2546 Jake Drake, Bully Buster..............S1139 Fudge-A-Mania.............................S1477
Arthur’s Camp-Out ....................S2543 Julian’s Glorious Summer...........S0549 Judy Moody Saves/World............S0309 The Gold Cadillac.........................S1672
A Bargain for Frances..................S0321 Junie B., First Grader (at last!)....S3612 Justin and the Best Biscuits The Great Brain............................S0037
Biscuit..........................................S0290 Junie B. Jones and the Stupid in the World...........................S3138 Henry Huggins.............................S0160
Buzby...........................................S0157. Smelly Bus..............................S1753 The Littles....................................S0553 House with/Clock in its Walls......S1405
The Case of/Hungry Stranger.......S1211. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie...S3260 Maurice’s Room...........................S1063. Iggie’s House...............................S0163
Danny and the Dinosaur..............S0347 Kidnapped at Birth? Mishmash....................................S3745 The Indian in the Cupboard.........S0992
Forest...........................................S0272. (Marvin Redpost)....................S3313 The Most Beautiful Place/World...S0299 James and the Giant Peach.........S0170
Frog and Toad All Year................S3409 The Knight at Dawn The Mouse and the Motorcycle...S0181 The Janitor’s Boy.........................S3761
Frog and Toad Are Friends...........S0363. (Magic Tree House).................S1943 A Mouse Called Wolf...................S0135 Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William
Frog and Toad Together...............S0364 Little Soup’s Hayride....................S1402 Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle......................S0298 McKinley, & Me, Elizabeth......S0258
George and Martha......................S1451 Molly’s Pilgrim.............................S1375 Muggie Maggie............................S0127 Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.....S0908
The Grandma Mix-up...................S1826 Monster/3rd Dresser Drawer.......S0558 My Father’s Dragon.....................S0202 Journey to Jo’burg.......................S1066
Grandmas at Bat..........................S2716 Mummies in the Morning............S2560 The Night Crossing......................S3118 The Kid in the Red Jacket............S2227
Grandmas at the Lake..................S1830 (Magic Tree House) O’Diddy........................................S1064 The Landry News.........................S1021
The Great Snake Escape..............S0943 Nate the Great..............................S0602 Ralph S. Mouse...........................S2616 Lion, the Witch and the
Here Comes the Strikeout............S1704. Nate the Great /Missing Key........S0267. Ramona Forever...........................S0186 Wardrobe................................S0060
Kick, Pass, and Run.....................S2730 Nate the Great /Musical Note.......S1403. Ramona Quimby, Age 8...............S1158 A Lion to Guard Us......................S0835
The Lighthouse Children..............S2731 Next Spring an Oriole...................S1060. Ramona the Brave.......................S0565 Little House in the Big Woods.....S0467
Little Bear.....................................S0162 The One in the Middle is a Ramona’s World..........................S0886 Little House on the Prairie...........S0263
Little Bear’s Friend.......................S1389. Green Kangaroo......................S0994. The Secret Soldier.......................S0279 A Long Way From Chicago..........S2379
Little Bear’s Visit..........................S0504 The Outside Dog..........................S2547. The Shoeshine Girl.......................S0993 Loser............................................S3642
Little Runner of the Longhouse...S1318 Rip-Roaring Russell.....................S0920. Shortstop From Tokyo.................S0938 Maggie Marmelstein for
Mouse Tales.................................S0121 Russell Sprouts...........................S0921 Sidewalk Story.............................S2549 President...................................S006
Mrs. Brice’s Mice.........................S2073 Sam the Minuteman.....................S1308 Silver............................................S1075 The Midnight Fox.........................S0155
Newt.............................................S2930 Seven Kisses in a Row.................S0528. The Skirt......................................S0140 The Miraculous Journey of
Oliver...........................................S3760 Snowshoe Thompson..................S2273 Surprise Island Edward Tulane.........................S3799
Sammy the Seal...........................S3284 Song Lee in Room 4B..................S1839 (Boxcar Children)....................S2000 Mississippi Bridge.......................S2736
The Smallest Cow in the World...S0101. The Stories Huey Tells.................S3116 A Taste of Blackberries................S0201 Misty of Chincoteague.................S0068
Tales of Oliver Pig ......................S2544. The Stories Julian Tells................S0765. There’s an Owl in the Shower......S3144 Mr. Popper’s Penguins................S0560.
Uncle Foster’s Hat Tree................S3115 Thunder at Gettysburg.................S0420. The Trouble with Tuck.................S1404 My Brother Stevie........................S0122
Wagon Wheels.............................S1321 Tornado.......................................S2734 26 Fairmount Avenue...................S3613 Nightjohn.....................................S2675
Tye May and the Magic Brush.....S0158 The Year of the Panda.................S2171 Nory Ryan’s Song........................S3643
GRADE 2
Who Cloned the President? GRADE 4 Our Only May Amelia...................S2720
Anna, Grandpa and /Big Storm.....S2545 (Capitol Mysteries)..................S3568 The Penderwicks..........................S3795
Annie and the Old One.................S0758. All-of-a-Kind Family.....................S0005 Pippi Longstocking......................S0563
Balto: The Bravest Dog Ever........S3744 GRADE 3 Almost Starring Skinnybones......S2161 Poppy...........................................S2603
A Bear for Miguel.........................S2931 Adventures/Ali Baba Bernstein.....S0918 Anastasia Krupnik........................S0985 Robin Hood/Sherwood Forest......S1233
The Beast/Ms. Rooney’s Room....S0475 Aldo Applesauce..........................S0917 Arthur, for the Very First Time.....S0522 Sadako/Thousand Paper Cranes..S0091
The Big Balloon Race...................S1322. Amber Brown Goes Fourth..........S1009 Baby.............................................S2680 Sarah, Plain and Tall....................S0401
Blackberries in the Dark...............S0148. Amber Brown is Not a Crayon.....S2729 The Ballad of Lucy Whipple.........S0250 Search for Delicious.....................S0277
The Boston Coffee Party..............S1302 Be a Perfect Person /Three Days..S0515 Because of Winn-Dixie.................S0959 Shiloh...........................................S1372
The Boy with the Helium Head.....S3384 Ben and Me..................................S1061 Best Christmas Pageant Ever.......S2624 Shiloh Season..............................S3120
Buffalo Bill and/Pony Express......S2732 The Boxcar Children.....................S0378 The BFG.......................................S1393 Skinnybones................................S0939
Busybody Nora............................S0018. The Chalk Box Kid........................S0988 The Big Wave...............................S0123 Skylark . ......................................S2551
Cam Jansen /Dinosaur Bones......S0130. The Chocolate Touch...................S0532 Bunnicula.....................................S1065 Socks...........................................S0100
Cam Jansen /Gold Coins..............S0462. Class Clown.................................S0919 By the Great Horn Spoon.............S2550 Soup............................................S0406
Chang’s Paper Pony.....................S2358. The Courage of Sarah Noble........S0833 Caleb’s Story................................S1761 Stone Fox.....................................S0569
Daniel’s Duck...............................S1312 Donovan’s Word Jar....................S3117 Charlie and the Strider..........................................S2453
Dinosaurs Before Dark Ellen Tebbits................................S0146 Chocolate Factory....................S0132 Stuart Little..................................S2737
(Magic Tree House)...............S1754 Felita............................................S1062 Charlotte’s Web...........................S0023 Superfudge..................................S0416
The Drinking Gourd.....................S1323. Front Porch Stories......................S2548 Chocolate Fever...........................S2337 The Tale of Despereaux...............S3640
Emma’s Magic Winter..................S0681 A Gift for Mama...........................S0539 The Cricket in Times Square........S0229 Tales/Fourth-Grade Nothing.........S1067
Flat Stanley..................................S2733 Go Fish.........................................S3306 Dear Mr. Henshaw.......................S0141 There’s a Boy in the
Freckle Juice................................S0361. A Grain of Rice.............................S2361 Encyclopedia Brown: Girl’s Bathroom.......................S3614
Henry and Mudge........................S0408. Helen Keller..................................S0040 Boy Detective........................S0449 The Tiger Rising...........................S3764
Hill of Fire....................................S1324 Herbie Jones................................S2735 The Enormous Egg......................S0147 Trouble River...............................S0205
Hour of the Olympics...................S3348 How to Eat Fried Worms..............S0374 The Family Under the Bridge.......S1081 Trumpet of the Swan...................S0755
In the Dinosaur’s Paw The Hundred Dresses..................S0991 Fantastic Mr. Fox.........................S0033 The Velveteen Rabbit...................S0288
(Polk Street)............................S0256 The Hundred Penny Box..............S0760 Finding Buck McHenry.................S2642 The Witch of Fourth Street...........S0117
The Jamie and Angus Stories......S3794 The Indian School........................S2932 The Friendship.............................S1613 Yang the Youngest/ Terrible Ear..S0242
The Josefina Story Quilt...............S1317 J.T................................................S0052 Frindle..........................................S3119 A Year Down Yonder...................S3615
Learning Links Inc.

Dept. P28 • (516) 437-9071 • Fax (516) 437-5392 • Toll Free 800-724-2616 • www.learninglinks.com
Novel •Ties Study Guides
®
GRADE 5 The Pinballs.................................S0084 The Master Puppeteer..................S0175 Milkweed......................................S3757

Adam of the Road........................S1248 Prairie Songs...............................S0846 M.C. Higgins, the Great................S0630 The Miracle Worker.....................S0891
Al Capone Does My Shirts...........S3762 Queenie Peavy.............................S1474 The Midwife’s Apprentice.............S2738 Monster.......................................S1617
Among the Hidden.......................S1127 Return of the Indian.....................S2204 Mrs. Frisby and the My Brother Sam is Dead..............S0069
Amos Fortune, Free Man..............S2501 Seedfolks.....................................S3310 Rats of NIMH...........................S0071 No Promises in the Wind.............S0387
Babe the Gallant Pig.....................S2206 Shades of Gray............................S0339 Nothing But the Truth..................S0415 The Old Man and the Sea.............S0076
The Bad Beginning.......................S3522 Sign of the Beaver.......................S0125 Number the Stars.........................S1069 Our Town.....................................S0893
Baseball Fever..............................S0365 The Silver Coach..........................S1068 Old Yeller.....................................S0077 The Outsiders...............................S0080
Bloomability.................................S0979 Sing Down the Moon...................S0193 One-Eyed Cat...............................S1070 The Pearl......................................S0081
The Borrowers.............................S0519 Slake’s Limbo..............................S0098 Out of the Dust............................S3124 The Pigman..................................S0083
Bridge to Terabithia.....................S0017 Summer of the Monkeys.............S1123 Park’s Quest.................................S1071 The Red Pony..............................S0089
Bud, Not Buddy............................S3309 Summer of the Swans.................S0103 Parrot in the Oven........................S3158 Redwall........................................S2851
Burning Questions/Bingo Brown.. S1406 Surviving the Applewhites...........S3748 The Planet of Jr. Brown...............S1094 Rifles for Watie............................S0637
The Cabin Faced West.................S0986 The Talking Earth.........................S0626 The Pushcart War........................S0086 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry......S0124
Caddie Woodlawn........................S0019 The Thief Lord.............................S3645 Rascal..........................................S0088 Romeo and Juliet.........................S0190
Call It Courage...............................S18A Timothy of the Cay.......................S2473 Red Scarf Girl..............................S3275 Rumble Fish.................................S0090
Castle in the Attic.........................S1249 Toliver’s Secret............................S0837 The River.....................................S2467 Scorpions.....................................S1618
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit..............S0020 Touching Spirit Bear..................... S3646 Sarah Bishop...............................S0191 Shabanu.......................................S1280
The Cay........................................S0022 True Confessions/Charlotte Doyle.S0428 The Secret Garden.......................S0278 Sounder.......................................S0198
Charley Skedaddle.......................S1159 Tuck Everlasting...........................S0107 Shadow of a Bull..........................S0634. Stargirl.........................................S3602
Crash...........................................S3001 The Twenty-one Balloons.............S0573 A Single Shard.............................S1043 Streams to/River, River to//Sea...S0675
Crispin: The Cross of Lead..........S3619 The Upstairs Room......................S2532 The Slave Dancer.........................S0631 Summer of My German Soldier...S0102
Daniel’s Story...............................S2514 War Comes to Willy Freeman......S1899 A Soldier’s Heart..........................S1161 Tangerine.....................................S3311
Danny/Champion of the World.....S0139 The War with Grandpa.................S0574 Snow Treasure.............................S1072 Tears of a Tiger............................S3766
Daphne’s Book.............................S0962 Weasel.........................................S0524 So Far From the Bamboo Grove..S0404 That Was Then, This is Now........S0966
Dectectives in Togas....................S1242 Welcome Home, Jellybean...........S0112 The View from Saturday..............S2934 Treasure Island............................S0287
Dragonwings................................S0234 When Zachary Beaver Came Waiting For the Rain....................S0425 Watership Down..........................S0111
Edgar Allan...................................S0031 to Town....................................S2218 Walk Two Moons.........................S2553 When the Legends Die.................S0209
Ella Enchanted.............................S3121 The Whipping Boy.......................S0576 The Watsons Go to Birmingham.. S2935 Where the Lilies Bloom................S0995
Esperanza Rising.........................S3616 Who Really Killed Cock Robin?...S0934 The Westing Game.......................S0113 Where the Red Fern Grows..........S0114
Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff..S1089 The Wish-Giver............................S0579 When My Name Was Keoko........S3796 A Wrinkle in Time........................S0119
Fever 1793...................................S3746 GRADE 6 The White Mountains...................S0210 The Yearling.................................S0120
The Fighting Ground....................S0355 The Wind in the Willows..............S0291 Z for Zachariah.............................S0582
Abel’s Island................................S2933 The Witch of Blackbird Pond.......S0116
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule....S3492 The Acorn People.........................S0001 GRADEs 9-12
Freaky Friday................................S0034 Words By Heart...........................S0963
Alan and Naomi...........................S0520 Wringer........................................S0762 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...S0002
Freedom Crossing........................S1162 Alice in Wonderland . ..................S0218 All Quiet on the Western Front.....S0006
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Year of Impossible Goodbyes......S2170
Anne of Green Gables..................S0521 Zlata’s Diary.................................S0424 Angela’s Ashes.............................S3312
Basil E.Frankweiler.................S0243 Artemis Fowl................................S3617 The Bean Trees............................S3270
A Gathering of Days.....................S0629 Belle Prater’s Boy.........................S3122 GRADEs 7-8 Beloved........................................S3126
George Washington’s Socks........S3618 The Black Pearl............................S0013 Across Five Aprils........................S0984 Black Boy.....................................S0012
The Girl Who Owned a City..........S0036 Blue Willow..................................S1499 Adventures of Tom Sawyer..........S0003 The Book Thief.............................S3798
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!......S3800 Brian’s Winter..............................S1411 Animal Farm.................................S0007 Catcher in the Rye.......................S0021
The Great Gilly Hopkins...............S0039 The Bronze Bow...........................S2339 Anne Frank: Diary of a The Crucible.................................S0894
The Gypsy Game..........................S0860 Catherine, Called Birdy ...............S2552 Young Girl................................S0008 Death of a Salesman....................S0029
Harriet the Spy.............................S0276 Chasing Redbird..........................S3123 April Morning...............................S0009 Fahrenheit 451.............................S0032
Harry Potter/Chamber of Secrets.. S2696 Chasing Vermeer.........................S3750 Banner in the Sky.........................S1460 Flowers for Algernon...................S0151
Harry Potter/Sorcerer’s Stone......S0346 City of Ember...............................S3759 Bless the Beasts and Children.....S0014 Great Expectations.......................S0295
The Higher Power of Lucky.........S3763 The Crossing ..............................S1348 A Boat to Nowhere.......................S0015 The Great Gatsby.........................S0038
Homeless Bird.............................S1013 The Devil’s Arithmetic..................S1407 The Call of the Wild.....................S0987 Hamlet.........................................S0929
Ida Early Comes Over/Mountain..S1082 Dogsong......................................S0923 Cheaper By the Dozen..................S0024 I Know Why the
The Incredible Journey................S0048 The Door in the Wall....................S0233 Children of the River....................S1624 Caged Bird Sings.....................S3256
In the Year of the Boar and Down a Dark Hall.........................S0144 Chinese Cinderella.......................S3756 The Joy Luck Club.......................S3127
Jackie Robinson.......................S0434 The Egypt Game...........................S1399. The Chocolate War.......................S0226 Julius Caesar...............................S0502
Island of the Blue Dolphins..........S0050 The Endless Steppe.....................S1271 A Christmas Carol........................S3125 The Lilies of the Field...................S1073
Jacob Two-Two/Hooded Fang ....S0752 A Family Apart.............................S0841 Come Sing, Jimmy Jo..................S0343 Lord of the Flies...........................S0065
A Jar of Dreams...........................S1625 Follow My Leader.........................S0989 The Contender.............................S0510 Macbeth.......................................S2682
Jip:His Story................................S3156 Flush............................................S3797 Criss Cross..................................S3399 A Midsummer Night’s Dream......S2684
Journey to America......................S1103 Freak, the Mighty.........................S0419 The Dark is Rising.......................S0348 Murder on the Orient Express......S0072
Julie.............................................S1513 Gathering Blue.............................S3749 A Day No Pigs Would Die............S0230 My Ántonia...................................S2554.
Julie of the Wolves......................S0053 Gentlehands.................................S0395 Deathwatch..................................S0030. Night............................................S0073
The Land I Lost............................S0261 The Giver.....................................S0436 Dicey’s Song................................S0231 1984............................................S0074
Letters from Rifka........................S2066 The Goats.....................................S0562 El Bronx Remembered.................S2190 Of Mice and Men.........................S0075
Lily’s Crossing.............................S0508 The Golden Goblet.......................S2148 Farewell to Manzanar...................S0150 One Flew Over the
Lizzie Bright/Buckminster Boy.....S3758 Hatchet.........................................S0990 The Golden Compass...................S3169 Cuckoo’s Nest..........................S0183
Luke Was There...........................S0927 The High King..............................S0371 The Hobbit...................................S0042 Ordinary People...........................S0078
The Maldonado Miracle ..............S1350 Holes............................................S0838 Homecoming...............................S0668 Picture of Dorian Gray.................S0082
Matilda.........................................S0375 Homer Price.................................S0692 Hoops..........................................S0372 Raisin in the Sun.........................S0087
Missing ‘Gator/Gumbo Limbo......S2303 Homesick.....................................S0253 The House on Mango Street........S2188 The Red Badge of Courage..........S0996.
Missing May................................S0327 Hoot.............................................S2365 I Am the Cheese...........................S0046 The Scarlet Letter.........................S0093
My Louisiana Sky.........................S1007 The House of Dies Drear..............S1855 I Heard the Owl Call My Name.....S0047 A Separate Peace.........................S0096
My Side of the Mountain.............S0070 Interstellar Pig.............................S0545 Johnny Tremain...........................S0051 Shane...........................................S0097
Olive’s Ocean...............................S3556 Island on Bird Street....................S2515 Killing Mr. Griffin.........................S0507 Things Fall Apart..........................S0759
On My Honor...............................S0997 Jacob Have I Loved ....................S0169 A Lantern in Her Hand.................S0055 To Kill a Mockingbird...................S0106
The Perilous Road.......................S1160 Journey Home ............................S1626 Let the Circle Be Unbroken..........S1342 Twelfth Night...............................S2687
The Phantom Tollbooth...............S0184 Kira, Kira......................................S2712 The Light in the Forest.................S0058 Up a Road Slowly........................S0632
Philip Hall likes me .....................S1408 Lyddie..........................................S0718 The Little Prince...........................S0063 The War Between the Classes......S1074
Pictures of Hollis Woods.............S3747 Maniac Magee..............................S1409 The Lottery Rose.........................S0066 The Wave.....................................S0300
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Dept. P28 • (516) 437-9071 • Fax (516) 437-5392 • Toll Free 800-724-2616 • www.learninglinks.com

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Novel •Ties

For the Teacher

This reproducible study guide consists of lessons to use in conjunction with

In a homogeneous classroom, whole class instruction with one title is

The benefits of using NOVEL-TIES are numerous. Students read good

Novel-Ties® are printed on recycled paper.

Copyright © 2003, 2006 by LEARNING LINKS INC.

LEARNING LINKS INC. 1

The Great Depression

LEARNING LINKS INC. 2

GLOSSARY OF SPANISH WORDS

LEARNING LINKS INC. 3

PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

LEARNING LINKS INC. 4

Year Events in History Events in Book

1910 The Mexican Revolution begins.

1911 In Mexico, the long dictatorship of

1921 The first of two national origin quota

1929 With the onset of the Great

1930– Many Mexican workers are displaced

1933 Mexican farm workers in the Central

LEARNING LINKS INC. 5

AGUASCALIENTES, MEXICO; LAS UVAS; LAS PAPAYAS; LOS HIGOS

1. venom a. warm and friendly

7. Mother taught us that ____________________ was important in life, especially saying

LEARNING LINKS INC. 6

Aguascalientes, Mexico; Las Uvas; Las Papayas; Los Higos (cont.)

Questions for Discussion:

What does this foreshadow?

LEARNING LINKS INC. 7

Aguascalientes, Mexico; Las Uvas; Las Papayas; Los Higos (cont.)

I V. Metaphor—A metaphor is a suggested or implied comparison. For example:

V. Personification—Personification in literature refers to human qualities that an

LEARNING LINKS INC. 8

LAS GUAYABAS; LOS MELONES

2. Getting caught in traffic often makes people ____________________.

7. It is not safe to drink the water from a(n) ____________________ pool.

LEARNING LINKS INC. 9

Las Guayabas; Los Melones (cont.)

4. How did Papa’s death change Miguel’s life?

5. Why does Esperanza’s mother say, “Now we are peasants, too.”

9. Why does Esperanza dislike Marta?

Questions for Discussion:

3. In what ways was Esperanza becoming more aware of class distinctions?

LEARNING LINKS INC. 10

Las Guayabas; Los Melones (cont.)

II. Simile—What is being compared in the following simile?

What visual image does this create?

Sights Smells Sounds

LEARNING LINKS INC. 11

Las Guayabas; Los Melones (cont.)

Social Studies Connection:

LEARNING LINKS INC. 12

LAS CEBOLLAS; LAS ALMENDRAS

1. DULL is to EXCITING as _______________________ is to GRACEFUL.

2. WRAP is to PRESENT as _______________________ is to INFANT.

3. _______________________ is to NOTICEABLE as ELDERLY is to OLD.

4. SWIMMING POOL is to RECREATION as _______________________ is to

5. OCEAN is to SEA as EMBARRASSMENT is to _______________________.

blanket were .10 But as soon as she reached a ,11

_20 of the wishes that would go into _21 blanket forever.

in the 24 brought her extra skeins of yarn and 25