Esperanza Rising is a young adult historical fiction novel written by Mexican-American author Pam Muñoz Ryan and released by Scholastic Press on 27 March 2000.

Esperanza, her mother, and their former household servants flee to California with no money during the Great Depression, where they find low-paying agricultural work.

Esperanza Ortega, the daughter of wealthy landowners, lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico, in 1930 on her family's ranch with her mother, father and grandmother.

When Esperanza's family arrives in the United States, which is currently in the grip of the Great Depression, they settle in a farm camp in Arvin, California.

Esperanza, desperate for money to support herself and pay her mother's medical bills, takes work on the farm camp despite being underage.

When Ramona recovers from her illness, Esperanza proudly goes to show her mother the money orders she saved, only to discover that they are missing; Miguel took them when he left.

However, it also found that the "style is engaging, her characters appealing", ultimately saying that the story "bears telling to a wider audience".

[4] Esperanza Rising coincides with other works of its kind to portraying themes of the United States' simultaneous discrimination against and economic reliance on immigrants.

[6] She notes that the novel allows students to confront the realities of discrimination due to skin tone and immigration status,[7] and she praises the book for its cultural authenticity.