I first read this as a read aloud with my eldest daughter when she was 12. We loved it - and it was such an eye opener for her to the trauma and challenge that so many people face around the world when home suddenly becomes unsafe, and everything must be left behind in an instant. The book also explores very well the challenges that can meet refugees when they arrive at a 'safe' destination. We see that life does not suddenly becaome easy just because there is no longer an immediate threat. Esperanza and her family find themselves working for employers who are exploitative and living in squalid conditions. However, in the face of adversity, their loyalty to one another remains unswerving, and we see Esperanza grow from being a sheltered and slightly cossetted young girl into a responsible and rounded young women, able to rise to a crisis and support her family when called upon.

Pam Munoz Ryan has written other thought-provoking books for children too - I particularly like 'The Dreamer', and one of my children loved 'Echo'.