Esperanza Rising: Las Guayabas–Las Cebollas

by Pam Muñoz Ryan
When tragedy strikes, Esperanza's family has to leave their ranch in Mexico and move to a farmworkers' camp during the Great Depression.

Learn these word lists for the novel: 1924–Los Higos, Las Guayabas–Las Cebollas, Las Almendras–Las Papas, Los Aguacates–Las Uvas
15 words 7939 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. renegade
    someone who rebels and becomes an outlaw
    I looked out the window to see six men, their faces covered with handkerchiefs, and they all held rifles. They were renegades who thought they had permission to steal from the rich and give to the poor.
  2. persistent
    never-ceasing
    The persistent smell of the guavas filled their noses.
  3. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    He was mesmerized by the locomotive, watching it slowly pull in.
  4. monotonous
    tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
    The song of the locomotive was monotonous as they traveled north, and the hours seemed like Mama’s never-ending ball of thread unwinding in front of them.
  5. irritable
    easily annoyed
    He seemed as happy as Esperanza was irritable.
  6. stagnant
    not circulating or flowing
    Inside, the air was stagnant and thick with the smell of body odor.
  7. cherub
    a sweet innocent baby
    The babies, Lupe and Pepe, a girl and a boy, were dark-eyed cherubs, with thick mops of black hair.
  8. arroyo
    a stream or brook
    Below, canyons plunged to an arroyo, a silver line of water from an unknown river.
  9. careen
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    She felt as if she were falling, careening through the hot air.
  10. cascade
    rush down in big quantities
    She stared at the dark brown and purple ridges staggered in the distance and let the ripe tears cascade down her cheeks.
  11. anticipate
    be excited or anxious about
    She looked at Isabel, her eyes anticipating some wonderful story.
  12. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    A truck piled high with produce drove by, losing a cloud of debris.
  13. recall
    summon knowledge from memory
    But Melina didn’t seem bothered and began recalling other farms her husband had worked on in Aguascalientes.
  14. unrelenting
    harsh
    The camp was quiet and even though it was late in the day, the sun was unrelenting.
  15. humiliation
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    "Cinderella!” she laughed. Burning with humiliation, Esperanza dropped the broom and ran back to the cabin.
Created on Wed Jan 29 11:35:44 EST 2014 (updated Thu Jun 12 13:54:45 EDT 2025)

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