Esperanza Rising by the numbers
Pam Muñoz Ryan · first published 2000 · dataset 2026-10-24
Who it is not for: readers below 4th grade: no school list in our data assigns it earlier. At 272 pages it is also longer than the median book listed for grades 3-5 (160), so it is not a quick read.
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Length and reading time
| Pages (dataset edition) | 272 |
|---|---|
| Estimated words | 75,000 |
| Reading time, 300 wpm (fast) | 4 h 9 min |
| Reading time, 250 wpm (average adult) | 4 h 59 min |
| Reading time, 200 wpm (careful / younger reader) | 6 h 14 min |
| Days at 20 minutes a day | 15 |
| Lexile measure | 750L |
At 272 pages, Esperanza Rising is longer than 71.8% of the 2,330 books on the reading lists we track whose page count we know (2,809 books are tracked in all). It is longer than the median book listed for grades 3-5 (160 pages).
Esperanza Rising is 272 pages; the median book listed for grades 3-5 is 160 pages and the median of all 2,330 listed books with a page count is 187.
Source: Page counts of 2,330 books on U.S. school reading lists, bookstatistics.com · Dataset snapshot 2026-10-24
Show the numbers
| Book | Pages |
|---|---|
| Esperanza Rising | 272 pages |
| Median book listed for grades 3-5 | 160 pages |
| Median of all listed books | 187 pages |
Word counts and reading times are estimates: pages × 275 words, divided by the reading speed. Your edition's page count and your own pace will differ.
Where Esperanza Rising is on school reading lists
9 appearances (0.0% of all 20,804 listings in the dataset), drawn from 5 published lists, in grades 4th–7th. 9 of the 9 carry a link to the published source document.
States (4): California, Illinois, New Hampshire, Texas.
| Grade | Listings |
|---|---|
| 4th | 1 |
| 5th | 4 |
| 6th | 3 |
| 7th | 1 |
Sources
- Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records. · checked 2026-06-12
- IL ELA grade 5 Hispanic Heritage Month text · checked 2026-05-29
- TEKS grade 6 frequently-taught text · checked 2026-05-29
- CA CCSS ELA grade 5 — Central Valley immigrant narrative · checked 2026-05-29
- CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 4-5 exemplar · checked 2026-05-29
Questions
How many pages is Esperanza Rising?
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan is 272 pages in the edition recorded in our dataset. Page counts vary by edition and format; at about 275 words per page that is roughly 75,000 words.
How long does it take to read Esperanza Rising?
About 4 h 59 min at an average adult pace of 250 words per minute (4 h 9 min at 300 wpm, 6 h 14 min at 200 wpm). At 20 minutes a day that is about 15 days.
Is Esperanza Rising on school reading lists?
Yes. It appears 9 times on the U.S. school reading lists, award lists and curricula in our dataset, in 4 states plus 1 national-curriculum listing, most often in grades 3-5. That ranks it #439 of 2,809 listed books.
Related
- Esperanza Rising: reading level, grades and similar booksOn ReadingList, our sister site for school reading lists.
- Books of about the same lengthGrowing Home (272 pp.) · The Tale of Despereaux (270 pp.) · To Kill a Mockingbird (281 pp.) · Monster (281 pp.)
- The most assigned books, rankedAll 2,809 listed books start here.
- Book length statisticsHow long assigned books are, by grade.
Cite this page
<a href="https://bookstatistics.com/books/esperanza-rising/">Esperanza Rising statistics</a>. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [Esperanza Rising statistics](https://bookstatistics.com/books/esperanza-rising/). Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [url=https://bookstatistics.com/books/esperanza-rising/]Esperanza Rising statistics[/url]. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site.