9 Regular/Honors/AICE EGP:

Required: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

A great character is at the heart of most of our favorite stories. Harry Potter, Scout Finch, Juliet Capulet, Josh Bell, and many more wonderful, complex, and unforgettable characters inhabit our memories. This summer, you'll meet another memorable character - Esperanza Cordero, who lives on Mango Street in a Latino neighborhood of Chicago.

Along with plot, setting, conflict, and point of view, character is one of the basic elements of narrative writing. Your task as you read and enjoy The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is to notice how Cisneros develops Esperanza Cordero’s character. As you read consider the following five methods of characterization:

• the character’s appearance

• what the character says and how he or she says it

• the character’s actions and choices

• what other characters say about her or him

• through direct statements by the narrator

Also, notice if Esperanza changes from the beginning to the end of the novel, and work to articulate that change. Often, change indicates a character’s growth, which frequently connects to an important theme in the novel about the human experience. When you return to school in the fall, be prepared to share your discoveries.

About the Author:

Sandra Cisneros is a Latina American novelist who wrote the bestselling novel 'The House on Mango Street.'

Who Is Sandra Cisneros?

Sandra Cisneros was born on December 20, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois. Her novel The House on Mango Street, about a young Latina woman coming of age in Chicago, has sold more than two million copies. Cisneros has received numerous awards for her work, including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Texas Medal of the Arts. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Early Life and Career

American writer and poet. Born on December 20, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois. One of seven children and the only daughter, she has written extensively about the Latina experience in the United States. Cisneros is best known for The House on Mango Street (1984), which tells the story of a young Latina woman coming of age in Chicago. The novel has sold more than two million copies.

Books and Awards

Cisneros has explored many literary forms in her work. She wrote several collections of poetry, including My Wicked, Wicked Ways (1987), which was well received by critics. She created an impressionistic portrait of life on the border between the United States and Mexico through a series of vignettes in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories (1991).