Is this book appropriate for a 5th grade female reader who is growing up Latina in Boston?

I think that with any work of literature, it is important
to ensure that proper instruction, formal or informal, accompanies it to guarantee
comprehension of concepts.  The information given about the student is a bit too vague,
so the only one that will be able to make this call is someone with a great deal of
insight.  There are some items to take into account.  On one hand, the book deals with
Esperanza's coming of age and much that goes along with it.  There are open discussions
of sexuality and victimization as a result.  There is a frank openness about how
individuals might not fit into the social order and what it means to be different from
others.  As with many books about girls' coming of age, it is something that addresses
how self- perception can be an awkward process and this might be something where
difficulty will arise in terms of questions being raised.  I think that there is a level
of accompaniment that will be needed with a work of this magnitude.  Fifth grade might
be a challenging time to start addressing the issues raised in the book, something that
presumes adolescence has already been well started.  Ethnicity is not the defining
element in reading this book.  I think that gender plays more of an essential role. This
is not saying that it should not be read, but the mature level of discussion that is
evident in the work has to be broached with a sense of guidance and caution in making
sure that adult accompaniment is present with the child reading it.  If this is not
there, I would not think that the book is something that can be easily read by a fifth
grader and grasped.