Books by Pam Munoz Ryan

Maya lives like a captive. At Grandmother's house in California, everything is forbidden: friends, fun, even memories. And her life is built on lies: lies Grandmother tells her about her dead mother, lies Maya tells to impress or manipulate. But then she moves to the vast Wyoming wilderness where her mother's family awaits - kind, rugged people who have no tolerance for lies. They challenge Maya to confront the truth about who she is. And a mysterious mustang called Artemisia waits, too. She holds the key to Maya's freedom. But to find it, Maya will have to risk everything, including her life.

Ages 10 & up

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, & servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life and her own depend on it.

Ages 10 & up

Provides the real-life tale of twelve-year-old Charlotte Parkhurst who decided to change her identity in order to live life as a boy so that she could experience the many freedoms and liberties denied to her as a girl in the late 1860s.

Ages 10 & up

Using rhyming text and beautiful illustrations, a child describes the wonder of the ocean experienced through each of her five senses.

Picturebook Ages 4 & up

A rhyming trip through the author's home state of California celebrates its major cities and regions and offers facts about the state and its symbols.

Picturebook - Ages 5 & up

Once, when the two Californias ran alta y baja, high and low, along the Pacific, there lived a rare and majestic bird named Nacho, the only pitacoche for thousands of miles. He was proud of his brilliant feathers and haunting songs, but what good were they with no one to share them? Then the swallows came to nest and Nacho met Lolita. His heart filled with affection. Was it possible for two such different birds to find happiness together? And what would happen to Nacho when Lolita and the other swallows migrated back to South America?

Picturebook Ages 6 & up