Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

This excerpt from Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. I am reading this book for a reading project in my Teaching Reading K-6 course.
Her face crumbled. "Senor," she said, choking back tears. "Have you not heard? My...my papa is dead." Senore Rodgriguez stared blankly, then said, "Que pasa, nina?What happened?" She took a quivery breath. She told the story, she watched the grief twist Senor Rodriguez's face and overtake him as he sat down on the patio bench, shaking his head. She felt as if she were in someone else's body, watching a sadscene but unable to help. p.25.

This passage, along with the rest of the book, is very interesting to me because of the use of voice and the implementation of the spanish language. The story of Esperanza Rising takes place in Mexico and California where the spanish hertiage and culture is dominant. What I love about this passage, and the book, is that the author brings that spanish culture into her writing. As we can see in the above passage, there are several times where the author inserts spanish words or phrases into her writing. I think this is an interesting approach, considering how Esperanza's story is heavily influenced by her Mexican culture. I also think that because Esperanza and her family are spanish, having the author add spanish words and phrases into her text help contribute to the voice of Esperanza and her story and really bring her story to life. Also, as the author inserts the spanish words or phrases, she also writes them in English to help the reader understand what is being said. I think the use of spanish words helps the reader to understand Eperanza's cutlure, her struggles, and dramatic events that happen in her life. Lastly, the authors use of emotion and expression is fantastic in this book because she really draws the reader in and makes them feel as if they are living Esperanza's life. She creates a great sense of emotiona and really draws upon our human senses to bring Epernaza's tragic events to life. I love this book!