Becoming Naomi Leon

by Pam Munoz Ryan

From the Pura Belpré and Jane Addams Peace Award winning author of Esperanza Rising comes a riveting novel about family and identity, drawn from Pam Muñoz Ryan’s own Mexican and Oklahoman heritages. Naomi Soledad León Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life.

But according to Gram's self-prophecies, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. Life with Gram and her little brother, Owen, is happy and peaceful until their mother reappears after seven years of being gone, stirring up all sorts of questions and challenging Naomi to discover who she really is.

Pam Muñoz Ryan reads Becoming Naomi León.

"With its quirky characterizations and folksy atmosphere, this engrossing family drama resembles a Sharon Creech novel on the surface, but it has its own uniquely affecting emotional core." — The Horn Book, September 1, 2004

Ages: 11, 12, 10, 13
Interest Level: Grades 5 - 8
Grade Level Equivalent: 5
DRA: 50
Guided Reading: V
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: Chapter Book
Number of Pages: 246
Genre: Realistic Fiction

About the Author

Pam Munoz Ryan Award-winning author Pam Munoz Ryan writes books for adults, picture books for children, and novels for older students. Her works include Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, Becoming Naomi Leon, The Dreamer, Esperanza Rising, Paint the Wind, and Riding Freedom, which have garnered, among countless accolades, the Pura Belpre medal, the Jane Addams Award, and the Schneider Family Award.