The House on Mango Street
by Sandra Cisneros
- Lexile
- 870L
- Grade range
- Grades 7–10
- Age range
- Ages 12–16
- Pages
- 110
- First published
- 1984
- Genre
- Coming-of-Age Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780679734772
About this book
A young Latina, Esperanza Cordero, narrates a year on Mango Street in Chicago through a series of short vignettes about family, neighbors, and her growing sense of what it means to be a woman and a writer. Cisneros's hybrid of prose and poetic form is widely assigned in middle and early high school for voice and structure analysis.
Themes
- identity
- poverty
- Chicano/Latina experience
- gender
- writing and voice
- neighborhood
Content notes
- sexual assault (implied)
- domestic violence (brief)
- poverty
Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.
Where this book is assigned
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
- recommended· 7th grade · New Yorksource: NY Next Gen Learning Standards grade 7 aligned reading
- recommended· 7th grade · Texassource: TEKS grade 7 frequently taught text
- recommended· 8th gradesource: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 6-8 exemplar
- recommended· 8th grade · Californiasource: CA CCSS ELA grade 8 aligned reading
- required· 8th grade · Illinoissource: Chicago PS grade 8 ELA core text (Chicago setting)
- recommended· 9th grade · Illinoissource: Illinois Learning Standards grade 9 aligned reading
Similar grade-level books
Common questions
- What grade level is The House on Mango Street?
- The House on Mango Street is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 7–10, with a Lexile measure of 870L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of The House on Mango Street?
- The House on Mango Street has a Lexile measure of 870L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- What curricula assign The House on Mango Street?
- The House on Mango Street appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The House on Mango Street banned in schools?
- The House on Mango Street has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 2 states (TX, FL) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
- What themes does The House on Mango Street explore?
- Central themes in The House on Mango Street include identity, poverty, Chicano/Latina experience, gender, writing and voice. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.