The Queen of Water

by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango
Lexile:  890
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Virginia lives with her family is a small village in Ecuador until she is age 7.  At age 7, her parents sell her to a family who takes her away to a bigger city to care for their baby and take care of their home.  Virginia quickly realizes that her way out of this life is to get an education.  She secretly teaches herself to read and write and helps her gather the courage she will need to get away from her masters and into a life of her own.