Book Two/Chapter One; Josefina Learns a Lesson

Josefina Learns a Lesson: A School Story
The second book in the Josefina series continues the story of Josefina (ho-seh-FEE-nah) Montoya, her three older sisters (Ana, Francisca, and Clara), her Papá (Father), Abuelito (Grandfather), and Tía (Aunt) Dolores, and introduces us to Teresita.



The setting is the Montoya family rancho (ranch), near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1824.


As you read the book, you may find it helpful to refer to the following study/discussion questions:

Chapter One: "Light and Shadow"

1. What was Tía Dolores helping the girls make?

2. Who was the first one to finish?

3. Tía Dolores gave the girls help and advice, but would she do the jobs for them? Why or why not?

4. Why was Papá going to the village?

5. What did it mean when the church bell rang?

6. What was Josefina afraid of?

7. Why did the girls need to gather things from the kitchen garden?

A Few Helpful Links & Resources...

... related to the content of Meet Josefina, an American Girl.

New Mexico - History:

New Mexico Office of the State Historian - Digital History Project 


El Rancho de Las Golondrinas (mentioned in the "Looking Back - America in 1824" section of Meet Josefina) 

The Pueblo People of New Mexico:

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (features a PDF download of the "Family Guide to the Pueblo House," as well as other resources)

Traditional Native American Recipes (courtesy of The Pueblo of Santa Ana)

Useful books:

Welcome to Josefina's World (This is a companion book to the Josefina series, and offers further historical background, with full color photographs and graphics. I had an easier time getting my hands on a copy of this book through my local library system than I did with the rest of the individual Josefina books.)

Meet Josefina - "Looking Back - America in 1824"

The following study/discussion questions correspond with the "Looking Back - America in 1824" Section in the back of Meet Josefina, an American Girl .

1. In 1824, was New Mexico a part of the United States? Explain.

2. Did most of the settlers in New Mexico live in its capital, Santa Fe, or did they live somewhere else? If somewhere else, where?

3. Was it easy to raise crops and animals there? Why or why not?

4. Did the men and boys have the same jobs as the women and girls? What were their jobs?

5. The Mexican and Spanish settlers of New Mexico kept their traditions and customs when they moved there, but they did try new things. What did they learn from their Indian* neighbors?

6. Who lived in New Mexico first, the settlers or the Pueblo Indians?

7. Did the Pueblo Indians and the settlers get along?

8. Why did homes have a lookout tower?

9. What was the trail that connected Santa Fe with other Mexican towns and cities?

10. What did the people in New Mexico trade for in Mexico City?

11. How long did it take a caravan to get from Santa Fe to Mexico City?

12. Was travel easy or hard? Why?

13. How did New Mexico become a part of the United States?


*The word "Indian" is used here, rather than "Native American," as it reflects the language of the text.

Meet Josefina - Book One/Chapter Four

Meet Josefina, an American Girl

 Chapter Four: "Josefina's Idea"

Study/Discussion Questions:
1. Describe where Josefina sleeps? How is this different from where you sleep?

2. Why do you think Josefina got up early to do her chores?

3. Tía Dolores brought gifts for the girls. What did she bring for Josefina?

4. How did Tía Dolores know what each girl would like?

5. What was Josefina's idea?

6. Did her sisters agree with her? Why or why not?

7. How did Josefina figure out that Tía Dolores would be back?

Meet Josefina - Book One/Chapter Three

Meet Josefina, an American Girl
Chapter Three: "A Gift for Tía Dolores"

Study/Discussion Questions:
1. What is a fandango?

2. What was Josefina's surprise for Tía Dolores?

3. Who else knew about the surprise?

4. Why couldn't Josefina and Clara dance?

5. What happened to the gift Josefina had for Tía Dolores?

6. How did Josefina learn that she had more courage than she had realized?

7. How did Tía Dolores make Josefina feel better about what happened to the surprise?

"Un fandango" from México y sus alrededores
(work is now in the public domain)

Meet Josefina - Book One/Chapter Two

Meet Josefina, an American Girl
Chapter Two: "Abuelito's Surprise"


Study/Discussion Questions:
1. Who planted the flowers in the courtyard?

2. Where did she get the seeds?

3. What were the girls preparing for?

4. According to the story, was Josefina more like her Mamá or her Papá? How?

5. Describe the caravan when it arrived.

6. Have you ever experienced seeing anything similar? Explain.

7. In the first chapter, we learned that Abuelito's caravan had been gone for over six months, traveling to Mexico City and back along the Camino Real to trade for goods and supplies. In what ways is this different from how we obtain goods and supplies today?

8. When Abuelito arrived with the caravan, he had a surprise on his wagon. Who was it?

9. Had Josefina ever met her before?

10. Do you think Josefina liked her at first? Why or why not?

11. Tía Dolores had one thing in common with Mamá. What was it?

12. How did Tía Dolores's piano save Abuelito's life?

13. Do you think Josefina liked Tía Dolores more or less after Tía played the piano? Why?

The Camino Real or "Royal Road"

click for full-size map

Click for Camino Real Photo Gallery at Caminorealheritage.org

Book One/Chapter One: Meet Josefina

Meet Josefina, an American Girl
The first book in the Josefina series introduces us to Josefina (ho-seh-FEE-nah) Montoya, her three older sisters (Ana, Francisca, and Clara), her Papá (Father), Abuelito (Grandfather), and Tía (Aunt) Dolores.


The setting is the Montoya family rancho (ranch), near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1824.


As you read the book, you may find it helpful to refer to the following study/discussion questions:


Chapter One: "Primroses"

1. Josefina lives on her Papá's rancho. From what you have read, do you think the rancho is in the city or the country? Why?

2. How long had the rancho belonged to Papá's family?


3. Why was Josefina going to the stream with her sisters?

4. How is the way Josefina and her sisters washed and dried their clothing different from how we wash and dry our clothing today?

5. What did Josefina see across the stream that reminded her of her Mamá?

6. What did Josefina keep in her memory box?

7. Why were Josefina and her sisters looking forward to Abuelito coming back?

8. Who used to "protect" Josefina from the goats?

9. Who is Florecita?

10. What happened to Josefina's flowers?

Did you know? 

The yucca plant that Josefina used to wash her clothes is the State Flower of New Mexico.

*Photo of Yucca elata (soaptree yucca) flowers at the Desert Demonstration Garden in Las Vegas, taken May 2004 by Stan Shebs. Used under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 license.

We begin with Josefina, by way of a brief introduction...

 
Josefina an American Girl (The American Girls Collection) - This series explores the life of Josefina Montoya, a nine (and by series end, ten) year old girl living in 1820's New Mexico.

Recommended age range - 8 and up (according to the publisher)

Recurring themes found in the series - Family Bonds, Grief and Loss, Personal and Community Responsibility, Overcoming Obstacles, Conquering Fears

Historical background - New Mexico in 1824 was not a part of the United States. It was a part of Mexico, which had achieved independence from Spain in 1821.

Religious content*- Josefina and her family are Catholic, and references to prayers and Christian religious celebrations, rituals and beliefs are throughout the books.**

Why did I choose to include this series of books for the YLHFS blog? 
1- Easily accessible.
2 - Reader-friendly introduction to the historical fiction genre.
3 - Strong female characters.
4 - The books' historical content has been authenticated by an advisory board listed in the back of each book.
5- Each book has a section of historical background information that relates to the story and helps place the story in its historical context. These background sections are well-done, with color photographs and colorful artwork and graphics.
6 - And, on a personal note, my daughter likes the "American Girl" franchise, so I was happy to use it to steer her toward an appreciation of history.

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*For explanation of why this is included in the overview, see FAQ.
**In my opinion, the religious content is not excessive in the context of the family's culture. To remove the religious aspect of the family's life would be inconsistent with the culture of the period.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010, and welcome to the start of the Young Ladies' Historical Fiction Society blog!

Here on the YLHFS, you will join my daughter and me on a journey through popular historical fiction. On the blog I will be providing questions, reviews and insights that I have developed to help my daughter as she studies history using historical fiction as a jumping off point. My sincere hope is that you will find this material useful to you as well.

Our first Historical Fiction books that we will be discussing are the American Girl series of books, in particular, the Josefina series. Look for the first discussions here in the coming days.

I am delighted that you are joining us on our journey through historical fiction. Feel free to share any comments or book suggestions.