Josefina's Boxed Set (The American Girls Collection) [Box set] [Paperback]

Valerie Tripp (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: The American Girls Collection

All six Josefina books in an attractive slipcase. Includes "Meet Josefina, Josefina Learns a Lesson, Josefina's Surprise, Happy Birthday, Josefina!, Josefina Saves the Day", and "Changes for Josefina".

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: American Girl Publishing Inc (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562476750
• ISBN-13: 978-1562476755
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Change and Tradition, June 2, 2002

By 

Tracy Robert (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Josefina's Boxed Set (The American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

Josefina (pronounced "ho-sa-FEE-nah") is a nine year old Hispanic girl growing up on a large rancho in New Mexico in 1824. The first story opens up with Josefina and her three older sisters finding comfort in daily chores while thinking about Mama, who had died a year before. Then, Abuelo (Grandfather) returns from a trip to Mexico City, bringing with him Tia (Aunt) Dolores. From then on, Tia Dolores is the catalyst for change. The educated, independent young aunt brings new beliefs about a woman's role and challenges the more tradional role that Mama had played in the family. Fortunately, Tia Dolores is a wise and gentle teacher who teaches Josefina that learning new things or doing things differently does not mean forgetting the old. Memories of Mama can be found in learning to read and write, repairing her embroidered altar cloth, celebrating Christmas, and in learning to care for the family and household. Josefina learns that her heart can embrace her cultural traditions while her spirit flies free on the wind of personal, family, and cultural changes.

New Mexico Hispanic traditions and the historical lifestyle are accurately portrayed through Josefina's daily routines. The focus on Josefina and her world makes the stories relevant and interesting to the readers. Readers learn about laundry, cooking and baking, food choices, gardens, trips to the river for water, friendships, family roles, manners and codes of conduct, and celebrations. Josefina's family faces tragedy in a flood, hard work to recover losses and maintain daily existance, the emotional conflict of change, and other choices appropriate to the world they live in. Additional historical information for each story is at the back of each book, making this a history lesson that goes down with a spoonful of sugar and much enjoyment.

Each book is only 4 chapters long, and if all you want out of it is a nice story, then this series will deliver it in a historical setting that is new to many readers. Because of the excellent research that was done, this series can be used for new students (children and adults) of Southwest history. However, those who want to look deeper will find that the themes of the stories work well with New Mexico history of the time. In 1821, the Santa Fe Trail opened up, bringing Americans to Santa Fe. They brought new goods, created a merchant class, and brought values that were more materialistic than either the Hispanic or Pueblo people had lived by. Josefina, like other members of the younger generation, would spend a lifetime learning about choices, change, and deciding what traditions to hang onto. The Hispanic culture did change, and the wealthy merchants adapted to an Americanized world while rural communities sought to continue to live by their cultural traditions. Either way, the world that Josefina and her sisters inherited would not hold for them the same roles, expectations, and choices that their grandmother had. It is a credit to the Hispanic people that they held onto so much because they did it against discrimination, and in the face of change. To this extent, Tia Dolores is the symbol of this coming change, and Mama is the traditions that they must choose to remember and honor. I reread this series occationally, and it still brings much to my life. Although the brevity of the books is deceptive, I would stick with the publishers recommended reading age of 8-12 (about second through sixth grades) because there is so much that can be learned and enjoyed in these books that a younger child may miss.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These books hit the mark!, January 28, 2001

By 

Kimberly A. Darwin (Maple Valley, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Josefina's Boxed Set (The American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

As a grown up, hispanic woman who grew up in New Mexico (whose grandmother's name was actually Josefina), I must say that these books are very factual and well written. Hispanic culture does not change much from generation to generation, and the depictions of the culturally rich traditions of a hispanic family from that area of the country are perfect. These books are a joy to read!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Girls has another hit!, December 8, 1999

By 

"sherlocky" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Josefina's Boxed Set (The American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

Like all the American Girls books, these about Josefina are full of great information. The authors are very good about making you feel as if you are apart of that time frame. The best part about the Josefina books is that they also come in a Spanish version. I think that is very important for young hispanic girls to be able to read something about their heritage in their own language.