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Valley of the Moon: the Diary of Marķa Rosalia de Milagros

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Maria Rosalia De Milagros is a servant for the Medina family on thier ranch in Alta California. She doesn't know who her father was and her mother died from smallpox. The only blood relation she knows is her brother, Dominigo. Maria (Rosa for short) wants to know who her parents were and what happened to them. While living with the Medinas she lives with Miguela (the lovely, yet very hard to get oldest daughter of the Medinas) Rafaela, the pale and sickly sister who gets sick by a simple bruise, Gabriela the sister who treats Rosa like a sister(but she is brought up learning that Rosa is lower than her and could have remarks as hard as stone at times) Senor Medina, the kind father of the Medina family, who treats Dominigo like the son he never knew, and Senorita Medina. Along comes Senor Henry Johnston (an americano) and desperately tries to get married to Miguela. While Senore Johnston is trying to get Miguela's hand in marriage, he has a friendship with Rosa and introduces her to his niece, Nelly. Nelly has faced many hardships. She came from Missouri to Alta, California, and right before she reached California her parents died. The only close relativity that she has now is her brother, Walter, whom Rosa has a secret feeling towards. Great addition to the Dear America books!

The year is 1845, the place Sonoma Valley in Alta California. Raised as a Catholic at a Spanish mission in Northern California along with her younger brother before the two of them were taken in to be the servants of a wealthy Mexican family on their ranch, thirteen year old Maria Rosalia de Milagros barely remembers her Indian mother, who died of smallpox when she was six. She doesn't even know who her father was, only that he was a white man, or even what her real name was - Maria Rosalia was the name given to her by Padre Ygnacio, the priest who saved the lives of her and her little brother. Even though she is well treated by the family she works for, the Medinas, Maria Rosalia longs to know who her parents were. Her only hope would be to find Padre Yganico, and she doesn't have any idea where he is after all these years. Still, Maria Rosalia is able to find joy in holidays and celebrations, in writing in her diary, and in a new American friend, but there is a great deal of sorrow as well. This was an excellent addition to the Dear America series that revealed a great deal about a way of life that has vanished into the depths of time, and taught me about a period in American history that I knew little about.

Valley of The Moon: The Diary of Maria Rosalia De Milagros is a wonderful book and very interesting. It is a Dear America Book written by Sherry Garland, who also wrote A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence. Valley of the Moon is the 1840's diary of a half-Mexican, half-Indian girl who is a servant on a rich Mexican rancho in California. She writes about her daily life and the people in it in her diary. She doesn't worry about holding back her feelings when she writes about her chores, the people she knows, and the Americans taking over California during the Mexican-American War. It was very neat to get the perspective of a Mexican girl - something that is very hard to find.

Rosy is 14 years old, growing up in northern California as a servant on the Medina's Rancho. In her diary she writes about the Medina daughters and what she thinks about them (especially the oldest), and about the cattle branding and bull fights which were interesting to watch. In addition, since all Mexicans were Catholic at that time, Rosy tells of how they celebrated the holidays, Christmas and Easter, in Mexican California. She writes about her new best friend, Nelly, and how her own mother died of smallpox in the woods when she was very young. After she died, Padre Ygnaco found Rosy and her younger brother and brought them to the mission, where she learned how to read and write. Later in this book, Rosy sets off to find out the past of her mother and father.

This book has 222 pages and 185 of them are the actual diary. The other 37 pages consist of the epilogue, a glossary of Spanish words used in this book, and a historical note. The historical note gives a brief history on how Alta (upper) California became a home for Mexican rancheros and later American settlers. It describes how the Americans took over California during the Mexican-American War, and how the Mexican way of life changed after the gold rush, which started in 1848. In addition, there are pictures in the back of the book showing chores, a bullfight, words to a love song, and the recipe for pastelitos de boda- wedding cookies! Also, there is a green ribbon attached to the book to mark your place when you are finished reading.

I would recommend this book for girls ages 12 and up, and for anyone who loves the Dear America Books. This one is very well written and interesting to read. I have read a lot of the Dear America and My America books and this one is one of my favorites!

I really love "Valley of the Moon". In the book, Maria and her brother Dominigo are orphans and are loved by a family they work for. Maria searches for her birth parents and finds out what happened. The book also tells about that she is a devoted Christian and when California becomes a republic. Also, here is how Maria found about her parents and how a little scar made the story tell.

Maria's father met her mother. She was an idian and the father fell in love with her because of her charm and beauty. But, it was not allowed for an idian to marry a white man. But, they got maried in an idian wedding ceromony. the mother gives birth to maria, then her brother. That's when disaster strikes. Smallpox have hit, and while papa is gone, the mother rushes with her 2 children to a spanish mission to get vaccinated. There is only enough medicine for 2 people, so the mother makes the ulitmate sacrifice of love and her two children get the medicine. She dies near the mission and that's when maria and her brother are taken in by a family. what happened to maria's father was heartbreaking. he found his house empty and was told that the family died of smallpox. Later on he never married and died a heartbroken man. So, there is a taste of it. still, READ THE BOOK!!!

The setting is the Sonoma Valley in Alta California, 1846. Our heroine, Maria Rosalia, is an orphan who has been taken in as a servant by the wealthy Medina family, of a pure Spanish bloodline. Maria Rosalia does not know what her heritage is. The only one who knows, a kind-hearted priest who has been run out of the priesthood, holds the key to her past. She doesn't know his whereabouts and those who do know warn her not to pursue it.

Class demarcation and conflicts abound in this tale told in diary form. Readers must suspend disbelief at how a largely uneducated child could write a diary with such descriptive passages and insight, but the aim of this book is, I believe, to dispense a history and geography lesson in the guise of a teen story. Would anyone ever write in her diary, "There are no roads, only ruts worn by the wagon"? Our heroine's agitated concern about her parentage and the kind-heartedness of her employers seem anachronistic. It would seem that her life would be much harder than simply picking beans and pumpkins or sewing up dresses. My view is she would not have the leisure or inclination to ponder her family history.

Yet Valley of the Moon succeeds in entertaining and educating its readers. Garland's explanations of California's history are clear and interesting. She intersperses historical characters throughout the story: John Sutter, Santa Anna, Zachary Taylor, and others are mentioned to greater or lesser degrees. There are also pedantic entries on bullfights, Day of the Dead festivities, and other Catholic holy days and festivals.

I loved "Valley of the Moon", it was fantastic. Maria Rosalia and her brother Domingo are orphened after the smallpox plague that took the life of her mother and thousands of other Native Americans living in Alta Califorina. She is servent to a wealthy Spainard family living on rancho in 1846. The Medinas love Maria and her brother as if they were thier own, but Maria Rosalia longs to find her true family and find her past and know her real name(Maria Rosalia was the name Padre Ygnacio gave her when he found her and her brother maria for the virgin mary and Rosalia for roses and domingo for sunday thats the day he found them,Milagros is because it's a miracle he found them alive).The Medinas have 3 hijas, Gabriela, Miguela, y Rafeala. Miguela is a very independent woman, strong-headed, and intellagent. Rafeala is a sickelly girl also pale and too tired. Gabriela is a hyper child and very bossy, but loves Rosa(short for Rosalia). Rosa helps with the fiestas and I enjoyed "Valley of the Moon" on Personally level ,I being half Mexican, it taught me more of my heritage and the language my mother used, so I recommed this book to any one, Sherry Garland truly captured the sprit of the Mexico and it's people.Also inclued is a glossary of spanish terms used through out the book.

"Valley of the Moon" is an excellent historical fiction novel about a Spanish/Indian girl of about 13, Maria Rosalia (Rosa) who works for the wealthy Medina family in Alta California, in 1846.

Rosa secretly knows how to write, and when she finds a blank diary cast away by the wealthy Miguela, she decides to keep a diary. She writes about the work that she does on the rancho, festivals, and her friends (and the boy she loves!), and also her wonderings of who her and her little brother's parents really were - and she is determined to find out. However, with the "norteamericanos" taking over her homeland, and thoughts of war in the air, life soon becomes much more complicated for Rosa.

This was another excellent novel in the Dear America series, and I'd highly recommend it, as it was very exciting and interesting, and also taught me a lot about the Spanish culture. I'd definitely recommend this book for ages 11 - 14!

Valley of the Moon (California) / 0-439-08820-8

Maria Rosalia is an orphan, half-Mexican and half-Indian, whose American Indian mother died of smallpox years ago when Maria was only a small child. Employed as a servant in the household of the rich Medina family, she longs to know where she came from and what her heritage is.

This fascinating doorway into California in the 1840's realistically portrays the tensions between the californios (the Spanish Californians) and the americanos (immigrants from the United States) as the settlers to the California territory struggle against each other in order to determine who shall rule California. Those caught in between this struggle - the American Indians and the relatively powerless women and children in the area - must simply watch and pray that their lives are not too uprooted by the violent atmosphere rapidly developing. Maria's life, as she watches these events carefully, revolves around the daily demands of the Medina daughters. As she interacts with both Spanish gentry and American Indian servants, Maria seeks to find her true identity through her mixed heritage.

"Valley of the Moon" is a compelling read, with wonderful attention to historical detail and beautiful cultural touches. For parents, there is some amount of violence (a bull fight), some mortal danger (a sick child who everyone fears may die, and a miscarried pregnancy), and some references to sex and sexuality (the eldest Medina daughter is being courted for her "hips and thighs" which are widely regarded in the area as being good for childbearing). However, these topics are handled with grace, as is usual for the Dear America books.

~ Ana Mardoll

One of the wonderful things about this book is that it gives the point of view of the Spanish when the Americans were trying to take over California.
Not only does this book teach you about an important part of history, it also fascinates you with the story of a young girl who doesn't know her past. You will be spellbound as she tries frantically to discover who her parents were. A definite must read.

Sherry Garland is definitely at her best in this book set in California. You are able to empathize with nearly all the characters and believe that this truly happened.