Happy birthday, Josefina! A springtime story

Valerie Tripp, 1951-

Book - 1998

Josefina hopes to become a "curandera" or healer like Tía Magdalena, and she is tested just before her tenth birthday when a friend receives a potentially fatal snakebite.

Saved in:

Children's Room Show me where

jFICTION/AMERICAN/Josefina
0 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jFICTION/AMERICAN/Josefina Due Apr 4, 2024
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Gr. 3^-5. Two new books from the American Girls series extend the story of Josefina, who lives in New Mexico in 1824. In Birthday, Josefina learns that she can become a healer when she saves the life of a friend who has been bitten by a rattlesnake. In Saves the Day, Josefina's family visits her grandfather near Santa Fe. When her father must decide whether to trust an American trader they have met, Josefina's quick wits come to the rescue. Following the series format, each book ends with a few pages of social history related to the time and place. Warmed by family affection and brightened with small adventures, these two heavily illustrated stories are sure to please fans of the popular American Girl series. --Carolyn Phelan

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-Social history with a biographical slant. This text discusses what life was like for the middle and lower classes in 19th-century England and incorporates information about Dickens's life and how the period influenced his writing. The vocabulary is concise and uncomplicated and the writing is clear. This book is well organized and extensively researched. The informative black-and-white illustrations enhance the material presented. There's nothing new here, but the book is an excellent supplement to John Rule's The Labouring Classes in Early Industrial England, 1750-1850 (Longman, 1986), David Thomson's England in the Nineteenth Century (Penguin, 1991), and Daniel Pool's What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew (S & S, 1993). Yancey knows her material and readers do not need prior knowledge of the subject to appreciate her engaging volume.-Adrian Renee Stevens, Beaver Creek School, West Jefferson, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Growing up in New Mexico in the mid-1820s, Josefina finds her vocation as a healer in [cf2]Happy Birthday[cf1]; prevents disaster when an American wagon train comes to Santa Fe in [cf2]Saves the Day[cf1], and, in [cf2]Changes[cf1], paves the way for her aunt to marry her widowed father. Despite occasional flaws (flat characters, some far-fetched plot elements), these accessible novels feature a likable heroine and an interesting setting. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

In this entry in one strand of the American Girls series (Meet Josefina, 1997, etc.), Josefina is approaching her tenth birthday and has decided she wants to be a healer like her godmother, Tía Magdalena. Participating in family and community activitiesŽraising a baby goat, helping to replaster the church, and helping Tía MagdalenaŽtake up much of her time. Near the end she is given the opportunity to prove her ability as a healer when her friend, Mariana, is bitten by a rattlesnake. This cheerful story is packed with historical tidbits. The adorable baby goat will appeal to the target audience, and although the story can be bland, it is well-paced, and enhanced by lovely realistic illustrations. (glossary) (Fiction. 7-10)

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.