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American Girl: Kirsten #2
Kirsten Learns a Lesson: A School Story
After immigrating from Sweden to join relatives in an American prairie community, Kirsten endures the ordeal of a strange school through a secret friendship with an Indian girl.
69 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
August 18, 2022
This was just as cute as I remember it!! Beware of light spoilers in this review. We get to know Kirsten and her family a bit better in this book. We also get to know her teacher more, whose name escapes me now… but I thought it was fun to read about Kirsten’s school experiences!! I can’t imagine being in one classroom with all the grades at once. But that’s how it was in Kirsten’s time, which is just so interesting to me.
I was also glad that it took a good amount of effort on Kirsten’s part to begin learning English. I feel like many books gloss over it as though learning English is easy, which it most definitely is not. She also struggles with a few other things in this installment and I think it makes the story seem more real.
I recommend this to American Girl lovers who enjoy a good MG/elementary read. You learn some things and have fun at the same time!! Win win!!
I was also glad that it took a good amount of effort on Kirsten’s part to begin learning English. I feel like many books gloss over it as though learning English is easy, which it most definitely is not. She also struggles with a few other things in this installment and I think it makes the story seem more real.
I recommend this to American Girl lovers who enjoy a good MG/elementary read. You learn some things and have fun at the same time!! Win win!!
December 25, 2021
If you read my reviews, you know I am a fan of the American Girls series for girls. I enjoyed this one but felt that it was two storylines when it should have been one. These are small-chapter books and dividing the narrative up this way means neither topic gets the attention that it deserves. Since this book is called Kirsten Learns A Lesson: A School Story, the book should have been just that, life for a young immigrant girl going to a rural school in 1854. School life at that time is so completely foreign to young readers now that more details about Kirsten's school life would have been interesting and educational. The second storyline was also good, though needed its own book in this American Girls Series. Kirsten befriends a Native American girl. Even though spoken communication was next to impossible, these two young girls from very different back grounds, became friends. Both story lines were good, just not enough "meat" for either of them in the one book.
December 15, 2021
I enjoyed reading these books with my niece when she was little and it's fun to revisit Kirsten. Her series is one of my favorites in the American Girl canon.
I recently read "The Children's Blizzard" about the fatal storm in the Dakotas during the late 18th century. "Kirsten Learns a Lesson" does a good job of describing the life of a frontier schoolteacher, both in the story and in the endnotes. I also appreciated Kirsten's friendship with Singing Bird. Kirsten seems to realize that making Minnesota her home means Singing Bird is losing her home. I definitely think there is empathy and a dawning awareness on Kirsten's part. The author does not shy away from difficult subjects such as Singing Bird's displacement and, in the previous book, Marta's death. This series has plenty of teachable moments for children.
I recently read "The Children's Blizzard" about the fatal storm in the Dakotas during the late 18th century. "Kirsten Learns a Lesson" does a good job of describing the life of a frontier schoolteacher, both in the story and in the endnotes. I also appreciated Kirsten's friendship with Singing Bird. Kirsten seems to realize that making Minnesota her home means Singing Bird is losing her home. I definitely think there is empathy and a dawning awareness on Kirsten's part. The author does not shy away from difficult subjects such as Singing Bird's displacement and, in the previous book, Marta's death. This series has plenty of teachable moments for children.
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January 8, 2020This book is a joke! (THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Kirsten doesn't speak English, but then goes to school and doesn't seem to have any trouble understanding her teacher--who's speaking English?
THEN, Kirsten makes friends with a Native American girl by exchanging gifts with her. Cut to some time later, and THEY CAN COMMUNICATE. Even though they speak different languages. No difficulty for Kirsten, apparently. But we get NO information on how they learned to speak to one another.
Singing Bird, Kirsten's friend, takes Kirsten to her village to meet her father. Then HER FATHER SPEAKS TO KIRSTEN. Are they speaking English? What??
Finally, after all this, I thought, "Ok, they're going to tie it together by having Kirsten realize that learning English is important because it's worth it to learn to communicate with people you want to be friends with, even if it's difficult." NOPE. Kirsten learns English when her teacher gives her a poem to memorize about being on a boat! Because apparently, that's like her strongest memory, even though, by all accounts, the voyage to America was HORRIBLE, and also HER FRIEND MARTA DIES ON A BOAT!! Which also she apparently has no trauma from!!
In summary, ridiculous.
Kirsten doesn't speak English, but then goes to school and doesn't seem to have any trouble understanding her teacher--who's speaking English?
THEN, Kirsten makes friends with a Native American girl by exchanging gifts with her. Cut to some time later, and THEY CAN COMMUNICATE. Even though they speak different languages. No difficulty for Kirsten, apparently. But we get NO information on how they learned to speak to one another.
Singing Bird, Kirsten's friend, takes Kirsten to her village to meet her father. Then HER FATHER SPEAKS TO KIRSTEN. Are they speaking English? What??
Finally, after all this, I thought, "Ok, they're going to tie it together by having Kirsten realize that learning English is important because it's worth it to learn to communicate with people you want to be friends with, even if it's difficult." NOPE. Kirsten learns English when her teacher gives her a poem to memorize about being on a boat! Because apparently, that's like her strongest memory, even though, by all accounts, the voyage to America was HORRIBLE, and also HER FRIEND MARTA DIES ON A BOAT!! Which also she apparently has no trauma from!!
In summary, ridiculous.
April 16, 2020
This book attempts to deal with Kirsten's struggles in school because of her language barrier, but whenever it is plot-convenient, Kirsten can communicate perfectly well with both English-speaking Americans and Native Americans. I remember being confused by this as a child, and I thought I was missing something. Nope, it was just a plot hole.
Although the primary conflict in this book is about Kirsten's challenges adjusting to school in a new country, a subplot involves her developing friendship with a Native American. This aspect of the story, and part of the "peek into the past" section, address the impact that European immigration had on native populations. That is worthwhile, but the book as a whole is scattered and lackluster. Even though I remember enjoying it as a child, I'm not impressed now.
Although the primary conflict in this book is about Kirsten's challenges adjusting to school in a new country, a subplot involves her developing friendship with a Native American. This aspect of the story, and part of the "peek into the past" section, address the impact that European immigration had on native populations. That is worthwhile, but the book as a whole is scattered and lackluster. Even though I remember enjoying it as a child, I'm not impressed now.
May 28, 2020
Personally, I think it would have been a lot better if Kirsten really did run away...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2022
3.5 stars
I enjoyed Kirsten's interactions with Singing Bird, and her cousins. I like that she realizes where she belongs.
She does lie in this story and it's never found out or dealt with, so I'm taking half a star off for it.
I enjoyed Kirsten's interactions with Singing Bird, and her cousins. I like that she realizes where she belongs.
She does lie in this story and it's never found out or dealt with, so I'm taking half a star off for it.
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November 12, 2023i think about kirsten everyday she was My american girl
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March 13, 2020I have no recollection of the happenings in this book, and that is a good thing because wowwwwwwww is this book fucked or what. First of all, Miss Winston's little grammar lesson is HILARIOUS but also HORRIFYING; well played, Janet Shaw. But really, this is a whole lot of nonsense. Why is this called Powderkeg School? Why is Kirsten alternately terrible and gifted and then terrible again at English, instead of a slow curve of learning like would actually be realistic? What the fuck is with "secret Indian friend" and that nonsense? I'm not going to even go into names like Singing Bird and Yellow Hair because it's so fucking pedestrian and basic that calling it problematic is giving it too much credit. White people are fucking obsessed with "Indian names" and I cannot. Singing Bird, by the way, also goes from knowing literally no English to being able to communicate in short sentences after interacting with a girl who doesn't speak English herself. A wha? The plotting in this story is so uneven that it's like Shaw and Pleasant Rowland were playing a game of Exquisite Corpse and they never bothered to go through and smooth out the disjointed bits after they got to the end.
So not even by American frontier romanticist nonsense standards is this good; it's bad because it's every bit as trite and problematic as you'd expect from the white capitalist institution that made it, but it's also just bad on all technical levels. Blehh. Now I see why I didn't like Kirsten growing up.
So not even by American frontier romanticist nonsense standards is this good; it's bad because it's every bit as trite and problematic as you'd expect from the white capitalist institution that made it, but it's also just bad on all technical levels. Blehh. Now I see why I didn't like Kirsten growing up.
February 16, 2016
This is one of the few books in the series where it's actually best to read the historical section first and then the story. The historical section does a good job in explaining how schools were run in Kirsten's time and it's extremely different from the way things are done now.
In this story Kirsten is going to start school but she speaks very, very little English and has a lot of trouble in class, especially when the teacher assigns her a poem to memorize and recite in front of the others.
Another plotline is when Kirsten makes friends with a young Indian girl who lives nearby. They get along very, very well and trade a number of different items with each other. Kirsten is even able to meet the girl's father in their teepee. (Which really goes to show that the hatred against the Native Americans was taught the young people; until they were taught that, they could regard each other as potential friends.)
This is a very good story in the series.
In this story Kirsten is going to start school but she speaks very, very little English and has a lot of trouble in class, especially when the teacher assigns her a poem to memorize and recite in front of the others.
Another plotline is when Kirsten makes friends with a young Indian girl who lives nearby. They get along very, very well and trade a number of different items with each other. Kirsten is even able to meet the girl's father in their teepee. (Which really goes to show that the hatred against the Native Americans was taught the young people; until they were taught that, they could regard each other as potential friends.)
This is a very good story in the series.
May 17, 2018
I love how this one continues to expand on the the theme of the challenges an immigrating family faces. Specifically the challenge of learning English and how intimidating it can be. For young readers, who only know their own experiences, this is going to teach real empathy. Hell, for an adult it does that. There's also some very interesting commentary the pioneers relationships with indigenous peoples and how their farming affected their food supply.
June 21, 2020
Singing Bird is such a sweetheart
July 3, 2021
A sweet story about Kirsten adjusting to school on the frontier without being proficient in English and also making friends with a local Native American girl, which shows her the impact settlers have on the lives of those on whose land they now live. The only thing that surprised/disappointed me about it was that the historical notes at the end only covered the school aspect of the plot.
January 10, 2019
I think meet Kirsten was a good book because Kirsten learned to read in English. But she also lied to her parents by saying that she was going to practice her poem when acually she was just going to meet a friend.Plus she was leaving school to go meet the same friend Singing Bird.She had to sneak because her family did not like indians.
April 17, 2024
Rereading the American Girl books one series at a time. There were some interesting and troubling narratives in this one. Kirsten can’t speak English, is berated by her mean school teacher who then comes to live with them, and then dreams of running away and living with her Native American friend, Singing Bird. Somehow Singing Bird and Kirsten are able to speak to each other while they have no shared language. I love the depiction of Kirsten’s emotions and her anxieties about speaking in school, which I found relatable. I was never into this character much as a child so I am enjoying rereading it!
January 30, 2021
Ow, my nostalgia!
I had the Kirsten doll as a child, but don’t remember having any particular affinity for her as a character; I think my mom just got her for me because she is the character I most closely resembled. In my memory, Kirsten is the “sensitive” American Girl, which I don’t think was particularly true of me as a child or as an adult. But her stories are really hitting me right now, probably because of my history with her.
I definitely have not thought of the content of this book since last reading it probably 25 years ago, and it was unexpected that it brought back so many memories. Kirsten speaks little English and is sent to school where she struggles; I would expect that many other students in the class would be in a similar situation, including Kirsten’s own brothers who apparently have no problem fitting in and doing their class work. I don’t know how to feel about the new teacher, Miss Winston: She’s from Maine (+1000), she refers to indigenous people as “savages” (-10,000, but probably and unfortunately historically accurate that a teacher would say that?), she’s 19 (LOL imagining myself at 19), and she does eventually connect with Kirsten in a way that Kirsten can succeed in her studies. She 10000% marries Amos Anderson at some point in this series. I am convinced Janet Shaw modeled Miss Winston after Miss Rumphius.
The storyline with Singing Bird: I loved it. Two young girls create a friendship without a shared language but learn enough from each other and through drawings to communicate. It was heartbreaking for me for Kirsten to lose another friend, this time because of families like hers who have settled on stolen land and driven away the resources needed for Singing Bird’s community to survive. I hope that in an alternate universe Kirsten goes with Singing Bird and the rest of the series is about their adventures together. Also with the state of the United States I imagine the Larsons’ ancestors wish their forebears had stuck it out in Sweden.
I had the Kirsten doll as a child, but don’t remember having any particular affinity for her as a character; I think my mom just got her for me because she is the character I most closely resembled. In my memory, Kirsten is the “sensitive” American Girl, which I don’t think was particularly true of me as a child or as an adult. But her stories are really hitting me right now, probably because of my history with her.
I definitely have not thought of the content of this book since last reading it probably 25 years ago, and it was unexpected that it brought back so many memories. Kirsten speaks little English and is sent to school where she struggles; I would expect that many other students in the class would be in a similar situation, including Kirsten’s own brothers who apparently have no problem fitting in and doing their class work. I don’t know how to feel about the new teacher, Miss Winston: She’s from Maine (+1000), she refers to indigenous people as “savages” (-10,000, but probably and unfortunately historically accurate that a teacher would say that?), she’s 19 (LOL imagining myself at 19), and she does eventually connect with Kirsten in a way that Kirsten can succeed in her studies. She 10000% marries Amos Anderson at some point in this series. I am convinced Janet Shaw modeled Miss Winston after Miss Rumphius.
The storyline with Singing Bird: I loved it. Two young girls create a friendship without a shared language but learn enough from each other and through drawings to communicate. It was heartbreaking for me for Kirsten to lose another friend, this time because of families like hers who have settled on stolen land and driven away the resources needed for Singing Bird’s community to survive. I hope that in an alternate universe Kirsten goes with Singing Bird and the rest of the series is about their adventures together. Also with the state of the United States I imagine the Larsons’ ancestors wish their forebears had stuck it out in Sweden.
April 3, 2011
I didn't like this book nearly as much as the first one. I guess since I love languages and literature, it is tough for me to identify with a little girl who doesn't want to learn a poem in a foreign language (to be fair, though, nobody likes reciting something in front of a classroom). There wasn't the pioneer life-and-death struggle in this book that is so gripping in some of the others. I also wondered how likely Kirsten's friendship with Singing Bird was--did pioneer children really make friends with Native American children? It stretched my suspension of disbelief a bit, but I suppose it could happen. Also, the non-fiction section at the end... sheesh. Teachers have never been paid well, apparently.
February 22, 2016
Of the six original Kirsten books I think this is the strongest. I found the friction between Kirsten and her teacher as Kirsten struggles with a new language to be quite compelling, and one that many children can relate to. I also appreciated how the teacher and Kirsten found a solution together to overcome her challenges in school as it was realistic and showed that teachers are people with feelings and understanding too. I think that too often teachers are the antagonists in children's books. It makes sense, besides their parents that is who has the most authority over them that they interact with on a regular basis, but leaving them as the antagonist without allowing for the child's perception to change is too common. That is why I found this particular story to be refreshing.
March 20, 2022
I know it's probably period accurate to call Native Americans the s-word, but it still left a weird feeling in my stomach.
Rereading this book reminded me of how much I loved the descriptions of Kirsten and Singing Bird's little gifts for each other - the beads, the feather, the doll cake, etc. It's a perfect portrayal of young, innocent friendship. I wanted more scenes of them actually doing stuff as friends, though. It felt like they'd barely gotten to know each other and then Singing Bird had to leave, and I didn't feel like Kirsten's sadness was warranted since most of the time they'd spent playing was off-page.
Rereading this book reminded me of how much I loved the descriptions of Kirsten and Singing Bird's little gifts for each other - the beads, the feather, the doll cake, etc. It's a perfect portrayal of young, innocent friendship. I wanted more scenes of them actually doing stuff as friends, though. It felt like they'd barely gotten to know each other and then Singing Bird had to leave, and I didn't feel like Kirsten's sadness was warranted since most of the time they'd spent playing was off-page.
January 21, 2022
This is such a precious story.
In this book, Kirsten is made to attend school where she must learn English. She has trouble and grows to dislike school, preferring to spend the day with her Native American friend Singing Bird. I loved their friendship and how the two girls were learning from each other, their culturs, language and toys.
Singing Bird grows so attached to her, she tries to convince her to live with her family in her village. But Kirsten learns that home is where her family is, even if life is different than in Sweden. She also figures the teacher is not out to get her, but to teach her.
This was the Kirsten book I remember as a child. Still love it haha
In this book, Kirsten is made to attend school where she must learn English. She has trouble and grows to dislike school, preferring to spend the day with her Native American friend Singing Bird. I loved their friendship and how the two girls were learning from each other, their culturs, language and toys.
Singing Bird grows so attached to her, she tries to convince her to live with her family in her village. But Kirsten learns that home is where her family is, even if life is different than in Sweden. She also figures the teacher is not out to get her, but to teach her.
This was the Kirsten book I remember as a child. Still love it haha
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November 26, 2020In school Kirsten leaned to do a poem she said thought she could not do but she did!!!
September 6, 2024
These books really are so simple, yet they call out and touch some of the universal experiences of childhood through the ages. Being the new kid in school, being scared to make a presentation in front of the class, etc. We see Kirsten struggling to learn English and learning to recite a poem.
In this book we see Kirsten encounter the Native Dakota people who lived in Minnesota at the time. these books definitely needed a few more sensitivity reads before being published. I know it was the 80s, but did they REALLY THINK that they were doing the native people justice by going 'SOME people think the Indians are nice, and SOME people think they're savage and bloodthirsty!' The little girl reading this book is then left to shrug her shoulders and go, 'well, who knows what the actual truth is! Who can say what's really true!' .... Incredibly irresponsible way to talk about native peoples in a book geared towards 8-11 year old girls who might be reading about these topics for the first time! I know this was in an era when it was distasteful to paint America and westward expansion in a bad light, as to talk honestly about the Native American genocide was to reveal America and the pioneers as the villains they were. Who was bloodthirsty, exactly, the natives who were forced on the trail of tears, or the settlers who were given bounties sanctioned by the government in return for killing the natives? Who was bloodthirsty exactly?
I know that the reader is supposed to realize that the native peoples were people like them through Kirsten's relationship with Singing Bird and meeting her tribe, but I think using words like 'savage' and 'bloodthirsty' without providing context in the looking back chapter was really irresponsible. The book also doesn't really dwell on the reason why Singing Bird and her tribe have to leave. They leave because they are being DIRECTLY AFFECTED by families like Kirsten's, i.e., they're being starved out, Kirsten seems to realize this, but we don't see her thinking about it or having any emotional reaction to it at all.
"When Papa couldn't grow enough food in Sweden, he came here to America... But where can the Indians go to find more food...?" This question isn't answered, it's left hanging there, and as an older reader, you KNOW the answer. You know what the implication is, and it's that this was part of the Native American genocide. You as an older reader know that the natives were deliberately infected with disease, that the buffalo were killed as a deliberate effort to starve them out, they were displaced by the government and forced to walk on the Trail of Tears, some were even killed because the local government was offering money bounties for every dead Indian, it was a systematic genocide, and none of that, even a child-appropriate explanation, none of that was in the Looking Back chapter. All we got was information about the one-room schoolhouse Kirsten is studying in. Nothing about the Native Dakota, and they never went back and updated these books in later decades as far as I know.
I suspect that Pleasant Company/Mattel tried to make up for this with all the dedication and love and work they put into Kaya's release, consulting with the Nez Perce tribe to make it authentic, but that doesn't change the fact that they should have continued to release supplemental material for the Kirsten books to try to give extra information. Reading this book without the outside context about what actually happened to the native peoples is not a good lesson for a child to come away with.
I was touched by Kirsten and Singing Bird's friendship, the way they didn't need words to connect and that shared girlhood and play were enough for them to love each other. It's just a sad moment when you think of what Singing Bird and her people went on to experience.
In this book we see Kirsten encounter the Native Dakota people who lived in Minnesota at the time. these books definitely needed a few more sensitivity reads before being published. I know it was the 80s, but did they REALLY THINK that they were doing the native people justice by going 'SOME people think the Indians are nice, and SOME people think they're savage and bloodthirsty!' The little girl reading this book is then left to shrug her shoulders and go, 'well, who knows what the actual truth is! Who can say what's really true!' .... Incredibly irresponsible way to talk about native peoples in a book geared towards 8-11 year old girls who might be reading about these topics for the first time! I know this was in an era when it was distasteful to paint America and westward expansion in a bad light, as to talk honestly about the Native American genocide was to reveal America and the pioneers as the villains they were. Who was bloodthirsty, exactly, the natives who were forced on the trail of tears, or the settlers who were given bounties sanctioned by the government in return for killing the natives? Who was bloodthirsty exactly?
I know that the reader is supposed to realize that the native peoples were people like them through Kirsten's relationship with Singing Bird and meeting her tribe, but I think using words like 'savage' and 'bloodthirsty' without providing context in the looking back chapter was really irresponsible. The book also doesn't really dwell on the reason why Singing Bird and her tribe have to leave. They leave because they are being DIRECTLY AFFECTED by families like Kirsten's, i.e., they're being starved out, Kirsten seems to realize this, but we don't see her thinking about it or having any emotional reaction to it at all.
"When Papa couldn't grow enough food in Sweden, he came here to America... But where can the Indians go to find more food...?" This question isn't answered, it's left hanging there, and as an older reader, you KNOW the answer. You know what the implication is, and it's that this was part of the Native American genocide. You as an older reader know that the natives were deliberately infected with disease, that the buffalo were killed as a deliberate effort to starve them out, they were displaced by the government and forced to walk on the Trail of Tears, some were even killed because the local government was offering money bounties for every dead Indian, it was a systematic genocide, and none of that, even a child-appropriate explanation, none of that was in the Looking Back chapter. All we got was information about the one-room schoolhouse Kirsten is studying in. Nothing about the Native Dakota, and they never went back and updated these books in later decades as far as I know.
I suspect that Pleasant Company/Mattel tried to make up for this with all the dedication and love and work they put into Kaya's release, consulting with the Nez Perce tribe to make it authentic, but that doesn't change the fact that they should have continued to release supplemental material for the Kirsten books to try to give extra information. Reading this book without the outside context about what actually happened to the native peoples is not a good lesson for a child to come away with.
I was touched by Kirsten and Singing Bird's friendship, the way they didn't need words to connect and that shared girlhood and play were enough for them to love each other. It's just a sad moment when you think of what Singing Bird and her people went on to experience.
May 30, 2024
In this second book in the series, Kirsten must start school in America after moving to Minnesota from Sweden. She doesn't know any English and is terrified to go to school and risk making mistakes or failing at her lessons. She also secretly befriends a Native American girl named Singing Bird and continues to adjust to her new home.
Such a lovely read from my childhood that I have enjoyed reading now with my own daughters immensely. The school scenes with Kirsten felt so relatable. Kirsten is nervous to start at a new school, especially since she cannot speak the language. She is particularly concerned about having to recite a poem in front of the class that she must memorize, which felt very relatable to my daughters as well.
I do wonder how realistic that scenes with Singing Bird are (i.e. they are not relatable). It seems far-fetched to imagine she would secretly befriend a young Indian girl or that her parents and cousins wouldn't notice she was sneaking off alone. On the other hand, Kirsten's interactions with Singing Bird allow the book to include relevant points about how settlers were taking the land from their original inhabitants and allow young readers to develop empathy for people who are being forced from their homes.
I just love these books. It's hard to be objective or provide an unbiased perspective on some of the earliest chapter books I read and that helped give me a lifelong love of reading.
Such a lovely read from my childhood that I have enjoyed reading now with my own daughters immensely. The school scenes with Kirsten felt so relatable. Kirsten is nervous to start at a new school, especially since she cannot speak the language. She is particularly concerned about having to recite a poem in front of the class that she must memorize, which felt very relatable to my daughters as well.
I do wonder how realistic that scenes with Singing Bird are (i.e. they are not relatable). It seems far-fetched to imagine she would secretly befriend a young Indian girl or that her parents and cousins wouldn't notice she was sneaking off alone. On the other hand, Kirsten's interactions with Singing Bird allow the book to include relevant points about how settlers were taking the land from their original inhabitants and allow young readers to develop empathy for people who are being forced from their homes.
I just love these books. It's hard to be objective or provide an unbiased perspective on some of the earliest chapter books I read and that helped give me a lifelong love of reading.
June 7, 2020
c 1986
Author born 1937 [and it shows]
Highly moralistic.
One reviewer read it to her 6 year old. I tried to imagine reading it to Julian [7] and couldn't. Seems to me too much background is taken for granted and not explained -- immigrating from another country, being unable to speak English, going to a one-room school, writing on a slate, not having a slate to write on, an Indian friend met secretly by the river whose tribe has to leave to find an area with more food..... But perhaps I underestimate children.
I guess I enjoyed reading it [as an adult]. It might make a good movie?
This copy has written in it:
from Audrey
for Karin
March 3, 1989
Blurb:
"Kirsten Larson is a pioneer girl of strength and spirit growing up on the Minnesota prairie in 1854. Kirsten's stories begin with her long, dangerous voyage with her family from Sweden to America. At first, Kirsten finds it difficult to get used to this strange new country. But as she makes friends and discovers what her new land has to offer, she learns the true meaning of home -- and that love is the same in any language.Kirsten has trouble in her new American school. She finds escape in playing with her secret Sioux friend, Singing Bird."
Author born 1937 [and it shows]
Highly moralistic.
One reviewer read it to her 6 year old. I tried to imagine reading it to Julian [7] and couldn't. Seems to me too much background is taken for granted and not explained -- immigrating from another country, being unable to speak English, going to a one-room school, writing on a slate, not having a slate to write on, an Indian friend met secretly by the river whose tribe has to leave to find an area with more food..... But perhaps I underestimate children.
I guess I enjoyed reading it [as an adult]. It might make a good movie?
This copy has written in it:
from Audrey
for Karin
March 3, 1989
Blurb:
"Kirsten Larson is a pioneer girl of strength and spirit growing up on the Minnesota prairie in 1854. Kirsten's stories begin with her long, dangerous voyage with her family from Sweden to America. At first, Kirsten finds it difficult to get used to this strange new country. But as she makes friends and discovers what her new land has to offer, she learns the true meaning of home -- and that love is the same in any language.Kirsten has trouble in her new American school. She finds escape in playing with her secret Sioux friend, Singing Bird."
December 3, 2019
I enjoyed book #2 even more than the first one! There were so many cute things in this story that students can relate to.
Kirsten has to start school and she's very nervous. She doesn't speak a lot of English and she's heard how tough the schoolmaster is. Luckily, they have a new teacher, Ms. Winston, but she is stern and insists on everyone doing their best. She wants all the students to memorize a poem. Kirsten can barely speak English, let alone memorize a poem!
Kirsten had heard that the native people were "savages" (I really don't like using this word, even in historical context. It makes me feel sick. I think they should remove it from the book. The teacher is always saying to the students "We aren't savages!") Kirsten learns that isn't true when she meets a young Native American girl by the riverbank. They start out leaving small gifts for each other and become friends, speaking a language that's deeper than English or any spoken word.
I loved the friendship with Singing Bird. I thought it was sweet. Neither girl spoke English, but they learned to communicate differently.
Kirsten has to start school and she's very nervous. She doesn't speak a lot of English and she's heard how tough the schoolmaster is. Luckily, they have a new teacher, Ms. Winston, but she is stern and insists on everyone doing their best. She wants all the students to memorize a poem. Kirsten can barely speak English, let alone memorize a poem!
Kirsten had heard that the native people were "savages" (I really don't like using this word, even in historical context. It makes me feel sick. I think they should remove it from the book. The teacher is always saying to the students "We aren't savages!") Kirsten learns that isn't true when she meets a young Native American girl by the riverbank. They start out leaving small gifts for each other and become friends, speaking a language that's deeper than English or any spoken word.
I loved the friendship with Singing Bird. I thought it was sweet. Neither girl spoke English, but they learned to communicate differently.
May 17, 2023
This book delt with the language barrier Kirsten faces since she is still not really proficient in speaking English. I actually really felt for her, and I know Miss Winston meant well, yet I cringed at her efforts. I can certainly understand why Kirsten was so frustrated! I also thought her friendship with Singing Bird was wholesome. I think it helped her to have a friend that also was an "outsider" (despite being Native American so basically everyone else is an outsider) to relate to. I was so sad to see Singing Bird have to leave because of the very real issue of white settlers pushing the Native Americans out of their land.
I will say it was a little strange that with Singing Bird all of a sudden Kirsten can speak really good English. I guess with the Native Americans it can be explained away by them learning the language for trading purposes, or at least enough to get by, but Kirsten's English was "too good" lol. Either way this was a lovely read.
I will say it was a little strange that with Singing Bird all of a sudden Kirsten can speak really good English. I guess with the Native Americans it can be explained away by them learning the language for trading purposes, or at least enough to get by, but Kirsten's English was "too good" lol. Either way this was a lovely read.
August 1, 2022
It's hard to get past the magical Native American trope and repeated references to Natives as "savages" by the teacher, who we're supposed to respect and understand as the more "civilized" person coming from the city. I really like Kirsten and wanted to get more of her journey as she settles into her new home and learns English (although why she even needs to know English in a predominantly Swedish settlement is beyond me), but it all feels a little weird.
Although I did enjoy the moment where Kirsten realizes that settlers are harming the Native populations by over-hunting and stealing land. She grapples for a moment with the idea that Singing Bird and her people should be able to live safely on their native land but struggles with the fact that her family has told her she is allowed to live here, too.
Although I did enjoy the moment where Kirsten realizes that settlers are harming the Native populations by over-hunting and stealing land. She grapples for a moment with the idea that Singing Bird and her people should be able to live safely on their native land but struggles with the fact that her family has told her she is allowed to live here, too.
January 29, 2024
It was nice to have Kirsten meet an indigenous girl and make friends with her despite the language barrier, and I appreciated that the book doesn’t pretend that the settlers aren’t cussing problems for the indigenous peoples by making hunting difficult due to farming.
Singing bird’s family having to move because of this was a good addition though a shame that Kirsten didn’t just go and live with them. Maybe she would have enjoyed that more! I do enjoy the bits at the end that explain the actual historical context but I was disappointed they disregarded talking about indigenous people in that.
Overall though for a book from 1986 I am not horribly offended even if it could have been better and they don’t use terminology we would use today, it is also not a negative portrayal (I hope unless I misinterpreted or misunderstood).
Singing bird’s family having to move because of this was a good addition though a shame that Kirsten didn’t just go and live with them. Maybe she would have enjoyed that more! I do enjoy the bits at the end that explain the actual historical context but I was disappointed they disregarded talking about indigenous people in that.
Overall though for a book from 1986 I am not horribly offended even if it could have been better and they don’t use terminology we would use today, it is also not a negative portrayal (I hope unless I misinterpreted or misunderstood).
January 23, 2021
Two stories in one, which is an interesting choice for such a short book. On one hand, there's Kirsten's struggles at school when she has very limited English proficiency, and then there's the storyline about her befriending a Native American girl. I'd love to see some good, historical criticism about the latter. I get that Shaw wanted to recognize that the opportunity Kirsten's family is taking advantage of comes at the expense of the Native population, but I think that needed to be the whole story of this book to do it anything like justice.
March 3, 2021
This book was pretty well done, especially with traversing the potential language barrier children can identify with in immigrant situations. It doesn’t however, handle relationship with native Americans in a great way. Singing Bird’s portrayal as almost animal like fits into a larger problematic imagery of natives. On the other hand, Kirsten’s relationship with her friend that exists beyond language is a beautiful representation of how children can move beyond inherent differences to make friends. Overall, it was a good book for a child.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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