Kirsten Learns a Lesson: A School Story (American Girl: Kirsten #2) by Janet Beeler Shaw
Summary (from the publisher): 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.
Review: 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.
Stars: 4
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