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Again, Josefina! (American Girl: Short Stories #8) by Valerie Tripp

 

Summary (from the publisher): Nine-year-old Josefina wants to give up learning to play the piano until she sees how much joy her music gives to her baby nephew, in a new American Girls title which discusses the importance of music on the New Mexican frontier and describes how to dance La Vaquerita.

Review: In this novel, Josefina asks her aunt to give her piano music but quickly realizes mastering the piano will be much harder than she anticipated. Because of all the household chores she must complete, she struggles to find time to practice and questions whether it is even worth her scant free time. This was such a great lesson in perseverance and not giving up on a hobby too quickly that is still exceedingly relevant to modern day readers. 

I love these American Girl short stories because they still manage to fill like a fully fleshed out story with a satisfying resolution, despite their short length. It also gave a chance for readers to get to know another of Josefina's young nephews that is rarely seen on page in the primary books. Finally, the looking back section talked about how important music would have been at the time to families like Josefina, in a world before television, radios, or even many books. Songs were a primary way families entertained themselves and passed down stories and lessons in verse form. 

Stars: 4

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