Kirsten Learns A Lesson - Book Discussion

Hi everyone! I hope you all were able to read Kirsten Learns a Lesson so we can discuss it. If you don't have copies of these books going forward at home, you can check to see if a local library has them, and if no libraries have them, you can make an account at the Library of Congress's Internet Archive and check them out there.

Kirsten Learns A Lesson, the second book in Kirsten's series, is about how Kirsten starts school in America for the first time. She struggles to learn English at first, but with the help of a new friend, Singing Bird, and embracing her heritage, she is able to take her first steps to learn the language and be welcome in her new community.

Note: In 2025, this book was edited to improve the depiction of Indigenous people within the text. As this copy of the book is paywalled with the purchase of a $55 outfit, the discussion questions will be from the original version of the book. The depiction of Indigenous people in the original book may be harmful, but the point of rereading all the old American Girl stories is to learn from them - whether lessons on where we can improve as a country, or lessons on where representation can improve.

When I was rereading this book, several things came to mind about the themes within, and both their historical context and what it means to be a girl in 2025. I don't want these posts to be too long, so I'll list my thoughts, and let you discuss these topics as well in the comments!

1. When Kirsten goes to her new school in America for the first time, she is both belittled for not knowing much English and hears negative stories about Native Americans. How do you think this correlates, and why do you think Kirsten's cousins play into this as well?

   Despite being a nation of immigrants, made up of a lot of immigrants, it is instilled in the students in the Minnesota school that they must speak English, and they must act a certain way, or else they'll be seen as "othered", like the Native Americans are. Kirsten's cousins play into this too - they believe that since they know English and they've lived in America for a while, they've assimilated, which both makes Kirsten feel a little uncomfortable and perpetuates the racial stereotypes Kirsten hears about the local Indigenous community.

2. When Kirsten meets Singing Bird after school, she feels a sense of connection with her. Why do you think that is, and how does this dispel what she was told in school about people like Singing Bird?

   Kirsten sees herself in Singing Bird, just like Singing Bird sees herself in Kirsten. They are both seen as different, and that connects them, as they bond through both nonverbal expression, gifts, experiencing each other's cultures, and even teaching each other English. This helps dispel the stereotypes Kirsten originally hears, and it also gives Kirsten strength to be proud of her Swedish culture.

   
   

3. Kirsten is heartbroken to find out that her teacher, Miss Winston, is moving into her house, despite the fact that she's hard on her. Why would you think Kirsten would feel hurt about this, and how does her experiences with Miss Winston at the house inform how she's able to learn?

   At first, Kirsten thinks Miss Winston is cold, and that depiction is true - Miss Winston doesn't understand Kirsten and how she struggles to speak English. But when Miss Winston hears about Kirsten's experiences coming to America, this inspires her to teach Kirsten in a way that is informed by her journey, not stripping it away from her.

   
   

4. At the end of the book, Singing Bird and her family have to leave town because there's no food for them. How do you think this affects both girls, and how was the mark that Singing Bird left on Kirsten different than the mark that Marta left on Kirsten?

   Obviously, this upsets both girls, as they want to not be separated. But Kirsten learned two different things from her experiences with Marta and Singing Bird. Losing Marta taught Kirsten a bit about letting go of her old life, but her brief, yet joyful experience with Singing Bird taught her to hold on to what makes her special - her culture, her values - while embracing her new home.

   
   

Next week, we will be reading Kirsten's Surprise!