The second Christmas after their mother has died, Josefina and her three sisters find that participating in the traditions of Las Posadas helps keep memories of Mamá alive.

Nine-year-old Josefina, the youngest of four sisters living in New Mexico in 1824, tries to help run the household after her mother dies.

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.

Meet Josefina Montoya, a nine-year-old girl growing up in New Mexico in 1824. Josefina and her sisters have been struggling ever since Mamá died a year ago. When Mamá's sister, Tía Dolores, comes to live on their rancho, the girls are overjoyed. But Tía Dolores has lots of new ideas! She starts a family weaving business. And she teaches the girls to read, something Mamá never learned to do. Josefina worries that all of Tía Dolores's changes...

In 1824 New Mexico, nine-year-old Josefina is happy when her grandparents and aunt come to visit, but she thinks she must choose between meeting her grandmother's expectations and being true to herself. Includes historical notes on women's rights in New Mexico in 1824 as well as a recipe for apple empanaditas.

In 1825 when Josefina trusts a trader in Santa Fe with an important deal, she makes a surprising discovery about this young American who leaves town without paying her.

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.