Changes for Josefina: A Winter Story

American Girl: Josefina #6

by Valerie Tripp, Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

Alternate cover edition for ISBN: 1562475916.

Tia Dolores shocks the Montoyas with her plans to leave the rancho. Is there anything that can persuade her to stay?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Fiction, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Young Adult

70 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Valerie Tripp is a children's book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series.

She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and one brother. A member of the first co-educated class at Yale University, Tripp also has a M.Ed. from Harvard. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College.

Right out of college, Tripp started writing songs, stories, and nonfiction for The Superkids Reading Program, working with Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl. For that series, Tripp wrote all the books about Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen and many of the books about Samantha. She also wrote the "Best Friends" character stories to date, plays, mysteries, and short stories about all her characters.. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. Currently, Tripp is writing a STEM series for National Geographic and adapting Greek Myths for Starry Forest Publishing. A frequent speaker at schools and libraries, Tripp has also spoken at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society, and Williamsburg.

Reviews

[Morgan's Endless Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really sweet and precious ending! I love the matchmaking schemes!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Papá held the milagro in his hand and wiped the mud off it with his finger. "I suppose there's nothing harder to give someone than a heart she doesn't want," he said slowly.

not me physically emoting over this OGest of OG OTPs 😭

I love this family and this series with my whole entire heart. I'm so glad I came back to them. 🧡

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great AG marathon continues.

Reading this as an adult, there are clear hints that Papá and Tía Dolores are falling in love all through the second half of the series - and now it's out in the open.

This is another book that gets drawn out by the sisters feeling they can't talk to the adults - so they talk themselves in circles and scheme up as many indirect ways of influencing Papá and Tía Dolores as they can. It's only when Josefina gives up hope and starts moping that Papá confides in her: YES, in fact, he would like to marry Dolores - but he feels that because he loves her, he has to let her go if she wants to go. Good thing Josefina is high in emotional intelligence and spotted immediately that Tía Dolores does NOT want to go; she wants to get out of the way so she doesn't have to watch the man she loves court someone else.

If only he had proposed sooner, this all could have been avoided. The saints cry over lost time, Papá!

Mostly, I can't help thinking that this book really just wants to be written from Tía Dolores' point of view. All of these plotlines about convincing the adults of something but not feeling able to talk openly make it feel like Josefina is a supporting character in her own life.

So let's talk about the series as a whole.

Arc-wise, the first half is very concerned with grief and the sisters' memory of Mamá. That fades in the second half of the series, which looks more toward the future: Josefina's possible future as a healer, New Mexico's new trading relationship with the United States, and the family's future as Papá marries Tía Dolores. The split feels not unlike Kirsten's, where the first half is very concerned with adjusting to her new home, and the second half is more concerned with a new baby, a new house, and the family's finances. Overall, we can trace Josefina's increased confidence and development of new skills, and Tía Dolores ties that up with a bow for us in this book. But it doesn't have the power of Addy's arc, or Kit's, or Caroline's.

Here's my hot take: Tripp doesn't really know what to do with Josefina. She's really good with bold, active protagonists like Molly, Samantha, Felicity and Kit. Just think about her half of the Samantha series: first, she sidelines Nellie in favor of the chaos twins, then when the O'Malley sisters do reappear, Samantha practically jailbreaks them out of the orphanage. Bold. Active. That works for these girls, but that's not who Josefina is. Her nature is more reserved and shy, and she's quick to blame herself when things go wrong.

Combined with a setting that feels researched not lived (after Connie Porter's wonderful Addy series, why did AG not make it a priority to find a Hispanic author for Josefina??), Tripp seems to struggle for plots. Meet, Changes, and to a degree Lesson and Saves, all spend a lot of time with the sisters talking themselves around in circles because they feel they can't just talk to the adults about it. For me, Saves moves into a different category because Josefina and Francisca take action on their own - however forced the plotting, it isn't boring.

But the other three books feel slight and easily forgettable. (I offer myself as an example: I first read this series in 2013 and here's what I remembered: lots of sisters, the doll plot in Surprise, the snake in Birthday, drama with the Anglos in Santa Fe (Saves), and Tía Dolores marrying Papá at the very end of Changes.)

Especially on the heels of reading Kit's series, which feels SO lived and SO real, where you really feel that Tripp understands the character, this series pales in comparison. I don't dislike the series, and I love Josefina herself, but it's just not AG's best work.

I said in my review for Meet that I dislike American Girl Podcast's "Tía Dolores did it" schtick, but in one sense, they're onto something - she's one of the most dynamic characters in the series. In fact, the weak spots in the series - Meet, Lesson, Changes - would suddenly become the most exciting parts if Dolores were the main character. And frankly, Dolores' personality is much more like Tripp's usual protagonist. I bet she could have written the heck out of a Dolores series.


More Josefina babble

Meet Josefina | Josefina Learns a Lesson | Josefina’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Josefina | Josefina Saves the Day | Changes for Josefina

A Reward for Josefina | Again, Josefina! | Josefina’s Song | Just Josefina | Thanks to Josefina | Josefina’s Short Story Collection

Secrets in the Hills | The Glowing Hearts

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
The final book in the Josefina series.
It felt a bit simplistic, but was still sweet and light. I didn’t like Clara as much because she was so negative about things. I did like that Ana’s husband and little boys were finally in the story. Things wrapped up the way you want them to in this book.
The “A Peek into the Past” section was an interesting look at what was going to happen in New Mexico in a few years.
There was some talk about praying to saints and carrying a small shaped piece of metal to symbolize a prayer a person is praying or a prayer that has been answered.

This was a short, sweet story, not a lot of real history in it, but some traditions. I probably won’t be reading it again unless it’s a long time from now.

[RaspberryRoses · Rating 3 out of 5]

according to the reviews of these books i am apparently the only person who thought the dolores x papa plotline was sudden and out of left field. so i will take the L on that.

I understand what this book was going for, but this book really does feel like it's Dolores's story. Josefina is sidelined for her final showing.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My choice to reread this when I did was absolutely timely. My mother passed in November, and looking for something light and easy to read during the chaotic aftermath I picked these up, dusted them off, and embraced them like the old friend that they are.

I had completely forgotten that a key thread through this series is how the heroine's family is dealing with everyday life a year after the death of Josefina's own mother.

Josefina's stories remind us how hope, new life, new love, and joy can be found in the every day living and family life after such a loss. They teach us that life will not, can not, and should not halt in its tracks after the death of a loved one, but that it must continue to carry on, to thrive, to grow, even to change. But it also doesn't ignore the difficulties, highlighting them as each is faced and overcome with often bittersweet triumph. And at the end, these stories prove that even the most heartaching memories can evolve into promising new love and happiness, if we just take the care and patience to weave old remembrances into new happinesses.

I'm sometimes glad my mind tends to forget details of books so I can read them again almost like new. This is one of those times. What a comfort these were, even if I didn't think I needed it!

[Olde American Spirit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fulfilling wrap up to this lovely series.

I really really loved Josefina. Precious.

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the fastest read of the whole series for my sister and me! We had a day when our parents and brothers were gone, and had time to read the book. Both of us got so caught up in the story that we didn’t want to stop reading, so we ended up finishing the story before we went to bed that night. We got off to bed a little late, but neither of us minded. This was a very fun, sweet, satisfying ending to the series. A great series, overall! I love historical fiction, and combining that with the intriguing New Mexican culture made for quite an interesting set of books. The writing style overall isn’t great, and the plots felt a little on the weak side, but as a read-aloud for a 5-8-year-old, this was an excellent choice.

[Renn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet story. Reminds me of Sarah, Plain and Tall.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute ending to the josefina series. My only gripe is that basically the only history learned was in the looking back section.

[Eva B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full series review for Josefina:
While Josefina’s books are well-written, I just never found her or her storyline interesting. It’s slice-of-life in the way that Kiersten’s are and I don’t like Kiersten either. It’s a nice glimpse into 1820s New Mexican life, but I don’t think I’ll return to them.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the podcast I’m currently listening to called “American Girls” by Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney.

It's really hard to sort my feelings on this book.

For days and days, I've thought about this book and what my review of it should be...

While I found the writing in this American Girl book, in particular, to be one of the most beautiful - it was one of the worst in content for the fact that Tía Dolores and Papá finally got together against my wishes. But why is it not totally like rated a one star review? Three stars, really Megan??? Well, part of that is because of the writing. I cannot not acknowledge what Valerie Tripp did here in writing. Talking about Josefina's grief in relation to her mother and how that's shaped her, changed her, and going through that... I found that very empowering, insightful, and moving. This was one of the easiest American Girl books to read solely because it was so excellent in the language that it used. That in, itself, was one star for me. The second comes from the fact that technically (TECHNICALLY) what happens in this book... The tragedy that takes place here is wanted by Josefina and the rest of her sisters (apparently) and not a single person is upset about it in the same way I am (don't know why) and so technically I THINK that I am supposed to care and consider that in some way, which is why I am granting another star. It would be one thing if the family disagreed with what was going on and so did I, but because they actually want THIS (for some reason) has to be noted in my eyes and in my review and why I've given it another star because this is what they supposedly want and has been fulfilled in the narrative of this story. This is why I've given it three stars total (two being because of Josefina's wants and the writing, while the other is simply because Goodreads will not let you do anything less than a one star review), although it has troubled me more than I care to admit (because I for, some stupid reason, care too much about the authenticity of my review).

However, with that being said, I genuinely think Tía Dolores and Papá getting together is cheap writing, overly convenient to the situation at hand, and I'm also not entirely sure of if that's what honestly should be happening here??? Do Dolores and Papá actually love each other or have they fallen for each other solely out of convenience?? I understand that it was common for the widow to remarry someone in their original's significant other family (like if it was a widowed wife and then she married her dead husband's brother or widowed husband and he married his dead wife's sister [which is what happens in "Josefina: An American Girl"]), but that doesn't mean I have to like it and I don't! I think it's weird and uncomfortable and I think it was much stronger of a story when Dolores was just an aunt that wanted to be in these girl's lives just because she cared about them and wanted to be there for them in this difficult time where they just went through something traumatic that most young kids do not deal with (although, to be fair, in 1824 - mortality rates were extremely lower and people did commonly die at all ages around this time BUT STILL). I found that to be so important to the story and her character, but Valerie Tripp literally just ripped that away by then turning it into some fucking love story when it should have never been that in the first place. I wanted to see Papá be able to move passed his issues and just be a dad to these girls, but that's just not the case with what Tripp has decided. Instead, Papá and his daughters learn that the only way to move on is to move onto someone else essentially and I just hate that. Is that the message Valerie Tripp wants kids to take away when processing their own grief?? Maybe if more time had taken place in between the first book from the sixth... In the series, it's only like one and a half years that separates these - maybe if it had been the first book and then like six years passed to the six one then maybe I would be okay with it? It just feels too soon. It just feels like getting under someone to get over them. It doesn't feel like a real process of grief and moving on with your life like it should have been. Tía Dolores should have left. She should have fucking Nanny McPhee'd her way out of the Montoya family to live her own life in Santa Fe for a while and that should have been the change that should have taken place in "Changes For Josefina" and not what actually "changed" here... It wasn't even a real change at all, in the end. Josefina ended back right where she started essentially as if her mother had never died because Tía Dolores had taken over her place.

I just can't. I really can't... Especially because Josefina had so much PROMISE compared to Felicity, her previous American Girl predecessor. She was so different from Felicity. She was so caring, selfless, and thoughtful in a way that Felicity just wasn't. Felicity had to grow to even a quarter of what Josefina was originally at. Her story could have been so interesting because she, herself, was so interesting and someone you really gave a shit about and Valerie Tripp just squandered it. When she wasn't focused on Tía Dolores and Papá with whatever the fuck they were doing (and all the hints/foreshadowing that they were going to get together), it was just boring. Nothing was going on. Josefina's world has very potentially interesting things happening in it. Americans are literally trying to take it over and this is only ever a focus in like the fifth Josefina book (although I will note that it is mentioned throughout). If there had been more focus on things like that (that were happening historically in this time period) and maybe more of a community built within the book because we literally just have these random characters that come in and out that we do not know. In Josefina's books, characters (like Juan, Antonio, Mariana, Tía Magdalena) we seemed to barely know. Whereas compared to Felicity's books (characters like Miss Manderly, Elizabeth, Annabelle, Felicity's grandfather) were so well fleshed out that we actually knew them even if they were only mentioned like once just along all six books, while Josefina just randomly has Mariana in one book and Ana's kids in one book... We do not know them, so why would we care about them? Furthermore, yet again, the things we did focus on in Josefina that were interesting like her grief (DAMN YOU, VALERIE) were completely ruined by this sixth book. She had grown through it, but it was RUINED by her so focused on Tía Dolores and Papá and trying to get them together as like a fixer to the problem at hand for her, which was not having a mother. I hate it!!!

For this to be the final book in the original six books of "Josefina: An American Girl", I am just disappointed and depressed with the outcome maybe even more than when I was with the "Felicity: An American Girl" book series? While Felicity wasn't someone that I was rooting for entirely, I felt like there was at least some growth and I did care about her world (and the people in it). With Josefina, I cared about her and her family... But there was no growth, there was nothing happening her world, I didn't know or care for the people that really took place in it, and the things that ended up happening just upset me more than when I began reading this whole series. It's like with Felicity, I began upset - but it did eventually get better. With Josefina, we started off great and it ended in like fiery despair. I just can't believe it. This is where the original stories end... Obviously, I will be reading the short stories collection and the two new Beforever books that, I don't know, maybe add something to the overall story although I doubt it??? But it will not be the same. Even if I end up loving them, I doubt it will change much about how I feel about this original Josefina arc and I am definitely NOT looking forward in ANY WAY for a post - marriage world with Tía Dolores and Papá. I just hate it. Why, Valerie??? What did we ever do to deserve this??? WHY?????

[Ciara · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm just gonna say it: josefina's books are boring. but if any parents are reading this, looking for good books for kids, i will concede that this is possibly the best american girl historical series for younger children (like five years old). there's not a lot of scary stuff & they move at a pace a young child can follow without too much difficulty.

so. dolores is getting ready to move up to santa fe to live with her parents. she feels that josefina & her sisters have recovered from their mother's death & don't need her anymore. but it is obvious to the sisters that dolores & mr. montoya are in love. for whatever weird reason, they won't admit it to each other. the whole plot is about the sisters trying to get mr. montoya & dolores to admit their feelings. dolores thinks that mr. montoya doesn't love her because he is letting her go to santa fe without saying anything. mr. montoya thinks dolores doesn't love him because she says she wants to move to santa fe. it's pretty stupid.

then ana hits on the idea of moving her own family up to santa fe. something about how the grandparents will like seeing their grandsons more often. it's especially helpful because abuelito has decided to go on another grand adventure by traveling the santa fe trail to missouri & back, so ana will be around to help abuelita. allow me to ask: don't these trading trips take like at least six months round trip? is abuelito EVER home in santa fe? damn.

anyway, mere moments before dolores is supposed to leave, something (i don't even remember what it was) happens & dolores & mr. montoya realize they are in love. the end. so...not really a change for josefina, if we want to get technical about it.

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Changes for Josefina is, personally, my least favorite book of the series. Mainly for two reasons.
First and foremost, Tia Dolores ends up marrying Josefina's Papa, which was foreshadowed all throughout the book. However, I still don't feel like they should be together. I just wasn't feeling it.
Trying to get Papa to propose was entirely what this book was about. It dominated the whole book making it a bit boring in my opinion.
Secondly, during the book, Josefina asks her Papa if her sister Ana and her husband Tomas can go back with her grandparents in Tia Dolores's place. This bothered me a lot. The fact that she just wanted to send her sister and her family away just didn't seem right to me. Ana and Tomas were willing to leave their home in order to keep Tia Dolores with Josefina, Clara, Francisca and Papa. Doesn't Josefina think that Ana might want to live with Tia Dolores too?
Anyways, just some of my thoughts on the book. Definitely not my favorite of the series. In my opinion, this one can be skipped.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time for another series review! This series filled me with such warm coziness. I loved learning about New Mexican traditions left and right in a way that felt natural to the story. I really appreciated how Mrs. Tripp shows the importance faith carries in the Montoya household and their whole community. The main themes of bravery, change, family and life with grief were beautiful and once again, very warm and real to me. Overall very enjoyable!

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josefina and her sisters don't want their Tia to leave - can they find a way to stop her? I like how they try to handle the situation so delicately, respectfully, and without compromising the values they were raised to have. And is still an honest and emotional story that is well told!

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the match being practical and marriage standards being different in that time, this plot has never sat well with me. The looking back section skipped from the 1820’s to 1840’s, missing significant events in Southwestern history.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Girls and I have finished this last book in the series. We learned a great deal of Mexican American culture, from reading these books.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josefina's aunt Tia Dolores has stayed with the family many months. Josefina and her sisters have learned much from her and she feels that it is time for her to return home to her parents. But Josefina and her sisters are desperate for her to stay and not only to stay, but to marry their father and become part of the household permanently. But Josefina is heartbroken when events continue to unfold that make that seem very unlikely.

The way both of my daughters were absolutely riveted by the drama or would or would not Tia Delores stay, and would she marry their father?? It was heartwarming to see how close Josefina and her sisters had become to their mother's younger sister and how earnestly they all wanted her to stay part of the household. But this was very much told from the perspective of a child's understanding. I would have loved more insight to Papa and Delores's emotions. It cannot have been easy to grieve their wife and sister and then contemplate starting a new relationship that had to have felt like a betrayal of her on some level! But, given the time period and the sweet relationship that emerged, it did make sense that Josefina would want her unmarried aunt to join their family, and it was her aunt's likely last chance at a husband and household of her own.

Loved seeing all of the descriptions and illustrations of traditional winter wardrobes from that time period. I also really liked the historical section at the end of this book, that provided some historical insight into the progression of the area where Josefina lived that went from Spanish rule to Mexican to American, all during what would have been Josefina's lifetime.

[Amanda Van Parys · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Montoya sisters are devastated to learn that Tia Dolores is moving out and back in with her parents. She said the girls have learned well and no longer need her to run a household. She wants to go live with Abuelita while Abuelo travels the Santa Fe Trail to trade in America. The girls know that Papa and Tia are in love, but Papa doesn't want to ask her to marry him because she has decided to leave. The girls come up with a plan to force Tia to stay, but she refuses. Finally, after talking with Josefina about the milagro she received from Tia Magdalena to pray for love and peace in their household, Papa decides to write a letter to Abuelo, asking for Tia's hand in marriage.

I thought it was strange to introduce Ana's sons as characters in the last book, we also never met her husband, Tomas. It was a weird decision to leave them out when the family is all living under one roof. I wasn't even sure what was the point to even have the boys in this book at all when they never were in the stories before. The plan included Ana and the boys moving into Abuelita's instead of Tia Dolores so that Tia would stay with the Montoyas and the boys would go to learn with the priests.

Anyway, I am happy with the ending and happy for the Motoya family to finally have long-lasting love and peace in their household.

[TheBookishHobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay, what I wanted to happen in the end happened. I'm not one for shipping, and never thought I would for an American Girl series, but that wedding was the perfect ending to this series.

My final thoughts on Josefina's series is even though it's not as action-packed as per say Addy or Kaya's series, it was still a very good read. The story was wholesome and to me gave a very much "Little Women" vibes as these New Mexican sisters navigate their way through grief after loosing their mother. Lessons were learned in this series and there was plenty of character growth. I also really loved learning a little bit about Mexican culture through this story, and would love to read more stories featuring Latino characters. Such a wonderful story that grew on me and I think it is a shame I didn't read it more than once as a little girl.

American Girl Rank List:
1. Kaya (1764): Five Stars
2. Felicity (1774): Four Stars
3. Josefina (1824): Four Stars
4. Elizabeth (1774): Two Stars

Next series I hope will be Caroline, but if not we will just go on to Cecile and Marie-Grace as long as my library has the books.

[Xyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one! It starts on Epiphany or Three Kings Day. Which can be confusing because we skip over the second Christmas in josefina's story.

It's been slightly over a year since Tia Dorlores came to help josefina (and probably herself) through the grief and sorrow of her mother's death. So much has happened. It's nice to see this finale continued to focus on the New Mexican cultural traditions. Filled with emotions and successes and challenges, but free of squash.

Throughout the series I found the illustrations assisted me in picturing what was happening or important to Josefina and her family. Just as important to me were the sections in the back of each book that provided historical facts about New Mexico in 1824. This cultural geography is not provided in many school text books.

An outstanding series. I loved every book. Well written and planned out. Great reading!

[Jessica Kuznicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. I like Tia Dolores and Papa together, the whole series has been building to this moment so it's a satisfying end that makes sense. However, Valerie Tripp seems hell bent on including romance in all these AG kids books from Ben and Felicity to Kit and Stirling. While I do sometimes enjoy it, I also struggle with 9 year olds having so much romance in their lives. Poor Josefina never gets to be a carefree kid. She is always trying to care for and help the adults in her life, she is always trying to hold the family together. And Josefina doesn't seem like the main character. This book is about Tia Dolores, not Josefina.

[Jocelyn Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, Josefina’s original 6-book series is tied for number one with Addy’s. The thing I love so much about these original American Girl books, is that they are so emotionally valuable. Obviously, the history is so well done and portrayed in a perfect manner for the age group that’s intended, but the emotional learning that can from these books cannot be overlooked. As a kid I was never drawn to Josefina, but as an adult, I’m pretty sure she is my favorite.

This last story is just soooooooo good.

[Jessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how much New Mexican culture is woven into these books. Josefina's culture and religion and customs are all woven into the story in a way that feels very natural and interesting and manages to avoid that "outsider-looking-in" feeling. This is also just such a sweet story; I'd remembered love it even from when I was a little girl. Josefina remains one of my favorite of the AG book characters.

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a solid ending of Josefina’s storyline, but it felt a little too focused on everyone but Josefina. She was able to do what she felt was best for her family in the end, but it just didn’t feel that genuine. I appreciated the look into the past a lot because it further explained things that are sometimes glossed over in American history books. I’m glad I finished this series finally!

[Chris Milburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josefina’s storyline is kinda depressing. Most of it revolves around her dealing with the death of her mother, and what everyday life is like for her. There are no big historical events going on around her, so this series definitely feels quieter than others, especially compared to Addy or Kirsten or even Felicity.

[Rubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, there was nothing wrong with the story per se, as an adult, it just....frustrated me lol
Seems a strange concept that the girls wanted their dad to marry their aunt but it has happened before. Thing is, both parties refused to SPEAK, causing stress in the household. Like....just TALK to each other! Haha
In this story Josefina was playing matchmaker 😊

[Kathleen Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad Tia Dolores and Papá FINALLY got together - I've been waiting 6 books for this! Honestly, wish there was an adult spin-off or fan fic of their relationship because reading this as an adult, I love them and want more.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this changes book you do truly see how much Josefina’s family has grown since the arrival of Tia Dolores. Grief doesn’t take control of their lives like it used to, and they’ve learned many valuable skills and lessons. I just felt like a lot didn’t happen in this book and it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in the series.