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American Girl: Kaya #1
Meet Kaya: An American Girl
It's hard for Kaya not to boast about her beautiful, spirited Appaloosa mare, Steps High. Kaya wants to be one of the very best horsewomen in the village. But when boasting leads to a daring bareback race, Kaya puts both herself and her horse in danger. And she also endangers her little twin brothers, who've wandered off into the woods during Kaya's race. Although Kaya finds the boys unharmed, she still must face punishment. All her friends must, too, since one person's actions affect the safety of the whole village. Kaya's mistakes earn her a terrible nickname--will she ever be able to lose it?
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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1420 people want to read
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October 30, 2022
The Kaya series has an advisory board and it shows. The board includes many people, most of whom are Native American tribal members and at least four of them are Nez Perce themselves, like Kaya.
Which made a lot of sense because as I was reading it I was thinking… “did a white person really write this??”
Yes, a white person wrote this… but with a lot of Native American museum curators, language instructors, cultural experts, and tribal elders weighing in and making sure she got it right.
It was most clear to me at one point when Kaya and her family all praised horses for their beauty and usefullness, until Aalah (Kaya’s grandmother) reminded them that while white people brought horses to North America, they also brought deadly diseases.
Which made a lot of sense because as I was reading it I was thinking… “did a white person really write this??”
Yes, a white person wrote this… but with a lot of Native American museum curators, language instructors, cultural experts, and tribal elders weighing in and making sure she got it right.
It was most clear to me at one point when Kaya and her family all praised horses for their beauty and usefullness, until Aalah (Kaya’s grandmother) reminded them that while white people brought horses to North America, they also brought deadly diseases.
“These pockmarks remind me how few of us survived. They remind me that not just good things came into our lives with the horses.”I’m going to really enjoy reading about Kaya, I think.
February 4, 2025
As a kid, I never loved Kaya as much as I loved the other American girls, and, upon reread, I think I understand why. Reading this one right on the heels of reading Kirsten's series is not exactly a pleasant experience, considering that neither one of them seems to possess two brain cells to work together. I don't really think there was much likeable about Kaya as a character. I mean, she loves her sister, I guess? But she was prideful for the entire book, even after being shown up for it, and she was disobedient, and obsessed with being thought of well by the other kids. So you got a dumb nickname. You also did a very dumb thing. A very dumb thing that could have cost your little brothers their lives. Your nickname is not important right now.
August 25, 2024
The great American Girl marathon continues, but it's no longer a re-read. By the time Kaya came out in 2002, I was a high school senior and wasn't actively following the AG world. So this is all new! As of this review, I've only finished the first book, so I may do a second pass after I finish the others - though this already turned into a novel, oops.
This one has a lot of work to do in the exposition department - not only introducing new characters, but explaining a culture most white Americans know almost nothing about. As '80s and '90s kids, we could chat with our grandparents about living through WWII like Molly. Kirsten's life looks familiar to anyone who picked up Little House on the Prairie. But mainstream American culture rarely gets a story about Native people from the perspective of Native people.
This first book follows Kaya through her day more closely than any other Meet book I've read. We see how her family cooks, what they eat at different times of day, how they get up in the morning, what work they do, what stories they tell. We get a long lovely section about a courtship dance featuring Kaya's older sister. The result is a book that feels like a documentary spliced with bits that move the story and the character forward. If this were a fantasy book, I would want the author to calm down and just tell the story already - and I'm hoping that the rest of the series is able to do that. But given that half the point of this series is to introduce history and show how people lived in this place and time, I think Shaw's doing just fine.
The story that takes shape is Kaya struggling between her impulse to be the best and the community-first values of her people. It isn't a philosophical difference: she does aspire to those values, but she's young and sometimes her id gets the better of her. We see her punished for leaving her siblings in a potentially dangerous situation while she goes off to race her horse (which, to make things worse, she loses control of). The other children begin to call her "Magpie" - a bird seen as acting only in its own self-interest - which Kaya hates. Through the rest of the book, we see her mulling over what kind of person she wants to be and working to better train her horse. We - and the rest of her community - see progress from both girl and horse when they rescue Kaya's blind sister from a swift river.
I think the decision to make AG's first Native character Nez Perce is a reasonable one: they're able to authentically use cultural markers that white Americans associate with Native Americans (tepees, horses, names like "Brown Deer" and "Wing Feather"). They've picked a time period where we can see a few early repercussions of contact with Europeans (again, horses, as well as the grandmother's smallpox scars), but we also see Kaya's culture for itself, on its own terms.
Speaking of smallpox (not so named in the text, but they refer to pockmarks, so that's my assumption), her grandmother's memories about this mysterious new disease makes Kaya very solemn. "Would difficult times like the sickness come again to Nimíipuu?" she wonders. HA. HA HA. HAHAHAHAHA. Oh, sweet summer child.
Ahem. So, (A) gonna go out on a limb and say that PROBABLY there will be difficult times within the next five books, because we're gonna need some plot, naturally. And of course (B) we know that Kaya's people, like indigenous populations around the globe, got utterly stomped on by European and U.S. imperialism and manifest destiny and white supremacy. Holy expletives.
Anyway, I do like the inclusion of Nez Perce words and phrases, and I appreciate that they've spelled them phonetically for American English speakers. The Nez Perce spellings in the glossary look to me like phonetic spellings created by French speakers (basis for that assumption: my very rough understanding of French pronunciation and the fact that the name "Nez Perce" itself is French), and would have been tough for me to parse - even more so when I was a kid. I do think it's a little odd that Kaya is Kaya, but everyone else's name is anglicized. I'm also going to assume that AG chose her name because "Kaya" sounded like a nice name in 2002, not because anyone particularly needed the doll's name to mean "she who moves rocks." But who knows, maybe that will be a plot point.
There are two elements that bother me. I don't love the "mean nickname" plot point. After it's established, every interaction with a kid outside her immediate family is someone calling her Magpie, so you're kind of left with the impression that Kaya has no real friends other than Speaking Rain and maybe Raven, though this book really doesn't have room to establish more relationships. The one nice thing that comes out of this is a sweet moment between Kaya and her grandmother, in which we learn that Aalah had an awful childhood nickname, too.
The other thing is the depiction of punishment. When Kaya is reprimanded for selfishness, she isn't punished alone: All the children of a certain age are switched, sending a very clear message that your actions affect everyone. On the one hand, that means that the boys she went off to race with also got punished, and perhaps the mischievous twins did, too (it's not clear what age "old enough to be switched" is). Given modern views on corporal punishment though, I was... surprised to see this scene. Other than perhaps the most recent ones, ALL of the historical characters live in periods when some form of hitting was considered an effective form of discipline, but I don't think we've ever seen it practiced in an AG book. Miss Winston smacks the stove threateningly with a ruler and Sam Walker is whipped by an overseer, but this is something different (more than the former and less than the latter). So do we say "this is an authentic reflection of this culture at this time, so it's ok?" Do we worry that this will reinforce old stereotypes of Native peoples as "savages" because we see Kaya get switched while Felicity never sees ANY consequences for her questionable choices?
I don't have a good answer, and I would love to hear from someone more knowledgeable in child development and anti-racism.
I also wish AG had found a Native author - ideally a Nez Perce author - to write this series instead of going back to an author they knew. I don't have specific issues with Shaw's writing, and I understand she was working with an advisory board of Native leaders and experts. But I really would have loved the added authenticity and perspective of a writer who came from Kaya's culture. I'm so glad they hired Connie Porter to write Addy, but then they gave Josefina and Kaya to two white writers, and I... just wish they hadn't.
More Kaya babble
Meet Kaya | Kaya’s Escape | Kaya’s Hero | Kaya and Lone Dog | Kaya Shows the Way | Changes for Kaya
Kaya and the River Girl | Kaya’s Short Story Collection
The Silent Stranger | The Ghost Wind Stallion
The Roar of the Falls
This one has a lot of work to do in the exposition department - not only introducing new characters, but explaining a culture most white Americans know almost nothing about. As '80s and '90s kids, we could chat with our grandparents about living through WWII like Molly. Kirsten's life looks familiar to anyone who picked up Little House on the Prairie. But mainstream American culture rarely gets a story about Native people from the perspective of Native people.
This first book follows Kaya through her day more closely than any other Meet book I've read. We see how her family cooks, what they eat at different times of day, how they get up in the morning, what work they do, what stories they tell. We get a long lovely section about a courtship dance featuring Kaya's older sister. The result is a book that feels like a documentary spliced with bits that move the story and the character forward. If this were a fantasy book, I would want the author to calm down and just tell the story already - and I'm hoping that the rest of the series is able to do that. But given that half the point of this series is to introduce history and show how people lived in this place and time, I think Shaw's doing just fine.
The story that takes shape is Kaya struggling between her impulse to be the best and the community-first values of her people. It isn't a philosophical difference: she does aspire to those values, but she's young and sometimes her id gets the better of her. We see her punished for leaving her siblings in a potentially dangerous situation while she goes off to race her horse (which, to make things worse, she loses control of). The other children begin to call her "Magpie" - a bird seen as acting only in its own self-interest - which Kaya hates. Through the rest of the book, we see her mulling over what kind of person she wants to be and working to better train her horse. We - and the rest of her community - see progress from both girl and horse when they rescue Kaya's blind sister from a swift river.
I think the decision to make AG's first Native character Nez Perce is a reasonable one: they're able to authentically use cultural markers that white Americans associate with Native Americans (tepees, horses, names like "Brown Deer" and "Wing Feather"). They've picked a time period where we can see a few early repercussions of contact with Europeans (again, horses, as well as the grandmother's smallpox scars), but we also see Kaya's culture for itself, on its own terms.
Speaking of smallpox (not so named in the text, but they refer to pockmarks, so that's my assumption), her grandmother's memories about this mysterious new disease makes Kaya very solemn. "Would difficult times like the sickness come again to Nimíipuu?" she wonders. HA. HA HA. HAHAHAHAHA. Oh, sweet summer child.
Ahem. So, (A) gonna go out on a limb and say that PROBABLY there will be difficult times within the next five books, because we're gonna need some plot, naturally. And of course (B) we know that Kaya's people, like indigenous populations around the globe, got utterly stomped on by European and U.S. imperialism and manifest destiny and white supremacy. Holy expletives.
Anyway, I do like the inclusion of Nez Perce words and phrases, and I appreciate that they've spelled them phonetically for American English speakers. The Nez Perce spellings in the glossary look to me like phonetic spellings created by French speakers (basis for that assumption: my very rough understanding of French pronunciation and the fact that the name "Nez Perce" itself is French), and would have been tough for me to parse - even more so when I was a kid. I do think it's a little odd that Kaya is Kaya, but everyone else's name is anglicized. I'm also going to assume that AG chose her name because "Kaya" sounded like a nice name in 2002, not because anyone particularly needed the doll's name to mean "she who moves rocks." But who knows, maybe that will be a plot point.
There are two elements that bother me. I don't love the "mean nickname" plot point. After it's established, every interaction with a kid outside her immediate family is someone calling her Magpie, so you're kind of left with the impression that Kaya has no real friends other than Speaking Rain and maybe Raven, though this book really doesn't have room to establish more relationships. The one nice thing that comes out of this is a sweet moment between Kaya and her grandmother, in which we learn that Aalah had an awful childhood nickname, too.
The other thing is the depiction of punishment. When Kaya is reprimanded for selfishness, she isn't punished alone: All the children of a certain age are switched, sending a very clear message that your actions affect everyone. On the one hand, that means that the boys she went off to race with also got punished, and perhaps the mischievous twins did, too (it's not clear what age "old enough to be switched" is). Given modern views on corporal punishment though, I was... surprised to see this scene. Other than perhaps the most recent ones, ALL of the historical characters live in periods when some form of hitting was considered an effective form of discipline, but I don't think we've ever seen it practiced in an AG book. Miss Winston smacks the stove threateningly with a ruler and Sam Walker is whipped by an overseer, but this is something different (more than the former and less than the latter). So do we say "this is an authentic reflection of this culture at this time, so it's ok?" Do we worry that this will reinforce old stereotypes of Native peoples as "savages" because we see Kaya get switched while Felicity never sees ANY consequences for her questionable choices?
I don't have a good answer, and I would love to hear from someone more knowledgeable in child development and anti-racism.
I also wish AG had found a Native author - ideally a Nez Perce author - to write this series instead of going back to an author they knew. I don't have specific issues with Shaw's writing, and I understand she was working with an advisory board of Native leaders and experts. But I really would have loved the added authenticity and perspective of a writer who came from Kaya's culture. I'm so glad they hired Connie Porter to write Addy, but then they gave Josefina and Kaya to two white writers, and I... just wish they hadn't.
More Kaya babble
Meet Kaya | Kaya’s Escape | Kaya’s Hero | Kaya and Lone Dog | Kaya Shows the Way | Changes for Kaya
Kaya and the River Girl | Kaya’s Short Story Collection
The Silent Stranger | The Ghost Wind Stallion
The Roar of the Falls
August 1, 2020
"In the American Girls, Felicity and Kaya are a lot alike. They both disobey a lot and like horses," my little sister commented one day when she was six. I have always thought that this was hilarious, and reading this book again for the first time since my childhood reinforced what an accurate take this is.
Kaya grows tremendously over the series, and character development is great. Still, even though this introductory book establishes important plot points and gives her lots of space to grow up and become more responsible, I found it stressful to read the story, because her bad decisions drive every aspect of the plot. It's also challenging to keep up with all of the many characters that the author introduces at once, and the story is very episodic in nature, with a sudden climax that comes out of nowhere. The life-or-death stakes at the end are very abrupt, without any set-up or foreshadowing, and the book cuts off and ends with no time for catharsis afterwards.
I am thankful that the library still had this book so that I could reread it without having to buy it right now. I had thought that my Great American Girl Reread of 2020 would end after I reread the Kit books, but I realized that I needed to snatch up the last remaining Kaya copies from the library system before it's too late. I'm glad that I got to reread this series, and I would consider pursuing cheap copies for my American Girl library in the future, but I can see why I never liked this series as much as the others.
Its greatest merit is how incredibly educational it is. This series taught me a lot about the American Indian experience when I was a child, and the historical notes are dead honest and don't sugar-coat any of the harsh realities regarding how contact with white people affected native tribes. The story and historical note both address the impact of infectious diseases that the natives did not have immunity to, and since I only remember learning about this in later life, I was pleased to see that I actually learned this history when I was quite young.
The historical notes in later books address how white Americans intentionally subjugated and oppressed Natives, and since I read these books over two nights, I thought it was interesting to see how the author wove in more information over time and built on the early foundation, instead of throwing all the tragic information to a child all at once. This series is a great introduction to painful realities in American history, and I'm glad that it was part of my historical education early in life.
Kaya grows tremendously over the series, and character development is great. Still, even though this introductory book establishes important plot points and gives her lots of space to grow up and become more responsible, I found it stressful to read the story, because her bad decisions drive every aspect of the plot. It's also challenging to keep up with all of the many characters that the author introduces at once, and the story is very episodic in nature, with a sudden climax that comes out of nowhere. The life-or-death stakes at the end are very abrupt, without any set-up or foreshadowing, and the book cuts off and ends with no time for catharsis afterwards.
I am thankful that the library still had this book so that I could reread it without having to buy it right now. I had thought that my Great American Girl Reread of 2020 would end after I reread the Kit books, but I realized that I needed to snatch up the last remaining Kaya copies from the library system before it's too late. I'm glad that I got to reread this series, and I would consider pursuing cheap copies for my American Girl library in the future, but I can see why I never liked this series as much as the others.
Its greatest merit is how incredibly educational it is. This series taught me a lot about the American Indian experience when I was a child, and the historical notes are dead honest and don't sugar-coat any of the harsh realities regarding how contact with white people affected native tribes. The story and historical note both address the impact of infectious diseases that the natives did not have immunity to, and since I only remember learning about this in later life, I was pleased to see that I actually learned this history when I was quite young.
The historical notes in later books address how white Americans intentionally subjugated and oppressed Natives, and since I read these books over two nights, I thought it was interesting to see how the author wove in more information over time and built on the early foundation, instead of throwing all the tragic information to a child all at once. This series is a great introduction to painful realities in American history, and I'm glad that it was part of my historical education early in life.
Read
May 10, 2015Kaya is a Nimíipuu (called Nez Perce by Americans) living in 1674, and travelling with her family to the river to join other Nimíipuu in catching the salmon headed upstream. Kaya’s is prideful, particularly of her horse, Steps High, and leaves to race with a group of boys, leaving behind her little brothers. All of the children are punished for her transgression, and Kaya strives to act more humbly. Though she has a couple of minor setbacks, she shows her bravery when she rides her horse into the swiftly moving river to save her friend.
This is one of the books in the American Girl series, which features young girls living in historical times. The books are intended to serve as a jumping off point to interest girls in various historical periods (and, of course, to sell American Girl dolls). Like the other American Girl books, Meet Kaya is appropriate for ages 8-12, and will skew heavily to girls. Unlike other books, Kaya’s stories were prepared with guidance from an advisory board made up of cultural historians and Nez Perce Elders. They approved plot lines, historical matter at the end of the books, and glossaries of Nimíipuu words. Booklist calls the Kaya series “both historically accurate and culturally sensitive,” but A Broken Flute has a number of complaints about the series, including anachronistic word choices, overreliance on nature metaphors, inaccurate details of family life and rituals, and a general “filtering through a white consciousness.”
This is one of the books in the American Girl series, which features young girls living in historical times. The books are intended to serve as a jumping off point to interest girls in various historical periods (and, of course, to sell American Girl dolls). Like the other American Girl books, Meet Kaya is appropriate for ages 8-12, and will skew heavily to girls. Unlike other books, Kaya’s stories were prepared with guidance from an advisory board made up of cultural historians and Nez Perce Elders. They approved plot lines, historical matter at the end of the books, and glossaries of Nimíipuu words. Booklist calls the Kaya series “both historically accurate and culturally sensitive,” but A Broken Flute has a number of complaints about the series, including anachronistic word choices, overreliance on nature metaphors, inaccurate details of family life and rituals, and a general “filtering through a white consciousness.”
February 4, 2025
“I’ve told you before not to boast. Our actions speak for us,” Eetsa said as she looked Kaya in the eye. “Our actions speak for us. Our deeds show our worth. Let that be your lesson.” 📚☕
That wasn’t boasting, she thought - just saying what was true.” 😁
I really want to like this series. I enjoyed the day-to-day descriptions and Kaya’s family. I appreciate the representation of a blind, Native American orphan that is like a sister to Kaya. But so far, Kaya is not impressing me with the way she’s put her younger siblings in danger.
Come on now, Kaya. I’m rooting for you to transform into the wonderful young woman we know you can be. 🙂
✨📚☕💙☕📚✨More in-depth reviews on my Youtube Wrap Up videos.
October 6, 2025
the one that taught me to read
January 1, 2024
I enjoyed my reread of this one! Kaya was always one of my favorite American Girls (even though I don’t think I ever fully read the series on my own?), and I enjoyed reading this from an adult perspective as well as remembering it as a kid.
The illustrations were always my favorite part of the American Girl books as I wasn’t a huge reader as a kid, so I’m really sad that the new “Beforever” editions cut those out because they’re super beautiful.
I probably won’t reread the rest of the series, but I enjoyed revisiting this one. ☺️
‼️Content‼️
Violence: children are switched on the legs; a girl falls in a river
Other: mentions of people catching sickness in the past and dying
The illustrations were always my favorite part of the American Girl books as I wasn’t a huge reader as a kid, so I’m really sad that the new “Beforever” editions cut those out because they’re super beautiful.
I probably won’t reread the rest of the series, but I enjoyed revisiting this one. ☺️
‼️Content‼️
Violence: children are switched on the legs; a girl falls in a river
Other: mentions of people catching sickness in the past and dying
April 24, 2022
This was a short easy read but very enjoyable. And the one scene near the end brought tears to my eyes - it was very heartwarming.
This is the story of a young, horse crazy Nimiipuu girl named Kaya. Her horse is Steps High. She has her faults and makes mistakes so that is what this story is about: her learning from her mistakes. Unfortunately some of those mistakes involve her dear horse Steps High. Kaya really wants to race but she is not yet ready to do that. And I swear that Steps High knows that!
There is some danger and excitement in here too. And beautiful art that brings the story to life. While I am somewhat familiar with teepees and have even seen some plains style ones in person, I have never seen the giant ones as shown near the back of this book. And reading this made me think about things, too. Kaya's life is so different than mine.
I also see this is the first book in a series so now I want to read all the others so I can learn the further adventures of Kaya & Steps High.
I do wish this one had been longer!
This is the story of a young, horse crazy Nimiipuu girl named Kaya. Her horse is Steps High. She has her faults and makes mistakes so that is what this story is about: her learning from her mistakes. Unfortunately some of those mistakes involve her dear horse Steps High. Kaya really wants to race but she is not yet ready to do that. And I swear that Steps High knows that!
There is some danger and excitement in here too. And beautiful art that brings the story to life. While I am somewhat familiar with teepees and have even seen some plains style ones in person, I have never seen the giant ones as shown near the back of this book. And reading this made me think about things, too. Kaya's life is so different than mine.
I also see this is the first book in a series so now I want to read all the others so I can learn the further adventures of Kaya & Steps High.
I do wish this one had been longer!
January 28, 2010
Kaya is the young girl who lives in an Indain Tribe called Nez Perce. The tribe settled in the Washington, Idaho and Oregan area. The year is 1764 and the story takes place with her parents , sibling, grandparents and tribe. The book is based on true facts and detailed information on the tribes traditions and language. Kaya loves riding horses and wants to be the best rider in her village. While Kaya was supposed to be watching her twin brothers, she boasts and decides to race one of her friends. She ends up finding her brothers who are lost in the woods but comes home facing a big punishment. Since one person's actions affect the safety of her tribe, all of the children must be punished too. This earns her a nickname she does not like. Her bravery to save her friend helps diminish the nickname and she learns a great lesson. I thought the history and the facts were so interesting! I felt like I just took a mini class in American history. It makes me want to read more history! So cool.
November 13, 2024
Assorted thoughts:
1) I am very glad that American Girl did an indigenous doll, and that the worked so closely with an advisory board for this series. I do wish they had a Nez Perce author for the books, though.
2) The little blurbs that describe Kaya in the beginning of other books always talk about her deep respect for nature. And of course, that is a trait she does possess! And it is lovingly portrayed. But I feel like they're burying the lede on her overall personality. I was surprised to read the book and see just how prideful she was.
Of course, that's not a negative to me. I found her desire for attention + her constant need to remind herself not to boast to be a very well-done reoccuring plot through her books.
3) Kaya is the horse girl to end all horse girls. As a well-known disliker of animal stories, this meant her stories weren't as appealing to me personally, but that doesn't mean I think they were poorly written.
4) Not sure how I feel about the depiction of corporal punishment in this book.
1) I am very glad that American Girl did an indigenous doll, and that the worked so closely with an advisory board for this series. I do wish they had a Nez Perce author for the books, though.
2) The little blurbs that describe Kaya in the beginning of other books always talk about her deep respect for nature. And of course, that is a trait she does possess! And it is lovingly portrayed. But I feel like they're burying the lede on her overall personality. I was surprised to read the book and see just how prideful she was.
Of course, that's not a negative to me. I found her desire for attention + her constant need to remind herself not to boast to be a very well-done reoccuring plot through her books.
3) Kaya is the horse girl to end all horse girls. As a well-known disliker of animal stories, this meant her stories weren't as appealing to me personally, but that doesn't mean I think they were poorly written.
4) Not sure how I feel about the depiction of corporal punishment in this book.
Read
May 12, 2023Kaya is one of the few American Girl historical character series I have never read a single book from, so I was interested to see what it was like -- I really liked this first installment in the series. Kaya has some good character development and reading about the Nez Perce tribe and their customs before they met white people was fascinating. I enjoyed the wisdom Kaya's elders shared with her. What a cute book!
Book 8/264 (3% of the way done)
I am currently in the process of reading all 260-ish American Girl fiction books in chronological order. It's a project I decided to start just for fun, since I have many of the books already in my own personal collection. It will probably take me several years, but I'm hoping to leave a review for each book. Follow along if you're interested! :)
Book 8/264 (3% of the way done)
I am currently in the process of reading all 260-ish American Girl fiction books in chronological order. It's a project I decided to start just for fun, since I have many of the books already in my own personal collection. It will probably take me several years, but I'm hoping to leave a review for each book. Follow along if you're interested! :)
March 9, 2019
4.5
Loved this opening book to this American girl series. This is another book/set of books that I am looking at critically with gender and gender roles in mind. We meet Kaya who is from the Nez Perce tribe. They are very family and tribe oriented where the action of one effects the many. Kaya very quickly learns this lesson and pays the price of it. Her boasting often gets the better of her.
Loved this opening book to this American girl series. This is another book/set of books that I am looking at critically with gender and gender roles in mind. We meet Kaya who is from the Nez Perce tribe. They are very family and tribe oriented where the action of one effects the many. Kaya very quickly learns this lesson and pays the price of it. Her boasting often gets the better of her.
June 26, 2024
I love Kaya. I’m a huge Kaya fan. 10/10, impeccable horse girl energy (I mean this positively). #1 on the field and #1 in my heart. I also appreciated the research that went in to this book and all of AGs historical characters.
July 13, 2022
whyd i get emotional at the end of this. just a girl and her horse 🫶🏻
July 25, 2025
When American Girls dolls were first "a thing," I was just barely out of the doll-playing years. I babysat for one of our Pastor's children and his two daughters each had one of the dolls and all their tiny accessories. I remember being a hint envious, as I played with the girls, that I had missed out on these well appointed doll collections, depicting various points in history. (One of the precursors to my love of historical fiction, perhaps? I wouldn't take it off the table.) In my endeavor to read a bunch of children's books to bolster my gift-giving arsenal, because I won't gift a book I haven't personally read, I find myself once again diving into the world of American Girls. As the renowned C.S. Lewis is quoted: “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”
What I liked about Meet Kaya:
I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the Nez Perce from a century and a half ago, including the pronunciation guide on the last page. Kaya is an interesting little main character. You can see her pushing forward into middle childhood, desiring to be more mature and yet struggling with making responsible decisions, which feels entirely relatable. In retrospect, she knows the decisions she should have made and why they were important, but in the moment, she is impetuous. One additional aspect I find commendable is the brief "non-fiction" pages at the conclusion that give a little approachable cultural history lesson, as well as the fact that there were Native American consultants for the book's content.
What I didn't care for:
The book seems to end abruptly. A complete life lesson is imparted and we witness some redemption on Kaya's part, but the storytelling felt vaguely incomplete. I do wonder if this will bear out in the fact that this is a series that will pick up where the previous book left off. I suppose I will discover if this is the case. It still seems as though there could have been a cleaner ending to this book.
What left me conflicted:
I am of two minds on one of the topics covered in this book. As a result of Kaya's lackluster choices, there is a switching consequence. On the one hand, I like my historical fiction to be accurate in delivering the culture accurately. After all, I have no qualms about the spanking Pa gave Laura for misbehavior in the Little House books. But I cannot seem to put my finger on why this read a little... odd to me. Both occurrences took place in books written specifically for a child audience, but in this one, the description felt, perhaps, a bit more descriptive that maybe was necessary?
As a child, I would have been obsessed with this series of books because Kaya had a horse and I was enamored with them. I am curious to see how this series plays out; do the books stand alone or will they segue one into the next? I am hopeful that we'll get to learn more about the culture and historical context. I look forward to finding out if this is a series that will prove giftable.
What I liked about Meet Kaya:
I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the Nez Perce from a century and a half ago, including the pronunciation guide on the last page. Kaya is an interesting little main character. You can see her pushing forward into middle childhood, desiring to be more mature and yet struggling with making responsible decisions, which feels entirely relatable. In retrospect, she knows the decisions she should have made and why they were important, but in the moment, she is impetuous. One additional aspect I find commendable is the brief "non-fiction" pages at the conclusion that give a little approachable cultural history lesson, as well as the fact that there were Native American consultants for the book's content.
What I didn't care for:
The book seems to end abruptly. A complete life lesson is imparted and we witness some redemption on Kaya's part, but the storytelling felt vaguely incomplete. I do wonder if this will bear out in the fact that this is a series that will pick up where the previous book left off. I suppose I will discover if this is the case. It still seems as though there could have been a cleaner ending to this book.
What left me conflicted:
I am of two minds on one of the topics covered in this book. As a result of Kaya's lackluster choices, there is a switching consequence. On the one hand, I like my historical fiction to be accurate in delivering the culture accurately. After all, I have no qualms about the spanking Pa gave Laura for misbehavior in the Little House books. But I cannot seem to put my finger on why this read a little... odd to me. Both occurrences took place in books written specifically for a child audience, but in this one, the description felt, perhaps, a bit more descriptive that maybe was necessary?
As a child, I would have been obsessed with this series of books because Kaya had a horse and I was enamored with them. I am curious to see how this series plays out; do the books stand alone or will they segue one into the next? I am hopeful that we'll get to learn more about the culture and historical context. I look forward to finding out if this is a series that will prove giftable.
November 21, 2021
In this book their are a lot of good characters and some very good lessons. Kaya is here to teach you not to be selfish and think about others before yourself. Through out the book you see her make mistakes that get other people hurt because she was thinking about herself and pride instead of the other people she was supposed to be taking care of.
Then there is Singing Rain is Kaya's blind sister, She is very brave and life is tough for her. She has to learn how to do the ways of her people without seeing what she is doing. Sometimes she has to rely on Kaya but Kaya is still learning how to think of others before herself so Singing Rain sometimes is left on her own. So she has to be very strong and brave.
This book was very fun and a good experience for learning. I am exited to read the other books!
Then there is Singing Rain is Kaya's blind sister, She is very brave and life is tough for her. She has to learn how to do the ways of her people without seeing what she is doing. Sometimes she has to rely on Kaya but Kaya is still learning how to think of others before herself so Singing Rain sometimes is left on her own. So she has to be very strong and brave.
This book was very fun and a good experience for learning. I am exited to read the other books!
January 3, 2026
This book was about Kaya a girl that is an Indian in 1764. Her horse is named Steps High with white spots on her back and a white star on her forehead. Kaya has two sisters, Brown Deer and Speaking Rain. She also has two brothers Wing Feather and Sparow. People called Kaya magpie because she meets two boys Raven and Fox Tail they wanted to race horses and Kaya boasts that her horse is fast. Then they race Kaya wants to win but her horse bucks her off. And she was told to watch her brothers, but she let Speaking Rain do it, but she is blind so she can't. Then she finds Speaking Rain and Speaking Rain says the boys ran off so Kaya and Speaking Rain go find the boys and they were in the tree. Then Kaya gets in big trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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March 7, 2025I’m reading all these books for nostalgia but I will not be rating them. While I know members of the Nez Perce tribe were consulted when creating Kaya (that’s why she’s the only doll who doesn’t have her teeth showing, that’s an aggressive expression in their culture), it is still a book about a Native American girl written by a white woman in 2002. The “Look Back At 1764” does discuss white peoples stealing of their land but tells a very sanitized version.
Also before you say “it’s a kids book it should be sanitized”, you don’t know HALF the stuff the American Girl books cover like. There’s trauma galore, they could tell a more accurate version (I know it was 2002 but still)
Also before you say “it’s a kids book it should be sanitized”, you don’t know HALF the stuff the American Girl books cover like. There’s trauma galore, they could tell a more accurate version (I know it was 2002 but still)
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November 28, 2023Things about this:
-I mostly don’t rate children’s lit anymore, but I enjoyed it about as much as I expected to! I had been meaning to read more AG series for years and years and finally got to this one. Lots to go among the various characters, of course!
-The story structure is not what I would call impeccable, but I liked the typical brash AG protagonist and plenty of characters without them becoming muddled.
-I do not personally know if this is historically accurate, but cursory research seems to indicate that it is not horribly INaccurate, so I hope it is okay.
-I mostly don’t rate children’s lit anymore, but I enjoyed it about as much as I expected to! I had been meaning to read more AG series for years and years and finally got to this one. Lots to go among the various characters, of course!
-The story structure is not what I would call impeccable, but I liked the typical brash AG protagonist and plenty of characters without them becoming muddled.
-I do not personally know if this is historically accurate, but cursory research seems to indicate that it is not horribly INaccurate, so I hope it is okay.
November 2, 2017
Summary: This text is a part of the American Girl series and accurately tells a fiction story based on the Nez Perce Native American culture. Kaya is a horse-loving young girl who tries to stay out of trouble.
Evaluation: The author’s integrity is very high when it comes to the validity of the cultural aspect put into this book. The book could be read independently by higher grades. The illustrations are accurate even though they are scarce. The plot is engaging as well.
Teaching Idea: This book can be used to compare and contrast different Native American cultures or can be tied to social studies where students can learn about that time period (the 1700s) in all places around the world and the events that happened.
Evaluation: The author’s integrity is very high when it comes to the validity of the cultural aspect put into this book. The book could be read independently by higher grades. The illustrations are accurate even though they are scarce. The plot is engaging as well.
Teaching Idea: This book can be used to compare and contrast different Native American cultures or can be tied to social studies where students can learn about that time period (the 1700s) in all places around the world and the events that happened.
December 28, 2024
I so appreciate that the writer of this book had an advisory board of Nez Perce people. We are learning so much about the day to day life of this native group, their beliefs, community and traditions. It was a fascinating read and my daughter and I are both excited for the next book.
January 25, 2023
My girls and I love these historical fiction books while doing our history lessons
March 18, 2025
I have never read a Kaya book until now and I don’t know why if I’m being honest.
August 24, 2025
My American girl book club is going to love this story.
July 29, 2024
(3.5/5) This is a good intro and I thought having a lil true history section at the end was v important—it wasn’t that sanitized of a history either. The stakes are low so a lil less engaging, but next book she literally gets kidnapped so I guess some of them can be more chill
August 23, 2024
Lily enjoyed this one. AG books tend to be 5 stars around here!
August 29, 2022
We are using the American Girl books as a guide for our US History this year. We are starting with Kaya. My daughter is loving the stories and I’m loving her enthusiasm. The information in the back of the book was really interesting and helps us see the history that the books were based off of.
January 3, 2025
My fun reading goal for 2025 is going to be to reread (or, in the case of the newer characters like Kaya read for the first time) the American Girl books! Has anyone done a better job of getting kids interested in history like the Pleasant Company did in the 1990s? I devoured the series in third and fourth grade and the Samantha doll I saved up for was my first "big" independent purchase.
Kaya was introduced when I was already in high school - I was definitely still getting the AG catalogue at my house - so this was my first time reading this intro to the series. Kaya is a likeable character - my elementary school self would have loved that her horse plays a major role in the story - and I appreciated that her family includes lots of children so readers can get an idea of what life was like for Nez Perce children of different ages, up to courtship, in the 18th century. There is also disability representation with Kaya's foster sister Speaking Rain, though I wish there had been more of a focus on what Speaking Rain could be capable of, and fewer plot points based on bad things happening because Speaking Rain can't see. Janet Shaw is not a Native American author, but an advisory board is credited as having authenticated Kaya's stories, including Nez Perce Tribal Elders. The illustrator is Bill Farnsworth and the illustrations are in a similar style to Renée Graef's work in the original books, including the little images in the margins to help young readers understand unfamiliar terms and references. Back matter emphasizes that the Nez Perce are still around today and live modern lives while celebrating their traditions.
Kaya was introduced when I was already in high school - I was definitely still getting the AG catalogue at my house - so this was my first time reading this intro to the series. Kaya is a likeable character - my elementary school self would have loved that her horse plays a major role in the story - and I appreciated that her family includes lots of children so readers can get an idea of what life was like for Nez Perce children of different ages, up to courtship, in the 18th century. There is also disability representation with Kaya's foster sister Speaking Rain, though I wish there had been more of a focus on what Speaking Rain could be capable of, and fewer plot points based on bad things happening because Speaking Rain can't see. Janet Shaw is not a Native American author, but an advisory board is credited as having authenticated Kaya's stories, including Nez Perce Tribal Elders. The illustrator is Bill Farnsworth and the illustrations are in a similar style to Renée Graef's work in the original books, including the little images in the margins to help young readers understand unfamiliar terms and references. Back matter emphasizes that the Nez Perce are still around today and live modern lives while celebrating their traditions.
October 5, 2023
Kaya is a young Nimíipuu girl who loves horses and often makes mistakes, one of which cause the children in her tribe to nickname her magpie for being selfish. This nickname urges Kaya to always think of others, work hard, and grow beyond the hurtful nickname. Will she learn from this lesson and grow? I think so.
I've read that this series, written by a white woman, had an extensive panel of Native Americans and Nez Perce tribe members themselves (the American name for the Nimíipuu) providing guidance. Although Janet Shaw did a tremendous job (I trust the advisement of the Native Americans involved), I still wish they could have found an Indigenous person to write these stories.
I've read that this series, written by a white woman, had an extensive panel of Native Americans and Nez Perce tribe members themselves (the American name for the Nimíipuu) providing guidance. Although Janet Shaw did a tremendous job (I trust the advisement of the Native Americans involved), I still wish they could have found an Indigenous person to write these stories.
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