How Tia Lola Learned to Teach

Tia Lola Stories #2

by Julia Alvarez

Tía Lola has been invited to teach Spanish at her niece and nephew’s elementary school. But Miguel wants nothing to do with the arrangement. He hasn’t had an easy time adjusting to his new school in Vermont and doesn’t like living so far away from Papi, who has a new girlfriend and an announcement to make. On the other hand, Miguel’s little sister, Juanita, can’t wait to introduce her colorfully dressed aunt with her migrating beauty mark to all her friends at school—that is, if she can stop getting distracted long enough to remember to do so. Before long, Tía Lola is organizing a Spanish treasure hunt and a Carnaval fiesta at school. Will Miguel be willing to join the fun? Will Juanita get her head out of the clouds and lead her classmates to victory in the treasure hunt?
Told with abundant humor and heart, Julia Alvarez’s new Tía Lola story is the long-awaited sequel to the beloved How Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay.

Genres: Family, Cultural, Fiction, Spanish Literature, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Julia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the Woman of the Year by Latina magazine, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s program “The Hand of the Poet: Original Manuscripts by 100 Masters, from John Donne to Julia Alvarez.” In the Time of the Butterflies, with over one million copies in print, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its national Big Read program, and in 2013 President Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in recognition of her extraordinary storytelling.

Photo copyright by Brandon Cruz González
EL VOCERO DE PUERTO RICO

Reviews

[Esther Storrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Tia Lola Learned to Teach is the second book in the Tia Lola series by Julia Alvarez. Set in rural Vermont, the book tells the story of Juanita and Miguel, who live with their mother, and Tia Lola, who came from the Dominican Republic to help care for them. The family is still recovering from the parent’s divorce the previous year, and the children are struggling to find their place in a new town. When the school principal suggests that Tia Lola volunteer at the school to teach Spanish, Miguel is horrified to think of his flamboyant aunt embarrassing him, and Juanita is excited to have her at school. Over the year, Tia Lola uses her special blend of love, energy, and wise sayings to teach the whole family, and the whole community, how to care for each other.

At first, I thought this book was going to be formulaic and shallow, but by the end, I was crying thinking about Tia Lola’s fate as she stood before the immigration judge. The book shows the universal themes of sacrifice, family, and community, but Tia Lola gives it a special Dominican flavor. Spanish is used liberally throughout the book, and we are told that Tia Lola speaks only in Spanish (the author’s note at the end reminds us that she speaks in Spanish, even though the story is written mostly in English). Each chapter begins with a wise saying, and the characters learn life lessons that mirror the sayings. Some are humorous, and distinctly Dominican (“With patience and calm, even a donkey can climb a palm”), while others are more universal (“In unity there’s strength”).

This book would be a great read-aloud, and excellent to use in a bilingual or ESL classroom. It would be interesting to chart the sayings, both English and Spanish, while reading. The book also discusses immigration policy and deportation, and the topic would lend itself well to a critical literacy discussion. For example, "Why do you think Tia Lola is treated differently than Ofie's family?" would be an interesting starting point.

[Katy Kotlarczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro libro en español. Es para jóvenes pero suficiente difícil para mí y he aprendido mucho. Voy a leer otros libros cómo esto.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this series with your kids!

[Molly (Conan the Librarian) Crumbley · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this warm and wonderful second book of the Tía Lola Stories, Tía Lola proves yet again that she is a force to be reckoned with. The first of her tales, How Tía Lola Came to Stay, shows her journey from the Dominican Republic to help raise her newly divorced niece’s children, Miguel and Juanita, and this charming sequel picks right up at the beginning of a new school year. Though Tía Lola has only a fourth grade education and limited English under her belt, she has been asked to teach Spanish to the children at Miguel and Juanita’s school. Will she be able to fit in and keep her spirited young relatives from being embarrassed by her strange colorful clothes and funny sayings? As Tía Lola would say, con pacienca y con calma, se subió un burro en una palma (with patience and calm, even a donkey can climb a palm).

Soon enough, her enthusiasm and splendid imagination win over the whole community, who rejoice in her treasure hunts and piñatas and Carnaval fiestas. Along the way, Tía Lola has enough wisdom and patience to spend on Miguel and Juanita, who are still coping with their parents’ divorce and the prospect of their Papi remarrying. Worse yet—a letter from the immigration office has arrived for their aunt. Now that she is so tightly sown into the fabric of their small community, will Tía Lola have to go back to the Dominican Republic? This multicultural tale of family, friendship, and community is sure to delight middle readers, especially those who are interested in learning about Hispanic customs and language.

This review originally appeared on abookandahug.com

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How Tia Lola Learned to Teach" is the second book in a wonderful series about the aunt (Tia in Spanish)of a young boy and his sister who have recently moved to Vermont after their parents' divorce. Tia Lola is from the Dominican Republic and does not speak any English. Her niece and nephew, Miquel and Juanita, love to have Tia Lola live with them. Tia Lola is asked to teach Spanish at the childrens' school. Miquel doesn't think this is such a great idea but Juanita loves the thought of having her Tia around. The teachers and the students love Tia Lola. When her immigration status is in question, the whole town stands behind her.

Tia Lola just loves sayings! Alvarez gives Tia Lola the voice of wisdom in this wonderful novel. Alvarez uses Spanish sayings so that the reader can remember that Tia is really only speaking Spanish. Alvarez tells her readers that Tia Lola reminds us that "we are all one human family, even if we speak different languages and come from different countries."(132) What a great example of what multicultural literature should be. Writing Spanish sayings and giving the reader a sense of Latino life is evident throughout the book.

[Marcy Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

How Tia Lola Learned to Teach
By Julia Alvarez
2010 Alfred A. Knopf
ISBN: 9780375864605
Genre: Fiction
Level: 3-6

Reading this book made me want to be a part of this warm and welcoming community in Bridgeport, Vermont! Despite the ups and downs in life, Tia Lola and Mami, Jaunita, and Miguel take on the excitement and challenges of life with love, compassion, and friendly sayings like, "good intentions win hearts. In unity, there's strength. Being happy is a great talent." During the long winter in Vermont, Tia Lola was lonely by herself during the day. Initially, when she was asked to come to school and teach the students in the rural school some Spanish, Tia Lola was reluctant. She herself, had little schooling (she had not make it past fourth grade). Her family had to trick her to go, by convincing her that it was "Bring a Special Person to School Day." It did not take long for the students and teachers to fall in love with Jaunita and Miguel's aunt. And soon, everyone was learning Spanish. Tia Lola even organized a carnival for the whole school! You will fall in love with this family and their small community living right here in our beloved state!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've been talking recently about the importance of setting in a story, and I can't imagine what this story would be like if it took place outside of Vermont (in the story, Tia Lola's family is one of two Spanish-speaking families at the school).

If this took place in Federal Way, for example, I'm curious if my kids would be excited that Spanish was being added community-wide, if other ELL families who don't speak Spanish would feel they got the short end of the stick, or if the Spanish-speaking students would feel resentful that they feel like they have to represent an entire ethnicity.

But those are all concerns I've heard voiced by high school and college folks -- I wonder if my students feel that way already and aren't sure how to express it or if they don't feel that way because they haven't had it up to here with being treated poorly. I'm also curious as to how my students would respond to the whole section on deportation -- a very real fear to many of my families.

From an author's craft point of view, this book is written in present tense.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tia Lola is on her way to New York from the Dominican Republic. She will help care for her niece and nephew while their recently divorced mother is at work. When they learn Tia Lola is coming to school, Juanita (grade 3) is excited and Miguel (grade 5) is worried what others will think and that she will embarrass him. Tia Lola quickly endears herself to everyone she meets and in no time at all she has the whole town learning Spanish and cheering for Tia Lola's visa to be extended so she will not be deported.

This book would make a good read-aloud for third or fourth grade, especially in a racially diverse classroom with English Language Learners. It also lends itself to language lessons on idioms and quotations. A great follow up activity would be creating a pinata containing sayings as the school children and Tia Lola did at the end of this story.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miguel and Juanita’s irrepressible Tía Lola returns in this sequel to “How Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay.†Miguel is horrified when his aunt agrees to teach Spanish at their school but as is Tía Lola’s way, she charms the teachers and students and becomes an integral part of the school community. But all is not light and happiness: Juanita’s habit of daydreaming gets her in trouble at school, and Miguel is uncertain about his father’s new girlfriend becoming his stepmother. Then a letter arrives from immigration stating that Tía Lola’s visa is about to expire and she must leave the country. Lola’s wise sayings, which in Spanish and English serve as the titles and themes of each chapter, guide the family, reminding them of what’s important. Readers originally charmed by Tía Lola will welcome her return with open abrazos.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to "How Tia Lola Came to (Visit)Stay," Tia Lola continues her flashy ways, sometimes embarassing her nephew. Tia Lola lives with Miguel and Juanita in order take care of them while their mother is working. She is feeling lonely and has little to do while they are at school. A solution presents itself when it is suggested that she teach Spanish to the children at her niece and nephew's school. As she grows to love teaching, the community grows to love Tia Lola. When her visa is about to expire, the town rallies to keep her in the USA. The book contains many Spanish words and expressions which are translated or explained; hopefully these will not detract from the story for students. With my limited knowledge of Spanish, I enjoyed them.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviews & Awards
Tia Lola is the great aunt of Miguel and Juniata. Tia Lola comes to live with them in Vermont after their parents’ divorce and mother take a new job. Tia Lola is from the Dominican Republic and speaks only Spanish. She is convinced to teach Spanish in Miguel and Juniata’s school and becomes involved in the community. Then she gets the deportation letter, will she be sent back? Good story that centers on language and cultures and communities working together.

Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/11
Kirkus Review 10/01/10

Booklist 12/01/10
Library Media Connection 03/01/11

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 10/01/10
School Library Journal 11/01/10

Horn Book 05/01/11

[Chana Billet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sharing books of this caliber with my young readers is a pleasure. Julia Alvarez does a great job with the second installment of her well-crafted "Tia Lola" series.

Lovable Tia Lola is back! As she helps her great-niece and nephew adjust to their parents' divorce, she adjusts to life in a new country. Full of witty sayings and a refreshing joy de vivir, Tia Lola is a burst of bright color amidst the bleak Vermont winter. As her Visa expires and Tia Lola appeals to stay in the US, the close-nit rural community in Vermont rallies behind Tia Lola and shows how love and unity can trump all.

If only that were true in real life...But that is one of the great pleasures of good fiction-- escapism to a world where despite the challenges, problems are solved.

[Ioana Fotache · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned so many spanish sayings :D
I get what Julia is trying to get at: if people come together and accept each other, then we can get past racism and other -isms and form wonderful communities. This is a great book to read when you're a kid.
But it does feel a bit weird how these things just magically happen. We get that the immigration laws are the big bads, but I feel that often enough the message she accidentally transmits is that people who are magically loved by everyone will magically bypass them; perhaps carrying the unfortunate connotation that the people who don't get visas are the ones who do not work hard enough to deserve them. Would've loved to hear more about ofie and her family, who were quite one-dimensional and the community just let them be resettled.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my review books for school and I actually enjoyed it so there you go! It is about a boy and a girl whose aunt, Tia Lola, lives with them. She is from the Dominican Republic and is convinced to come to the children's school and begin teaching the kids at the school Spanish. Tia Lola uses many famous sayings to teach the children lessons...that part became a little excessive for me, but when Tia Lola is threatened to be deported, the town must come together to help Tia Lola to become an American Citizen so she can stay. The characters are extremely well-rounded and the sprinkling of English and Spanish throughout is nice.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun! Tia Lola, who raised Mami in the Dominican Republic, has moved to Vermont to help Mami raise Juanita and Miguel after a divorce. Tia Lola's vibrant, loving nature and her infectious enthusiasm not only allow her to help Juanita and Miguel sort through their own issues, but also bring the whole town together as a community. Juanita learns to pay more attention in class, while Miguel learns that it is OK to love and appreciate his new step-mother Carmen. A wonderful feel-good ending; Spanish words sprinkled throughout with a great understanding of the empowerment of being bilingual.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure kids will like this book as much as parents and teachers, but I did enjoy it and especially liked the use of the sayings. I have not yet read How Tia Lola Came to Visit/Stay, but guess I need to. My only complaint was that so much of the solutions in this story seemed so pat and easy. I guess, however, I'm glad and she did leave the problem of the family being deported back to Mexico unsolved (in the same way the issue is totally unsolved). I loved going through and collecting the sayings and know teachers will, I'm just not as sure about kids.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How Tía Lola Learned to Teach is humorous and endearing, creating characters that are well-described, creating a community with quirks. The community is somewhat idyllic, though not impossible. The optimism in the book results in more positive outcomes than negative.
[...]
How Tía Lola Learned to Teach creates a longing for multi-generational homes and stronger communities. If a Reader already has these pleasures, the read is life-affirming."

~L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the way Julia Alvarez writes! Tia Lola is such an appealing character--I hope Alvarez writes many more books about her. However, this story wasn't just about Tia Lola's experiences teaching Spanish. As with the previous Tia Lola book, How Tia Lola Came to Stay, the story was also about Miguel and Juanita and their problems adjusting to their new school and their parents' divorce, as well as their Papi's new girlfriend. I learned some Spanish and some nifty sayings along with the characters. I wish I had a Tia Lola! Recommended!!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! Another Tia Lola book! Miguel and Juanita's tia Lola has been invited to teach Spanish at their elementary school. Tia Lola doesn't even speak English! 3rd grader Juanita is thrilled because Tia Lola is very special and her friends (and everyone she knows) agrees. Miguel is worried that her colorful dresses and Dominican ways will be too strange for his friends. He has nothing to worry about. This sequel to How Tia Lola Came To (Visit) Stay is just as much fun, teaches lots of Spanish Sayings, and leaves the reader wanting more. Nice to see you again Tia Lola!

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifth-grader Miguel and third-grader Junaita are just starting to make friends, adjust to their parents' divorce, and get used to their lives in Vermont when Tia Lola, their outgoing aunt from the Domincan Republic, volunteers to teach Spanish at their elementary school. Through Tia Lola's big-hearted lessons, Miguel, Juanita, and the whole town learn that there is true strength in unity. A warm and witty middle-grade novel; second in a series, but this can hold its own. Readers will come away with a working knowledge of some Spanish phrases and sayings.

[Ann Haefele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story grew on me as I read it. At first it was off putting as it is written in present third person. But I enjoyed the story of Tia Lola who helps take care of her niece and nephew and begins to teach their classmates Spanish at their Vermont school as a volunteer. Spanish, with translations, is sprinkled throughout the book and each chapter begins with a lesson in Spanish that relates to the story within that chapter. Example: Lesson One...Buenas razones cautivan Los corazones/Good intentions win hearts.

[Alison Russell]

This chapter book tells the story of how two children adapt to their Dominican aunt, who lives with them, coming to school to teach the other children. The two children, particularly the boy, are embarrassed by their Aunt's Dominican culture and how she seems different than other adults at school. However, they learn to value their aunt's uniqueness when she is nearly sent back to the Dominican and the whole community rallies to help her. This book would be useful as a coming-of-age story, in a unit about family relationships, or to teach about accepting cultural differences.

[Perla · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading this sequel to "How Tia Lola Came To Stay", I was happy to find the same themes there were in the last book. Many themes of family and culture were instilled in the text.
In this book, Tia Lola begins teaching Spanish a Miguel's school. The kids are embarrassed to have their aunt teach their friends. Tia Lola also uses her teaching experience to learn English. The people of the town start helping her improve her English skills with a scavenger hunt. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first one.

[StorySnoops · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second title in the Tia Lola series is just as wholesome, heartwarming, and readable as the first. Each of the books revolve around Miguel and Juanita and their move to a small town in Vermont after their parents have divorced. Their mother's aunt has come to help from the Dominican Republic, and when Tia Lola is around, the adventures never seem to end. The plot is somewhat like a simple slice of life...(see full review here: http://www.storysnoops.com/detail.php...)

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Tia Lola Learned to Teach is a delightfully uplifting story. The best way to describe Tia Lola is in the author's own words:

p.61 "The wonderful thing about Tia Lola is that she thinks like a kid, but being a grown-up, she can actually make wishes come true."

After reading this story, I am officially in love with Spanish sayings!

p.96 No hay que ahogarse en un vaso de agua --Let's not drown in a glass of water.

p.118 Ser contento es gran talento--Being happy is a great talent

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story that integrates the Spanish language throughout. A little too much focus on the broken marital relationship of the parents and dad's remarriage, but otherwise Tia Lola is a sweet character that will be enjoyable for students to embrace while learning more of the Spanish language along the way.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is either the second or third book in the series. After Tia Lola is settled in and beginning to learn English, she is offered a volunteer position at the school teaching Spanish. The first book had more to do with personal growth of the kids and this has more to do with personal growth of the aunt. Great story. Good use of idioms.

[Vilo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, love, love this story about Tia Lola. Tia Lola is delightful, her grandniece and nephew are fun and determined. Family values and community values are abundant. (I'm very confused--it is available in English "How Tia Lola Learned to Teach"; in fact, I read it in English but it seems to be showing up in Spanish. I could have read it in Spanish.)

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as enjoyable as the first Tia Lola story, but very upbeat. Alvarez does a great job portraying realistic characters in realistic settings. Two big questions in this story: Will Miguel accept Carmen AND will Tia Lola be deported?

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute series. Read my notes on the other Tía Lola books, How Tía Lola Came to Stay, How Tía Lola Saved the Summer, and How Tía Lola Ended Up Starting Over. How Tía Lola Learned to Teach is the second book in the series.