The Fina Mendoza Mysteries

We asked the cast of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast to tell us a little more about their characters.  www.finamendozamysteries.com

We asked the cast of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast to tell us a little more about their characters. The podcast is based on the award-winning book "Welcome to Washington, Fina Mendoza" by Kitty Felde. More information at the website finamendozamysteries.com.

Journalist Susan Valot interviews writer/producer Kitty Felde about the creative choices behind THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES.  The podcast is based on the award winning book "Welcome to Washington, Fina Mendoza" by Kitty Felde. More information at the website finamendozamysteries.com.

It’s a new school year for Fina Mendoza, another year of distance learning. Her teacher assigns a Genius Project, letting students pick the topic they’d like to research and present to the class. Since it's an election year and Fina’s congressman father is back in California campaigning for re-election, Fina decides to research voting. Specifically, letting kids younger than 18 cast a ballot. Real-life Congressman Mark Takano of Riverside, California zooms  with the class to answer questions about youth voting.  There is also a mystery to be solved: who broke into their classroom, ransacking the backpacks and rifling the teacher’s desk. Fina consults with her detecting partner, a giant orange dog named Senator Something, and talks her sister into accompanying her on a field trip to see if her hunch about the culprit is correct. There is FREE curriculum for this episode. The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are  written and produced by Kitty Felde Our cast includes: Amy Solano as Fina Mendoza Monica Vigil as Gabby  Susan Valot appears as Ms. Greenwood India Scalione plays Becka Eddie Pike plays Michael and Myka Scalione plays Margaret Laura Stegman appears as Congresswoman Mitchell And Steve DeVorkin is Senator Something Hannah Matzecki is our associate producer. Our music is by composer and musician Andrew Barkan. Our logo designer is Imelda Hinojosa.  The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are based on the book "Welcome to Washington, Fina Mendoza" by Kitty Felde. You can get an autographed copy of the book at our website finamendozamysteries.com.  

It’s a new school year for Fina Mendoza, another year of distance learning. Her teacher assigns a Genius Project, letting students pick the topic they’d like to research and present to the class. Since it's an election year and Fina’s congressman father is back in California campaigning for re-election, Fina decides to research voting. Specifically, letting kids younger than 18 cast a ballot. Real-life Congressman Mark Takano of Riverside, California zooms  with the class to answer questions about youth voting.  There is also a mystery to be solved: who broke into their classroom, ransacking the backpacks and rifling the teacher’s desk. Fina consults with her detecting partner, a giant orange dog named Senator Something, and talks her sister into accompanying her on a field trip to see if her hunch about the culprit is correct. There is FREE curriculum for this episode. THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES is based on the award-winning book "Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza" by Kitty Felde. The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are  written and produced by Kitty Felde Our cast includes: Amy Solano as Fina Mendoza Monica Vigil as Gabby  Susan Valot appears as Ms. Greenwood India Scalione plays Becka Eddie Pike plays Michael and Myka Scalione plays Margaret Laura Stegman appears as Congresswoman Mitchell And Steve DeVorkin is Senator Something Hannah Matzecki is our associate producer. Our music is by composer and musician Andrew Barkan. Our logo designer is Imelda Hinojosa.  The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are based on the book "Welcome to Washington, Fina Mendoza" by Kitty Felde. You can get an autographed copy of the book at our website finamendozamysteries.com.  

This Sunday and Monday, the first and second of November, are the Mexican holiday known as Dia de los Muertos – the Day of the Dead. It’s a celebration we include in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries as Fina and her older sister Gabby try to come to terms with moving across the country from California to Washington after the death of their mom. To honor all of our moms and other loved ones who are no longer with us on this earth, we’re sharing this short scene from the podcast. By the way, we have a curriculum sheet for Dia de los Muertos at our website, finamendozamysteries.com. You can also get an autographed copy of the book that inspired the series: WELCOME TO WASHINGTON FINA MENDOZA.   

I’ll bet you didn’t get to ride in a parade or spend Thanksgiving with your congressman dad answering questions at a Veteran’s hall. That’s how Fina's spending her Thanksgiving on a return visit to California.   www.finamendozamysteries.com

In this year of upended traditions, we check in with the Mendoza family as they remember their own favorite Christmas past. And we celebrate a Capitol Hill tradition: the lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree. Here's a link to the 2020 Capitol Christmas Tree celebration.

How do you explain the events of January 6th to children? This special 2-part episode is designed for teachers and parents to talk to young people about what happened and why and what larger lessons can be drawn from the attack on the U.S. Capitol. FREE curriculum for this episode can be downloaded here. The episode takes place on January 6th, 2021, in a classroom meeting on zoom because of the pandemic. Our 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman, has a new mystery to solve: who stole the 5th grade's pizza, a prize for the winner of a reading competition with the 4th grade? Fina and her classmates have parents who work in the U.S. Capitol and they learn of the attack on that workplace during class. Their teacher, Miss Greenwood, helps them understand the events in a larger context. They discuss the electoral process, George Washington's decision not to run for a third term, high fives in baseball, and how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson found a way to reconciliation after a particularly nasty election. The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are based on a series of novels by Kitty Felde, including Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza and State of the Union, published by Chesapeake Press and can be ordered at your local library, Amazon, or your favorite indie bookstore. Felde covered Capitol Hill for public radio for nearly a decade. She used to explain how Congress works to grownups. Now, she explains it to children.

How do you explain the events of January 6th to children? This special 2-part episode is designed for teachers and parents to talk to young people about what happened and why and what larger lessons can be drawn from the attack on the U.S. Capitol. FREE curriculum for this episode can be downloaded here just by signing up for our Facts Behind the Fiction blog. The episode takes place on January 6th, 2021, in a classroom meeting on zoom because of the pandemic. Our 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman, has a new mystery to solve: who stole the 5th grade's pizza, a prize for the winner of a reading competition with the 4th grade? Fina and her classmates have parents who work in the U.S. Capitol and they learn of the attack on that workplace during class. Their teacher, Miss Greenwood, helps them understand the events in a larger context. They discuss the electoral process, George Washington's decision not to run for a third term, high fives in baseball, and how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson found a way to reconciliation after a particularly nasty election. The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are based on a series of novels by Kitty Felde, including Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza and State of the Union, published by Chesapeake Press and can be ordered at your local library, Amazon, or your favorite indie bookstore. There is also an ebook version of this episode available for 99 cents. Felde covered Capitol Hill for public radio for nearly a decade. She used to explain how Congress works to grownups. Now, she explains it to children.

Halloween isn't the only holiday celebrated at this time of year. In the Mexican Catholic tradition, families celebrate Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Dead - on All Saints and All Souls day with sugar skulls and picnics at the cemetery. Join Fina and Gabby Mendoza and their grandmother as they remember their late mom. Curriculum available at the website www.finamendoza.com.

To thank you this Thanksgiving week, we're reprising our Thanksgiving episode of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast. Thank you for listening. Season two begins in late January.

Every family celebrates the holidays in their own special way. This year, we spend time with the Mendoza family during their first December in Washington, D.C. as they remember past celebrations and experience new traditions.  We are busy taping Season Two of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries State of the Union which premieres in early 2022.  The podcast series is based on a series of books by Kitty Felde in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series. Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza and State of the Union are both available from Chesapeake Press in hardback, paperback, and ebook wherever you buy your books (or borrow them from the library.) There is curriculum and free Teacher's Guides at the website.

How do you explain the events of January 6th to children? This special 2-part episode is designed for teachers and parents to talk to young people about what happened and why and what larger lessons can be drawn from the attack on the U.S. Capitol. FREE curriculum for this episode can be downloaded here just by signing up for our Facts Behind the Fiction blog. The episode takes place on January 6th, 2021, in a classroom meeting on zoom because of the pandemic. Our 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman, has a new mystery to solve: who stole the 5th grade's pizza, a prize for the winner of a reading competition with the 4th grade? Fina and her classmates have parents who work in the U.S. Capitol and they learn of the attack on that workplace during class. Their teacher, Miss Greenwood, helps them understand the events in a larger context. They discuss the electoral process, George Washington's decision not to run for a third term, high fives in baseball, and how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson found a way to reconciliation after a particularly nasty election. The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are based on a series of novels by Kitty Felde, including Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza and State of the Union, published by Chesapeake Press and can be ordered at your local library, Amazon, or your favorite indie bookstore. There is also an ebook version of this episode available for 99 cents. Felde covered Capitol Hill for public radio for nearly a decade. She used to explain how Congress works to grownups. Now, she explains it to children.

How do you explain the events of January 6th to children? This special 2-part episode is designed for teachers and parents to talk to young people about what happened and why and what larger lessons can be drawn from the attack on the U.S. Capitol. FREE curriculum for this episode can be downloaded here. The episode takes place on January 6th, 2021, in a classroom meeting on zoom because of the pandemic. Our 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman, has a new mystery to solve: who stole the 5th grade's pizza, a prize for the winner of a reading competition with the 4th grade? Fina and her classmates have parents who work in the U.S. Capitol and they learn of the attack on that workplace during class. Their teacher, Miss Greenwood, helps them understand the events in a larger context. They discuss the electoral process, George Washington's decision not to run for a third term, high fives in baseball, and how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson found a way to reconciliation after a particularly nasty election. The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are based on a series of novels by Kitty Felde, including Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza and State of the Union, published by Chesapeake Press and can be ordered at your local library, Amazon, or your favorite indie bookstore. Felde covered Capitol Hill for public radio for nearly a decade. She used to explain how Congress works to grownups. Now, she explains it to children.  

The Fina Mendoza Mysteries follow the adventures of the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman, investigating mysteries in the U.S. Capitol. Season 2 of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast is based on the book State of the Union, by Kitty Felde, published by Chesapeake Press. You can get an autographed copy of State of the Union, at the website Chesapeakepress.org. That’s also where you can find out more about the cast and crew of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries and a free download of the 56-page Teacher’s Guide to the book and the podcast just by signing up for our newsletter. Every week, that newsletter includes the facts behind the fiction in the Fina Mendoza Mysteries.

The Fina Mendoza Mysteries follow the adventures of the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman, investigating mysteries in the U.S. Capitol. After the attack on the Capitol on January 6th of last year, we saw the need to help parents and teachers talk to kids about what happened – without scaring them half to death, and to put the insurrection in some sort of historic context that kids could understand. We created a special episode called LOSING IS DEMOCRATIC with FREE curriculum that can be used in the classroom. We taped the episode during the pandemic when kids were learning remotely. Now with the televised congressional hearings looking at the January 6th attack, we’ve again heard from parents looking for ways to have a conversation about January 6th with their kids. We're re-releasing the episode now. There is also an ebook version of the episode available for 99 cents.

The Fina Mendoza Mysteries follow the adventures of the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman, investigating mysterious animals in the U.S. Capitol. Actor Steve DeVorkin channels our big orange dog Senator Something on the show. But this season, he also tackles another role: the House Chaplain Fr. Andrew. Find out more about the cast at the website. Find out the facts behind the fiction in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast.  Season 2 of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast is based on the book State of the Union, by Kitty Felde, published by Chesapeake Press. You can get an autographed copy of State of the Union, at the website Chesapeakepress.org. That’s also where you can find out more about the cast and crew of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries and a free download of the 56-page Teacher’s Guide to the book and the podcast just by signing up for our newsletter. That newsletter includes the facts behind the fiction in the Fina Mendoza Mysteries.  

Just in time for the November elections, we're re-releasing our special 2-part election episode of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries. It's called "Let Kids Vote." The Fina Mendoza Mysteries follow the adventures of the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman, investigating mysterious animals in the U.S. Capitol. Free curriculum for this episode.

The Fina Mendoza Mysteries follow the adventures of the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman, investigating mysterious animals in the U.S. Capitol. It’s a new school year for Fina Mendoza, another year of distance learning. Her teacher assigns a Genius Project, letting students pick the topic they’d like to research and present to the class. Since it's an election year and Fina’s congressman father is back in California campaigning for re-election, Fina decides to research voting. Specifically, letting kids younger than 18 cast a ballot. Real-life Congressman Mark Takano of Riverside, California zooms  with the class to answer questions about youth voting.  There is also a mystery to be solved: who broke into their classroom, ransacking the backpacks and rifling the teacher’s desk. Fina consults with her detecting partner, a giant orange dog named Senator Something, and talks her sister into accompanying her on a field trip to see if her hunch about the culprit is correct. There is FREE curriculum for this episode. And if you want to know the history of lowering the voting age, check out our Facts Behind the Fiction blog. The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are  written and produced by Kitty Felde Our cast includes: Amy Solano as Fina Mendoza Monica Vigil as Gabby  Susan Valot appears as Ms. Greenwood India Scalione plays Becka Eddie Pike plays Michael and Myka Scalione plays Margaret Laura Stegman appears as Congresswoman Mitchell And Steve DeVorkin is Senator Something Hannah Matzecki is our associate producer. Our music is by composer and musician Andrew Barkan. Our logo designer is Imelda Hinojosa.  The Fina Mendoza Mysteries are based on the books State of the Union and Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza by Kitty Felde.