Chris Gill (Children's Literature)
Miguel Guzmán can't decide if he wants his Aunt Lola to go back to the Dominican Republic or stay with them at their rented farmhouse in Vermont. He thinks she alternates between being charmingly entertaining and God-please-sink-me-into-the-floor embarrassing. As Miguel, his mother and his sister, Juanita, adjust to life outside New York City, they find that Tía Lola is a comfort during this time of divorce and transition. Vivacious, a wonderful cook, sociable and full of adventure, Tía Lola paints the house purple, sews jerseys for the Little League team and accompanies the children on a trip to New York to visit their Dad. In the end, Miguel and Nita spend Christmas with their mother's relatives in the Dominican Republic, meeting the extended family that is the center of Tía Lola's treasure-trove of amazing stories. Alvarez has written a contemporary multicultural story about family and growing up, with snippets of Spanish sprinkled throughout and an author's note explaining the differences between Dominican Spanish and standard Spanish. 2001, Alfred A. Knopf, $17.99 and $15.95. Ages 9 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 2))
Renowned Latin American writer Alvarez has created another story about cultural identity, but this time the primary character is 11-year-old Miguel Guzmán. When Tía Lola arrives to help the family, Miguel and his "hermana", Juanita, have just moved from New York City to Vermont with their recently divorced mother. The last thing Miguel wants, as he's trying to fit into a predominantly white community, is a flamboyant aunt who doesn't speak a word of English. Tía Lola, however, knows a language that defies words; she quickly charms and befriends all the neighbors. She can also cook exotic food, dance (anywhere, anytime), plan fun parties, and tell enchanting stories. Eventually, Tía Lola and the children swap English and Spanish "ejercicios", but the true lesson is "mutual understanding." Peppered with Spanish words and phrases, Alvarez makes the reader as much a part of the "language" lessons as the characters. This story seamlessly weaves two "culturas" while letting each remain intact, just as Miguel is learning to do with his own life. Like all good stories, this one incorporates a lesson just subtle enough that readers will forget they're being taught, but in the end will understand themselves, and others, a little better, regardless of "la lengua nativa"--the mother tongue. "Simple, bella, un regalo permenente": simple and beautiful, a gift that will stay. 2001, Knopf, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 9 to 11. © 2001 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Marie Salvadore (Parents Guide, Fall 2001 (Vol. 4, No. 1))
Tia Lola comes from the Dominican Republic when Miguel and his sister have moved with their mother from New York City after his parents' divorce. Miguel's discomfort with Tia Lola, his new life in Vermont, and the fear that he, too, has been divorced gradually dissolve as he comes to appreciate Tia Lola's verve and flamboyance. The boy's conflicting emotions, growing understanding and acceptance are revealed effectively in this simply told, often humorous novel, naturally integrating Spanish words and bits of Caribbean culture. 2001, Knopf, $17.99 and $15.95 Ages 10 to 12.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2001 (Vol. 54, No. 8))
Miguel is having a hard time. His parents are divorced, and he and his younger sister, Juanita, have moved with Mami (their mother) from New York City to Vermont, leaving their artist father behind. Miguel is adjusting to a school where he is the only Latino, he’s desperate to make the local Little League team, and he misses his father. Mami is having a few adjustment problems of her own, so she sends home to the Dominican Republic for a little tender loving care. Enter Tía Lola, Mami’s favorite aunt, come to rescue not only her niece but just about everyone else she meets. Even Miguel has to admit that Tía Lola has “a voice impossible to resist. Like three handfuls of chocolate chips from the package in the closet, a can of Pringles, and his favorite SpaghettiOs, all to himself.” Alvarez’ characterizations are so distinct and she choreographs the players’ interactions with each other so gracefully that the plot becomes more archetypal than predictable. In the end Tía Lola wins over the town, a crusty landlord, and even Miguel, and if she’s a bit too good to be true it doesn’t matter because by this point in the novel she has won the reader over as well. Alvarez is an affectionate narrator, observing the behaviors and feelings of all her characters, but especially Miguel, with whom she has a particularly delicate touch. Any Spanish words used in the text are defined immediately after, in context; the book includes a note about the specific idiosyncrasies of the Spanish spoken in the Dominican Republic. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2001, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2001, Knopf, 160p, $15.95 and $17.99. Grades 3-6.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2001)
When Miguel's Spanish-speaking Dominican aunt comes to visit his newly divorced mother in their new home in Vermont, her colorful ways at first embarrass him, then eventually endear her to him. What the story lacks in a clear central conflict, it makes up for with vivid characterization and evocative imagery. Dominican Spanish words flavor the narrative like so many of Tía Lola's spices. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2001, Knopf, 149pp, $15.95, $17.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.