How Tía Lola Ended Up Starting Over

October 1, 2011

Alvarez's series of Tia Lola Stories ends with a mystery sure to please fans and attract new readers.

The new school year is underway, as the action picks up shortly after the end of How Tia Lola Saved the Summer (2011). Victor Espada and his daughters, Victoria, Essie and Cari, have now moved to Vermont, where they share a large house with the crotchety but lovable Colonel Charlebois. Linda, Miguel and Juanita Guzman are still living out in the country with Tia Lola, but all five children get together with Tia Lola to find a way to help the unemployed Victor. Soon, the group has convinced the others that the solution is turning the Colonel's house into a weekend bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, someone in town isn't thrilled with their plan, and strange things start happening around the house. Sleuthing, party planning and other shenanigans ensue. Once again, the author manages to weave Spanish words and phrases throughout the text in such a way that a glossary is not required. Believable details about the individual children's lives bring further depth to the plot, while themes of xenophobia, blended families and acceptance make the novel relevant to Latino, immigrant and general audiences. The book's touching final chapter references the first three books in the series as well as the magic of libraries and reading.

A fitting farewell to a memorable character. (Fiction. 8-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011
Grades 4-7 The fourthand finalstory in the T-a Lola series, about two Latino families in small-town Vermont and the aunt from the Dominican Republic who comes to stay, adds a mystery twist to the warm mix of family, friends, and community. Here, the kids help T-a Lola start a bed-and-breakfast, and they have lots of guests and even host a wedding. But why do things go wrong? Who wants the B and B to fail? Is it their hostile neighbor? Fans will love the continuing spats and affectionate fun, all told in the same lively present-tense voice as in the previous titles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)