Published by Atheneum

Summary: It’s Christmas Eve, and Jose’s mami is feeling homesick for Puerto Rico. Not only that, but their oven is too small to cook the roast.  So Jose and his father box it up and set off for the local pizzeria to use the big oven there.  Along the way, they meet up with neighbors in and around their apartment who are experiencing a variety of holiday stresses.  A few hours later, they return, bringing the pizza shop owner for dinner and a fragrant cooked roast.  The delicious odors draw the neighbors to their apartment, and everyone forgets their troubles to enjoy a merry Christmas Eve dinner.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A feel-good Christmas story with a culturally diverse cast of characters.

Cons:  A pretty bah humbug collection of neighbors until dinner is served.