(3) YA As seventeen-year-old Dessa starts to think about her future, her family's nomadic lifestyle feels less appealing. The aspiring painter contends with self-doubt when her art school applications are rejected, but an apprenticeship with a Santa Fe artist offers an opportunity to define herself as an artist and as an individual. Spieller offers a fresh take on the coming-of-age novel with her debut.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Colonial Settlements in America series. Each volume describes the founding and early years of a colonial settlement, three that were Spanish in origin and one (New Amsterdam) that was Dutch. All the requisite supporting materials are present: maps, reproductions, informative captions, and some especially engaging sidebar-style essays. The books require patient, determined readers who are capable of absorbing sentences packed with highly specific details. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Colonial Settlements in America titles: New Amsterdam, Santa Fe, St. Augustine, and Yerba Buena.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Diana Bryer. When Jacobo visits his grandmother in Santa Fe, he's confused by her holiday traditions compared to those of his Catholic friends. After deflecting Jacobo's questions, she finally reveals the family's origins as Spanish Jews who were forced to convert. Although stiffly drawn, the iconographic illustrations include effectively symbolic borders. A glossary, but no pronunciation guide, and a recipe are provided.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) YA After her mother's death on her family's trip West in 1878, Lizzy's father leaves her at an all-girls' Catholic school in Santa Fe. Protestant Lizzy is at first resistant but later attempts to understand the conventions of this unfamiliar setting and faith. This novel features an eclectic collection of characters and a possible miracle based on an actual Santa Fe legend about St. Joseph, both of which will please historical fiction fans. Bib.

Reviewer: Jane Lopez-Santillana

(3) K-3 The young people chosen to portray Mary and Joseph in the Santa Fe Las Posadas celebration are delayed by a snowstorm. Instead, another couple arrives to act the part of the Holy Family. Later, Sister Angie discovers that her beloved carving of Mary and Joseph seems to have come to life to save the pageant. DePaola's characteristic warm illustrations and detailed retelling of the miracle make this a satisfying Christmas story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth