Holidays meet romance in a Christmas- and Hanukkah-themed collection featuring some of teen fiction's most prominent names. A Latino NYU student, running out of food while catsitting during winter break, meets a white upstairs neighbor whose shower is broken in Matt de la Pea's "Angels in the Snow." In David Levithan's "Your Temporary Santa," a gay Jewish teen plays Santa for the benefit of his boyfriend's kid sister. Kelly Link's "The Lady and the Fox" shows the goddaughter of an intimidating English matriarch battling a set of magical rules to free a ghostly family member who only appears on Christmas. Although the majority of characters are white, Christian and straight, clearly attention has been paid here to the call for greater diversity in teen fiction. The setting of the romances varies greatly, from a chaotic trailer-park New Year's party to a kitschy diner in a tiny "census-designated place" called Christmas, California, to Santa's North Pole workshop, where his adopted daughter dreams of a boy she met following his route. Rich language and careful, efficient character development make the collection an absorbing and sophisticated read, each story surprisingly fresh despite the constraints of a shared theme. It's that rarest of short story collections: There's not a single lump of coal. (Short stories. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Cute boys, mistletoe, counting down to the midnight kiss on New Year's Eve-there's no shortage of cozy setups for holiday romance in this captivating collection of short stories by a dozen of today's top YA authors. Readers will also find a broad cross-section of other emotions and relationships in these tales about the significance of varied holiday traditions. Jenny Han delivers a fantasy-tinged entry about a Korean girl left as an infant in Santa's sleigh, who is now the only human girl at the North Pole (and crushing on a cute elf). Kelly Link delves into supernatural territory, featuring a mysterious Christmas Eve visitor in an elegantly embroidered coat. And the Jewish narrator of David Levithan's story undertakes a wild nighttime mission, donning a Santa suit to help preserve a sense of Christmas magic for his boyfriend's young sister. A rare seasonal treat. Ages 13-up. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 7 Up-Twelve of the best-loved and best-known young adult authors-Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, and Matt de la Peña among them-have contributed stories to this appealing collection. Most have a Christmas setting, but Hanukkah, the winter solstice, and New Year's Eve are also represented. Most are realistic, but Holly Black, Kelly Link, Jenny Han, and Laini Taylor have contributed tales steeped in fantasy or the supernatural. What all 12 selections have in common is teen romance at its most fragile and meaningful. Never mind the winter holidays; booktalk this title all year round.-Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

BEYOND "THE HUNGER GAMES" and "The Fault in Our Stars" lies a rich, varied landscape of young adult literature. In this new collection of holiday-themed tales of young love, 12 popular Y.A. authors skillfully demonstrate its breadth of styles and differing depths. Both genre and contemporary fiction are represented, making the slightly uneven terrain fascinating. Winter solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's Eve serve as backdrops, but relationships are central, reminding readers that while the season can be painful, it's also a time of hope. In a short story, pacing is at times difficult, as is emotional connection to the characters within so few words. In "Your Temporary Santa," David Levithan masters both. This very short story, about how far a guy will go to please his boyfriend, illustrates the power of making every word count. And the remarkable final paragraph ("Outside, there may be reindeer that fly across the moon. . . . Outside, it may be cold. But I am here. . . . and he will hold me until I am warm again") defines the book's holiday spirit. Amid increasing calls for greater diversity in children's books, three stories serve it up in satisfying ways. Gayle Forman's "What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?" sends Jewish Sophie to a small country college. At a Christmas caroling concert, where they definitely won't be singing "I Have a Little Dreidel," she meets Russell, one of the few designated "Black Guys on Campus." Forman's intricate details bring this tale of misassumptions-turned-inside-out to vivid life, as Russell shows Sophie that holiday miracles do exist. Kiersten White's intelligent storytelling elevates "Welcome to Christmas, CA." There, in a dying mining town just off the freeway, Maria, who is Latina, works in a diner, saving every penny to escape from her stepfather's duplex in "the bosom of the ugly brown desert." But the cute new cook's uncanny ability to intuit what customers are hungry for reinvigorates the community, filling Maria with Christmas spirit and reminding her that home and heart are inextricable. "Angels in the Snow" invites us to Brooklyn, where "just regular-old Mexican" Shy, at New York University on a scholarship, can't afford a Christmas trip home, so he's cat-sitting for his boss. A winter storm hits, and Shy is snowed in with only vodka, yogurt, a chocolate bar and cat food. When the pretty upstairs neighbor has plumbing woes, she enlists his help, setting the stage for connection. Matt de la Peña gives Shy's Latino voice a touching authenticity, and his affection for Brooklyn shines through as he walks readers up an empty Seventh Avenue to Prospect Park, where Shy and his possible new love spend Christmas Day. In "Midnights," Rainbow Rowell poses the question, Is best-friendship the key to romance, or an obstacle in its way? Rowell's accessible lilt paces the story, spanning four New Year's Eves as Mags and Noel experience the complexity of love. ON THE GENRE side, in "Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me," Jenny Han introduces us to Santa's human foster daughter, Natty, who crushes on an elf, something frowned upon at the North Pole. Though Han's writing is solid, this one skews younger and feels misplaced, especially in comparison with Holly Black's "Krampuslauf." Black, who often delights her devotees with glimpses of the netherworld, nudges readers toward horror when Hanna bargains with the universe and what appears at her New Year's Eve party is much more than requested. This is smart, dark and mature. The anthology displays a few weaknesses. There are too many "biggest, bluest eyes" kinds of descriptions. The "first kiss" theme becomes obvious. (Other than Rowell's, where are the long-term relationship stories? Is new love always true love?) And the voices might be too dissimilar for some. But all told it's a marvelous collection, certain to earn a treasured spot on many Y.A. bookshelves. This collection of holiday stories reminds readers that while the season can be painful, it's also a time of hope. ELLEN HOPKINS is the author of two novels for adults and 11 Y.A. novels, including, most recently, "Rumble."

Holiday romance is the connecting link for the twelve tales included in this highly enjoyable anthology by a dozen well-known young adult authors, including Rainbow Rowell, Matt de la Pea, David Levithan, Gayle Forman, Laini Taylor, and Stephanie Perkins. The short stories feature teen protagonists of different races, sexual identities, and ethnicities confronting various obstacles and insecurities in their pursuit of new love amidst celebrations of Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, New Year's, and even Krampuslauf. And in keeping with the spirit of the season, the eclectic collection of stories -- some fantastical, some realistic -- all end with hopeful, if not always happy, endings. cynthia k. ritter(c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

*Starred Review* Holiday canoodling stories by 12 of the top YA authors? It's a Christmas miracle! Not since 2008's Let It Snow (by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle) has a compendium of wintry love stories given readers such reason to celebrate. Using her trademark sparkling dialogue, Rainbow Rowell rings in an amorous New Year's between old pals. Matt de la Peña presents a house sitter hookup with unlikely results. Jenny Han writes tales of woe and lust between Santa's adopted daughter and her coworker elves. Stephanie Perkins pairs a tree-lot employee with a shopper who pines for much more. David Levithan's Jewish St. Nick loves his boyfriend enough to (reluctantly) spread some X-mas magic. Holly Black's hot Christmas Krampus crashes a swinging holiday soiree. Kiersten White whips up a delicious romance in a struggling Yule-themed diner. And several other big-name writers Ally Carter, Gayle Forman, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Laini Taylor craft cozy, clever tales of good tidings. This is the substantive stuff of dream stockings: a rollicking, blush-inducing, memorable holiday collection of breezy, bite-size stories perfect for a snug evening next to the fire.--Walters Wright, Lexi Copyright 2014 Booklist