Mistletoe

Four short stories center on love during the holidays, ranging from a Jewish girl who finds the guy of her dreams while working as a department store elf, to a supernatural story about a hot celebrity who learns what is really important one New Year's, after meeting a mysterious girl. Of this quartet with familiar themes (holiday loneliness, redemption in the new year), de la Cruz's twist on Gift of the Magi is perhaps the best of the lot. Her smart updates involve Jimmy Choo shoes and Kelsey's determination "to look just as good" as the rich snobs attending her friend Gigi's Christmas Eve/Sweet 16 party. Readers will sympathize with Kelsey, who overhears the rich girls making fun of her clothes, and will be touched when it's Kelsey who learns the lesson. Readers may well predict how each tale will end, but enjoy them just the same. Ages 13-up. (Oct.)