“‘Those two,’ Tía Lola is saying in Spanish to Miguel’s mother as she points to him and Juanita, ‘those two gave me my first welcome to this country. ¡Ay, Juanita! ¡Ay, Miguel!’ She spreads her arms for her niece and nephew, ‘Los quiero mucho.’”

Alvarez’s introduction of Tía Lola, the series’ titular character, establishes her loving, exuberant personality and develops the theme of The Role of Language in Shaping Identity. Although Miguel dislikes speaking Spanish at this point in the story, he helps locate Tía Lola by providing her with her “first welcome to this country” in Spanish. As the story continues, his great-aunt transforms his relationship with Spanish and his cultural identity. In addition, the phrase “Los quiero mucho,” which means “I love you lots,” reappears at key moments in the plot, reinforcing the thematic significance of language in Alvarez’s story.

“‘You have to love people for who they are,’ his mother is saying, ‘then they will become all they can be.’”

Mami’s dialogue reflects her keen understanding of people and their emotions, a skill she employs in her work as a psychologist. Her advice that love allows people to “become all they can be” foreshadows the ways Tía Lola and Miguel’s relationship improves, Tía Lola’s role as a unifying force within the community, and Miguel’s personal growth into a kind and thoughtful person.

“‘But the kids at school already think I’m different enough,’ Miguel explains. He is surprised that he is telling his father this much. ‘They can’t even pronounce my last name!’ His father has gone very quiet on the other end. ‘Mi’jo,’ he finally says, ‘you should be proud of who you are. Proud of your Tía Lola. Proud of yourself.’”

As Miguel struggles with The Process of Adapting to New Environments, his initial instinct is to get rid of the things that make him different from his peers. He wants Tía Lola to blend in or leave because he’s worried she’ll hurt his chances of making friends in his new town. Papi’s message to his son about taking pride in his identity and his great-aunt outlines the trajectory of Miguel’s character arc. Papi’s perspective highlights The Importance of Family and Community Support—a theme he models by remaining a dependable source of advice and encouragement for Miguel after the divorce.

“It’s true what Papi said. Miguel is ten years old today and already feeling ten times prouder of being who he is.”

The surprise of Miguel’s tenth birthday party helps him embrace his heritage by giving him opportunities to share his Dominican culture with his new friends. Sam and Dean bond with Tía Lola when she teaches them how to sing “Happy Birthday” in Spanish, and the first English word Tía Lola learns is ‘surprise’ for Miguel’s birthday. In this turning point scene for Miguel, Alvarez continues the motif of language as a key marker of cultural identify These positive experiences highlight The Role of Language in Shaping Identity by making Miguel “ten times prouder of being who he is.”

“Tía Lola asks him, ‘¿Quiere más?’ ‘That means, Do you want more?’ Miguel calls from his perch on the stool. ‘Of course that’s what it means!’ Colonel Charlebois barks, ‘I didn’t travel all over the face of creation with the United States Army for nothing. And of course I want more! Por favor,’ he adds, smiling up at Tía Lola.”

Colonel Charlebois’s introduction foreshadows Tía Lola’s transformative influence on him. Alvarez uses the precise verb “barks” to evoke the colonel’s curmudgeonly nature, yet Tía Lola’s huevos rancheros elicit a smile and polite words from him. Throughout the novel, Alvarez uses food, a motif of community support, as a tool to bring people together.

“‘Todo es mágico si se hace con amor, Miguel.’ That is too corny for words–in English or Spanish, Everything is magic if made with love? Oh, please, and por favor!”

Alvarez adds an element of magical realism to her children’s novel with the suggestion that Tía Lola has supernatural abilities. Miguel believes in her magic because his luck improves after he eats her Dominican dishes, but Tía Lola maintains the story’s ambiguity by claiming, “Everything is magic if made with love.” Although Miguel believes this sentiment is too “corny” to be true, it exemplifies to the selfless and warmhearted Tía Lola’s approach to life.

“If the phone rings in the next minute, I’ll get an A on my math exam. If we pass seven red cars before we get home, I’ll make a lot of new friends. If I see a falling star…a double rainbow…a unicorn…a space alien—This wish requires higher and higher stakes—My parents will get back together again.”

In this passage, Alvarez demonstrates the way in which Miguel uses the concepts of luck and magic as a coping mechanism to help him navigate difficult emotions. appeal. He knows that it’s highly improbable that his parents will get back together, as evidenced by the “higher and higher stakes” in his wishful thoughts of unicorns and space aliens, but he isn’t ready to accept their divorce yet.

“Miguel Guzmán, he tells himself, you’re going to make this team because you’ve practiced hard and you deserve to win! At that moment, just as he opens his eyes, Tía Lola waves her yellow scarf. He swings and the ball goes flying up, high and far, all the power of her Dominican cooking behind it and all the magic of her love behind that.”

As Miguel begins The Process of Adapting to New Environments, Alvarez parallels his love of baseball with his sense of belonging. Miguel’s little league baseball tryouts carry high stakes for the young protagonist not only because baseball is his favorite sport but also because he believes that making the team is his best chance to make more friends in his new town. Over the course of Chapter 4, his perspective on magic shifts. As his self-efficacy grows, Miguel depends less on the idea of luck and more on his own hard work. This shift helps him accept Tía Lola’s definition of magic and to appreciate “all the magic of her love.” The ways Tía Lola encourages and strengthens Miguel for his tryouts emphasize The Importance of Family and Community Support.

“Their mother has asked her to turn her visit into a stay. She can be of more help to everyone if she knows more English.”

In a major plot development, the children learn that Tía Lola is going to stay with them on a more permanent basis, fulfilling the promise of the novel’s title and explaining her sudden interest in learning another language. Tía Lola’s ensuing struggle to master English highlights The Role of Language in Shaping Identity.

“But the most fun for Miguel is when they go out with garden shears and prune the bushes in the shapes of parrots and palm trees, monkeys and huge butterflies. Everyone who drives by stops to marvel at the transformed property.”

The whimsical topiaries shaped like “parrots and palm trees, monkeys and huge butterflies” are inspired by the landscape and wildlife of the Dominican Republic. Carving these shapes provides Tía Lola with a piece of home for Tía Lola, even if they go against the somewhat staid conventions of the little Vermont town. The drivers’ positive reactions to the garden show that the community appreciates how the exuberant woman brings life to her surroundings through self-expression.

“At Rudy’s Restaurant for brunch that Sunday, their mother praises Miguel and Juanita for getting along so well lately. ‘I’m really proud of you guys for making an effort.’ It’s just a plot so you’ll let us go to New York, Miguel feels like saying. But it’s not so bad to be getting along with his little sister.”

This passage focuses on Miguel’s relationships with his immediate family. Their mutual desire to see their father helps him and Juanita put aside their feuding. Although Miguel thinks that the improvement his mother observes is “just a plot,” his bond with his sister experiences real growth as he becomes more thoughtful over the course of the story.

“‘You’ll take good care of them, won’t you, Miguel?’ his mother asks, nodding toward Tía Lola and Juanita, who are returning from the bathroom. ‘Of course I will, Mami,’ Miguel promises.”

Miguel’s promise to “take good care” of his sister and great-aunt indicates that he is growing up and ready to take on more responsibility. This promise also foreshadows Tía Lola’s adventure, lost in New York, and Miguel’s quest to find her.

“‘Hola, Mami. Encontramos a Tía Lola. No te preocupes.’ We found Tía Lola. Don’t worry. And then, very quietly, so no one can overhear him, he whispers, ‘Te quiero mucho.’”

When Miguel tells Mami that he has found Tía Lola, he makes the conscious decision to speak Spanish. Alvarez imbues this small moment with layers of meaning, underscoring The Role of Language in Shaping Identity. Miguel’s trying to appease Mami so that he can visit his father again despite the recently resolved crisis. At the same time, his love and desire to comfort his mother are sincere, and he understands that Spanish is an important part of her identity.

“Tía Lola considers a moment. Since they have three days in New York, why not have each person choose a day to do a favorite thing.”

The compromise Tía Lola suggests illustrates the creative ways in which she improves Miguel and Juanita’s relationship—always seeking to establish connection. She declines Papi’s offer to give her a turn to “choose a day to do a favorite thing,” claiming that she enjoys whatever she does as long as she’s with her family, demonstrating the priority she places on family and community—values that led her to leave her beloved island for Vermont.

“The minute they step out of the subway station, Tía Lola’s ears perk up. Everyone is speaking Spanish! The moño on top of her head stands taller. Her lipstick shines redder. The beauty mark above her upper lip winks like a star. It is as if she were back home on the island.”

This scene takes place in Miguel’s Dominican, paternal grandparents’ neighborhood. Alvarez uses the simile of Tía Lola’s beauty mark shining “like a star” to emphasize the way she becomes more vibrantly herself when she’s surrounded by people speaking Spanish. This description reinforces the theme of language as a vital part of identity even though Tía Lola’s English is improving.

“Tía Lola’s garden looks like one of Papi’s palettes. But now, after living in the country for seven months, Miguel has his own new names for colors: zucchini green, squash yellow, chili-pepper red, raspberry crimson. The eggplants are as purple as the newly painted house. It is the full of summer.”

The author uses seasons and colors as symbols to provide insight into characters’ emotions. The stark white of winter represented the Guzmáns’ loneliness and sorrow when they first move into town. These emotions give way to the joy and vibrancy of summer. The colorful descriptions of the garden and phrases like “the full of summer” establish a tone of contentment. Miguel sees Vermont as his home now, and his “new names for colors” reflect this change—the young protagonist is adapting to his environment.

“Suddenly, he drops his cane on the front lawn and calls out, ‘Let’s play ball!’ He stands, wobbly and waiting and smiling. Miguel looks into the old man’s eyes and sees a boy, legs apart, body bent forward, a gloved hand held out in front of him. He lifts his arm and throws the ball at that young boy—and the old man catches it.”

Alvarez gives Colonel Charlebois, a minor character, a dynamic arc that underlines Tía Lola’s ability to foster connection, spread joy, and change hearts in her community. She helps the Colonel recover the joy of his youth—a transformation that Alvarez frames as almost magical. Alvarez uses details like the dropped cane to provide visible signs of the man’s inner changes. When Miguel “looks into the old man’s eyes and sees a boy,” he puts into practice what Tía Lola has taught him about understanding and caring for people, conveying Miguel’s character development as well as the colonel’s.

“‘Remember how I told you my mother died when I was only three? Well, my mami had a younger sister, Tía Lola. When Mami died, Tía Lola took care of me. Maybe Tía Lola was too busy being my mother to find a husband.’ This is a surprise to Miguel and Juanita. You can be a mother without really being the mother. You can be a family even if your parents are no longer married.”

The revelation that Tía Lola raised Mami provides new insight into the women’s relationship and helps to explain why Tía Lola moved to another country for Mami’s sake. This information also shifts Miguel’s perspective on his immediate family. His realization that they can still be a family “even if [his] parents are no longer married” resolves a painful question he’s been asking himself for months. Miguel’s new understanding that families come in many shapes and sizes advances the theme of family support and helps him accept his parents’ divorce.

“Have they really made so many friends in just eight months? It seems the whole county has gathered together.”

Alvarez uses Mami’s surprise party to emphasize how much things have changed for Miguel and his family since the start of the novel. The large gathering of friends they have made in “just eight months” highlights The Importance of Family and Community Support and The Process of Adapting to New Environments. Tía Lola plays a major role in the positive changes the Guzmán family experiences. She brings people together, not just by inviting people to Mami’s surprise party but by the way she lives each day.

“Their mother kisses her aunt, ‘It’s so important to me, Tía Lola, that you came to Vermont and learned English so you remain connected to us. And so important,’ she goes on, kissing Miguel and Juanita, ‘that you hear Tía Lola’s stories so you can always stay connected to your past.’”

Mami’s gratitude to Tía Lola and her children centers The Role of Language in Shaping Identity. English helps Tía Lola “remain connected” to her relatives in the US while learning Spanish helps Miguel and Juanita connect to their Dominican heritage. Tía Lola puts a new spin on an old tradition by telling Mami’s birthday story in English. Her ability to do so speaks to the effort she puts into learning the language and maintaining her familial relationships.

“The island was quiet again. The birds began to sing the prettiest songs. The flowers grew bright and tall. It was as peaceful as it had been before the first people got there.”

Tía Lola’s description of the Dominican Republic as a place filled with “bright and tall” flowers where birds “sing the prettiest songs” evokes the color and beauty of the island reflected in her homesickness. Tía Lola brings pieces of her island home, such as tropical birds and flowers, with her to Vermont through the floral fabrics in her wardrobe and the avian topiaries she prunes in her garden.

“Many nights, when the darkness falls and the lights come on and twinkle in the far-off houses, Tía Lola looks up and makes a wish on a Vermont star. Before the year is out, may I go back to my island home again!”

Tía Lola’s wish to “go back to [her] island home again” helps the reader understand the painful homesickness she endures while helping her loved ones’ in The Process of Adapting to New Environments. The passage describes far-off lights twinkling amidst the darkness of night—imagery that allows Alvarez to give the scene a hopeful tone despite Tía Lola’s melancholy mood. Tía Lola wishes to return to the Dominican Republic “[b]efore the year is out,” foreshadowing the family’s Christmas trip (126).

“‘We are Americans!’ Miguel pipes up. He wonders what makes him a real American. Because he was born in New York—unlike his parents, who were both born in the Dominican Republic? Because he speaks English? Because his favorite baseball team is the Yankees? Because he still likes hot dogs more than arroz con habichuelas?”

The author’s use of italics in Miguel’s declaration, “We are Americans!” reflects his need to assert the truth about his identity even as he grapples with how to define it. This scene takes place in the last chapter of Alvarez’s novel, and the young Miguel’s questions about “what makes him a real American” indicate that his journey to learn about his culture and heritage is still in progress. While he embraces his Dominican heritage over the course of the novel, his relationship with it naturally differs from that of his parents, who were born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the US as children.