Season for Miracles

The opening scene of Pappano's heartwarming holiday tale finds Emilie Dalton broke, homeless and fleeing from the child-protection service with her drug-addicted sister's three children. Exhausted and hungry, Emilie stops in a charming small town named Bethlehem, where, guided by the hands of ""angels,"" she takes up temporary residence in a lovely but deserted house on a perfect street where all the neighbors are friendly and the local police officer, Nathan Bishop, restores her faith in the male gender. Emilie allows the town to believe she's the long-lost niece of the house's owner, then takes a job, hoping to stay long enough to give nine-year-old Alanna, six-year-old Josie and three-year-old Brendan the first real Christmas they've ever had. But what will happen when the authorities catch up with her, and Nathan and the gentle townsfolk learn she's not who they think she is? While Alanna's court testimony on the final pages seems too adult and sophisticated for a child, the poignant ending leaves readers uplifted and with a warm, fuzzy It's-a-Wonderful-Life feeling. (Dec.)