'Alice's Christmas Memory' is the second of three stories in Christmas Memories at Grace Chapel Inn, book 48 in Tales From Grace Chapel Inn. That is a series about three sisters who run a bed-and-breakfast from their maternal ancestors' Victorian house in the village of Acorn Hill, Pennsylvania. Their late father, Daniel Howard, had been the pastor of nearby Grace Chapel, hence the name.

Alice's story is set when she was living alone with her father and tells us about Alice agreeing to take over the children's Christmas pageant when director Cathy Carling is called away to Minnesota because her mother had a stroke.

Alice is not yet the experienced leader of a group of middle-school girls called ANGELs. She's not experienced at all, but we get to see what led to the group's formation. Thank goodness her sisters come early to help out. In fact, Louise's husband and then 12-years-old daughter also help out.

One of the children in the pageant is learning disabled. She has the more common form of learning disability, which involves the verbal side of the brain. My problems are spatial (so I was fine with everything but higher math and gym), but I understand needing help and struggling to do what others can do. I'm glad the girl got her chance.

It was interesting that Vera Humbert, who came to Acorn Hill as a young woman (see book 43, Eyes on the Prize), knew something about pushy mom Tina Carsten that Acorn Hill native Alice didn't. Then again, Tina may not be an Acorn Hill native, either.

I enjoyed the play Kimmy Carsten wrote, 'Big Hearts in Tough Times,' which was inspired by O. Henry's 'The Gift of the Magi'. If you've never read the story or seen an adaptation, don't worry, it's summarized.

I particularly liked the way Alice's family was able to help her with the things she couldn't do herself.

The subplot about the mother and grandmother coping with a toddler with chickenpox when the mother had both arms broken by a careless driver was also good. Alice's advice about keeping little Beth cool is wise. I remember a short piece in the BMJ ["British Medical Journal'] about keeping kids cool when they have chicken pox from my days as a medical librarian. The child with chicken pox was given a special outfit to wear: the fabric was thicker on one half than the other. The side of the body that was kept warmer had more spots than the cooler side.

I think Christmas Memories at Grace Chapel Inn is one of the better entries in the 15 books I've read so far. ( )