I had no idea we had this book, I found it in my basement :)Tomas is usually watched by his sister after school until is mother gets home, but one day his mother is late and late, so his sister leaves him alone so she can get to her job. He's a big boy, right?This book realistically covers the normal feelings of being scared on your first time alone in the house, and also Tomas' pride in his resourcefulness in having an impromptu party for his teacher when she shows up at his door (to invite his mother to a school meeting, apparently).A previous reviewer said the characters are African-American. This is possible, however, with the names Tomas and Ana I suspect they may be Hispanic instead. No matter, it's not a crucial plot point.