The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (Hardcover)

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The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street By Karina Yan Glaser Cover Image

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (Hardcover)

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Staff Reviews


Vanessa's Recommended Beach Read:

"Are you worn out from witnessing the state of the world? Want to read but don’t have the capacity to read anything serious? Try a middle grade kids book! After a stressful week or once I have finished a very serious, taxing book, I like to read a middle grade book to give my brain some time to rest. They feel like a beach read to me because you can knock out a book in a sitting or two if you have enough time and they don’t require too much mental strain BUT they can still be really beautiful and fulfilling. The Vanderbeekers series is one of my favorites because it follows 5 siblings, their parents, friends, neighbors, a dog, a cat and a bunny living in Harlem as they find ways to help each other and their local community. Each book is bursting with love and sweetness that is hard to find in adult fiction. I always come away from these books with a little more hope and compassion than I did going into them."

The first book in the bestselling series that the New York Times Book Review hails as “delightful and heartwarming.”

The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It's practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are.

And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home.

The New York Times bestselling Vanderbeekers series is perfect for fans of the Penderwicks. As Booklist commented in a starred review: “Few families in children’s literature are as engaging or amusing as the Vanderbeekers, even in times of turmoil.”

The series includes:

  • The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
  • The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden
  • The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue
  • The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found
  • The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish
  • The Vanderbeekers on the Road

Karina Glaser is the New York Times bestselling author of the Vanderbeekers series and A Duet for Home. A former teacher as well as employee of New York City’s largest provider of transitional housing for the homeless, Karina is now a contributing editor at Book Riot. Karina lives in Harlem, New York City, with her husband, two children, and assortment of rescue animals. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book. Visit her at karinaglaser.com. 

Product Details ISBN: 9780544876392
ISBN-10: 0544876393
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: October 3rd, 2017
Pages: 304
Language: English
Series: The Vanderbeekers

"Glaser’s love for the Vanderbeekers shines through in her prose and stick drawings. Readers will look forward to future adventures. A highly recommended purchase for all middle grade collections." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"Few [families] in children’s literature are as engaging or amusing as the Vanderbeekers." — Booklist (starred review)

"[Karina Yan Glaser’s] contemporary family narrative preserves the winsome tone and innocence of the aforementioned classics while updating them with a rich, modern diversity of characters, settings and problems. Glaser’s warmhearted story highlights a cold truth: What is often missing in the busy lives of today’s plugged-in, checked-out families is a sense of community. In the vast village of New York City, she suggests, what it takes to raise a child can still be found on one square block." — New York Times Book Review

"A heartwarming story about family and community that will appeal to readers who also enjoy an old-fashioned feel." — Kirkus Reviews

"With rich dialogue and detailed descriptions of the neighborhood, the text provides a humorous and heartwarming story about siblings uniting to save their home. Through the Vanderbeekers, Glaser provides a portrait of the splendors of Harlem and the sense of community that can be built among neighbors of all backgrounds. This will draw fans of rollicking family stories, and while it’s centered on Christmas, it would be enjoyable any time of the year." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Uplifting. Readers who enjoy a cheery story that’s simultaneously old-fashioned and of the moment in its sensibility will enjoy this introduction to the Vanderbeekers and look forward to their future adventures." — Publishers Weekly

"Glaser’s third-person narration weaves individual characters’ plot threads and a palpable sense of place through the larger family story in the tradition of Jeanne Birdsall, Sydney Taylor, Elizabeth Enright, and Hilary McKay." — The Horn Book

“The Vanderbeekers join the Melendys, the Cassons, and the ‘All of a Kind’ Family on my list of favorite book-families. I’m in love with every single Vanderbeeker! Their story is utterly enchanting: I did not want it to end. More, please?” — Linda Sue Park, Newbery medalist