It's practically another member of the family. The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. The first book in the bestselling series that the New York Times Book Review hails as “delightful and heartwarming.”

St Joseph's University (Brooklyn Voices Series).

The delightful start to what will hopefully become a long running series. Readers will feel like part of the Vanderbeeker family as they get to know the kids, their building, and their neighborhood. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is a funny slice-of-life story with a lot of heart. Biederman’s behavior (or his sudden change of heart) but both qualms are forgiveable in their efforts to move along a charming story. The denouement of the novel also felt a bit too neat without adequate explanations for Mr. I suppose it’s possible and it certainly lends urgency to the plot, but it also felt wildly improbable. Glaser does a good job of painting a fairly inclusive neighborhood but I wish some of the ethnic identities were a little more overt on the page.Īs a New Yorker myself my biggest outcry with this book was the concept of anyone having their lease revoked with only eleven days to move. The story never mentions anyone’s race explicitly but it’s worth noting that the Vanderbeeker family is biracial with Mama having dark eyes and straight hair while Papa has big, curly hair and light eyes. While that is a lot of characters to juggle, Glaser gives each kid their due with a distinct personality and a satisfying story arc. This story follows the entire Vanderbeeker family with a third person perspective that shifts between the five Vanderbeeker children: studious and scientific-minded Jessie (12), violin playing Isa (12 and Jessie’s twin), avid reader Oliver (9), crafty Hyacinth (6), and the youngest Laney (4 and three quarters).

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is Glaser’s first novel and the start of a series following the Vanderbeekers and their adventures in Harlem. As the days on their lease tick by, the kids begin to wonder if wanting something to happen can be enough to make it so in The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (2017) by Karina Yan Glaser. But despite the careful planning and heartfelt efforts, it seems like every attempt manages to go horribly wrong. Even Mama and Papa are at their wit’s end trying to prepare the five Vanderbeeker children and themselves for the move with only eleven days before their lease expires.ĭetermined to stay in the home they know and love, the Vanderbeeker children take matters into their own hands to try and convince Mr. Biederman, announces that he won’t be renewing the family’s lease none of the Vanderbeekers are sure what to think.

The family have lived in their Harlem brownstone for six years–so long that the younger Vanderbeekers don’t remember any other home.

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