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.

? "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." —The 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   "*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   ". . . 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." —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

Autorentext

Karina Yan Glaser is the author of the Newbery Honor-winning and New York Times bestselling The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli, the bestselling Vanderbeekers series, and the stand-alone novel A Duet for Home, which has been nominated for more than a dozen state awards. A former middle school teacher and contributing editor at Book Riot, Karina lives in Harlem, New York City, with her husband, two teens, and an assortment of pets and houseplants. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can't go anywhere without a book.

Klappentext

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

Zusammenfassung
One of The New York Times' Notable Children's Books of 2017: 'In this delightful and heartwarming throwback to the big-family novels of yesteryear, a large biracial family might lose their beloved brownstone home, but win it back with an all-out charm offensive.'

Leseprobe

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20

One

In the middle of a quiet block on 141st Street, inside a brownstone made of deep red shale, the Vanderbeeker family gathered in the living room for a family meeting. Their pets—a dog named Franz, a cat named George Washington, and a house rabbit named Paganini—sprawled on the carpet, taking afternoon naps in a strip of sunlight. The pipes rumbled companionably within the brownstone walls.
     “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
     The five Vanderbeeker kids looked at their parents.
     “Good news,” said Isa and Laney.
     “Bad news,” said Jessie, Oliver, and Hyacinth.
     “Right-o,” said Papa. “Good news first.” He paused and adjusted his glasses. “You kids all know how much Mama and I love you, right?”
     Oliver, who was nine years old and wise to the ways of the world, put down his book and squinted. “Are you guys getting divorced? Jimmy L’s parents got a divorce. Then they let him get a pet snake.” He kicked the backs of his sneakers against the tall stack of ancient encyclopedias he was sitting on.
     “No, we’re—” Papa began.
     “Is it true?” six-year-old Hyacinth whispered, tears pooling in her round eyes.
     “Of course we’re—” Mama said.
     “What’s a dorce?” interrupted Laney, who was four and three-quarters years old and practicing her forward rolls on the carpet. She was wearing an outfit of red plaids, lavender stripes, and aqua polka dots that she had matched herself.
     “It means Mama and Papa don’t love each other anymore,” said twelve-year-old Jessie, glaring at her parents from behind chunky black eyeglasses. “What a nightmare.”
     “We’ll have to split our time between them,” added Isa, Jessie’s twin. She was holding her violin, and jabbed her bow against the arm of the couch. “Alternating holidays and summers and whatnot. I think I’m going to be sick.”
     Mama threw up her hands. “STOP! Just . . . every-one, please. Stop. Papa and I are not getting a divorce. Absolutely not. We’re going about this all wrong.” Mama glanced at Papa, took a deep breath, and briefly closed her eyes. Isa noticed dark circles under her mom’s eyes that hadn’t been there the week before.
     Mama’s eyes opened. “Let’s start over. First, answer this question: on a scale of one to ten, how much do you like living here?”
     The Vanderbeeker kids glanced ar…