The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish by Karina Van Glaser

The lively Vanderbeeker kids deepen their family roots in the fifth volume of the popular series.

The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish by Karina van Glaser. HMH, 2021, 316 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 8-12

It’s a windy summer afternoon in Harlem, and a typically chaotic atmosphere in the brownstone on 141^st Street. Oliver, now 12, is anticipating a special camping trip with his dad while his sisters help him pack and the family menagerie takes intrusive interest. Then comes a call from Papa’s best friend, now living in the Midwest. It’s an emergency that requires putting off the camping trip—but hopefully not the surprise party the family is planning for Papa’s 40^th birthday, one week from Saturday.

The kids have been debating the perfect birthday gift, and the discovery of a letter from Papa’s long-deceased dad provides just the answer they need. But of course, complications. The most vexing complication is the unexpected arrival of their maternal grandparents, who announce they’re staying for a week. They don’t come often, and never stay long, perhaps because Grandma is the kind who finds fault with everything she sees. And it doesn’t help that only minutes after her arrival, she slips on a stray piece of wilted lettuce, hits her head on the bottom stair, and spends the first few hours of her visit in the hospital.

This installment in the delightful series allows us to dig into family history via a paternal grandfather the kids never knew and a grandma they know too well. The difficulties of dealing with a prickly relative come through clearly, as well as the growing sense of family connection as the Vanderbeekers track down people who knew their grandfather. “It’s good to know where you came from,” says one. “You have a beautiful legacy.” Grandma’s legacy has its own beauty, too. It’s gratifying (and no surprise) that major conflicts are resolved. By the end, and the family is nicely set up for the next volume of their adventures, The Vanderbeekers on the Road, due out next fall. In the meantime, add this Vanderbeeker title to your family read-aloud list.

Consideration:

• Grandma and Grandpa are immigrants from China, as later events will reveal. Given certain actions and characteristics, this might have been explained earlier.

Overall Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 4.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4.5

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: For more reviews on this series, type “Vanderbeekers” in the search box and they’ll come scrolling.
• Resource: For more encouraging Family reads, see our Love and Laughter booklist.

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