Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
HMH Books for Young Readers (2019), Edition: Illustrated, 352 pages
Description
Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML: Return to Harlem's "wildly entertaining" family in this funny, heartwarming sequel. When catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbors, the Vanderbeeker children set out to build the best, most magical healing garden in Harlem�??in spite of a locked fence, thistles and trash, and the conflicting plans of a wealthy real estate developer. While Isa is off at sleepaway orchestra camp, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney are stuck at home in the brownstone with nothing to do but get on one another's nerves. But when catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbor, their sleepy summer transforms in an instant as the Vanderbeeker children band together to do what they do best: make a plan. They will create the most magical healing garden in all of Harlem. In this companion to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, experience the warmth of a family and their community as they work together to bring a little more beauty and kindness to the world, one thwarted plan at a time.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
The Vanderbeekers return in this follow-up to their debut adventure, chronicled in Karina Yan Glaser's The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, and the result is a book every bit as engaging, appealing, and heartwarming as the first! When their beloved upstairs neighbor Mr. Jeet has a stroke, the
I read The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden in two days, on my train commute to and from work, and it was an absolute delight. I continue to find this family and their larger community both endearing and amusing. I love the individual characters - Hyacinth with her knitting (and what a surprise thatschool bully and spoiled rich kid Herman turns out to be a fellow knitter! ); Laney with her hugs and her faith in the ability of her pet bunny, Paganini, to cure all ills; Oliver with his natural little selfishnesses, and his growing understanding of the value of unselfishness - but I also love the ensemble of characters, how they all work together to create something beautiful, and to do something loving for their friend. Glaser often references classic works of children's literature in her stories, but the one book that this one truly reminded me of, is the obscure 1955 children's novel, The Hidden Garden, by Mabel R. Bennett, which also concerns a New York City wasteland turned into a community garden. Highly recommended, to anyone who has read and enjoyed the previous Vanderbeekers book, and to anyone looking for heart-satisfying family stories for the middle grade set.
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children are terribly worried and upset. Oliver has the idea of turning the vacant, overgrown lot next to the church into a community garden, something Mr. Jeet and Miss Josie have long wanted, as a means of cheering their seriously ill neighbor up, when he finally gets home from the hospital. All of the siblings pitch in, working to clean up and clear the lot, and then to plant a beautiful garden. Even the absent Isa, away at music camp, manages to contribute from a distance, through her violin playing. But will the efforts of the siblings (and the friends they inevitably involve in their quest) all be for naught, when it looks like the lot has been sold to a developer...?I read The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden in two days, on my train commute to and from work, and it was an absolute delight. I continue to find this family and their larger community both endearing and amusing. I love the individual characters - Hyacinth with her knitting (and what a surprise that
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LibraryThing member PattyLouise
The Vanderbeekers And The Hidden Garden
By
Karina Yan Glaser
What it's all about...
This is the second book in the Family Vanderbeeker series. It’s not essential but I really would urge readers to read the first book first. I loved getting to know the Vanderbeekers...a biracial family living in a
Why I wanted to read it...
That’s simple...I read and loved the first one and was delighted to get the second one.
What made me truly enjoy this book...
Oliver...the only boy and a total book lover...the twins Isa...the violinist and Jessie the science person...Hyacinth the extreme knitter and Laney...the youngest and sweetest...these are my reasons for loving this book.
Why you should read it, too...
Readers who love unique and clever family stories will love this book!
I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.
By
Karina Yan Glaser
What it's all about...
This is the second book in the Family Vanderbeeker series. It’s not essential but I really would urge readers to read the first book first. I loved getting to know the Vanderbeekers...a biracial family living in a
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brownstone in Harlem. The books revolve around the antics of the five siblings and their relationships with friends and neighbors as well as each other. The Vanderbeekers are quirky, funny, sweet, and a teensy bit presumptuous but in a good way. Money can sometimes be tight, their parents handle everything with reasonableness and a smile and as long as they have an abundance of cookies and a scarcity of quinoa...they are happy. They are also very helpful...perhaps overly so...at times. In this book they want to make a community garden for two very special friends. Why I wanted to read it...
That’s simple...I read and loved the first one and was delighted to get the second one.
What made me truly enjoy this book...
Oliver...the only boy and a total book lover...the twins Isa...the violinist and Jessie the science person...Hyacinth the extreme knitter and Laney...the youngest and sweetest...these are my reasons for loving this book.
Why you should read it, too...
Readers who love unique and clever family stories will love this book!
I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.
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LibraryThing member kmjanek
I fell in love with the Vanderbeekers the first time around, so I was thrilled to read their next story. This is the 2nd book in this series and while it could be a standalone story, I think readers will want all the background from the first story. Oliver, Laney, Jessie, Isa (who is away at camp)
Straight Talk for Librarians: What stands out to me in this story is the kindness that the characters show each other. There is conflict and tension, but most of the trouble the Vanderbeekers get into comes from a place of love. I think this will be a very popular book in your school library, especially if your readers love the first one. The Vanderbeeker kids have a very close relationship with their parents and they all work together to overcome different challenges. They are also close with their neighbors and love the community that they live in. It really is very heartwarming. I think this is a perfect book for free choice in an ELA classroom. It will appeal to readers of realistic fiction. It could have some some very powerful curriculum connections in schools that have established a community garden and where students are learning about how to eat, farm to table. This book would be great on a themed display for spring or summer. It could be paired with non-fiction gardening and fruits/vegetable books. If you are in an IB school, all the attributes of the Learner Profile could be divided amongst the well-rounded and colorful characters in this book. For example, Jessie is a great example of being an inquirer and knowledgable. She is proud of her hard work at school and she excels at physics. They are all very principled, caring and risk-takers. They took a risk when they decided to embark on their gardening journey. I love the illustrations sprinkled throughout the book and I think that will appeal to the more visual thinkers. This is just a great middle grade read and will contribute to engaging all kinds of readers and developing that empathy that we try to instill in our learners. Buy this for your middle grade readers!
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and Hyacinth are enjoying time with Mr. Biederman, Miss Josie and Mr. Jeet, when all of a sudden Mr. Jeet collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Because of Miss Josie’s and Mr. Jeet’s interest in gardening, the Vanderbeekers wanted to do something special with a garden. This story is about their plan to turn a vacant piece of land in the city into a beautiful garden. They realize that gardening is not an easy feat and costs time, money and lots of hard work.Straight Talk for Librarians: What stands out to me in this story is the kindness that the characters show each other. There is conflict and tension, but most of the trouble the Vanderbeekers get into comes from a place of love. I think this will be a very popular book in your school library, especially if your readers love the first one. The Vanderbeeker kids have a very close relationship with their parents and they all work together to overcome different challenges. They are also close with their neighbors and love the community that they live in. It really is very heartwarming. I think this is a perfect book for free choice in an ELA classroom. It will appeal to readers of realistic fiction. It could have some some very powerful curriculum connections in schools that have established a community garden and where students are learning about how to eat, farm to table. This book would be great on a themed display for spring or summer. It could be paired with non-fiction gardening and fruits/vegetable books. If you are in an IB school, all the attributes of the Learner Profile could be divided amongst the well-rounded and colorful characters in this book. For example, Jessie is a great example of being an inquirer and knowledgable. She is proud of her hard work at school and she excels at physics. They are all very principled, caring and risk-takers. They took a risk when they decided to embark on their gardening journey. I love the illustrations sprinkled throughout the book and I think that will appeal to the more visual thinkers. This is just a great middle grade read and will contribute to engaging all kinds of readers and developing that empathy that we try to instill in our learners. Buy this for your middle grade readers!
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LibraryThing member deslivres5
Another delightful installment of the Vanderbeeker family, this time during a summer adventure in Harlem.
The Vanderbeeker children and their friends, both old and new, must come together toward a new goal: to set up a neighborhood garden as a surprise. The story of how they achieve their dream with
This unselfish family and how their circle of friends/village expands is again heartwarming.
The Vanderbeeker children and their friends, both old and new, must come together toward a new goal: to set up a neighborhood garden as a surprise. The story of how they achieve their dream with
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teamwork and how the garden comes to fruition is empowering.This unselfish family and how their circle of friends/village expands is again heartwarming.
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LibraryThing member JulesGDSide
The Vanderbeekers are back!
This time its the summer holidays and the boring vacation routine is disrupted by the second floor neighbours in need. Mr Jeet had some health issues and the Vanderbeeker children want to cheer him and his wife, Miss Josie, up.
Having read the usual books children their
Well, in typical Vanderbeeker fashion the children do their magic and some gardening, or don't they?
This time its the summer holidays and the boring vacation routine is disrupted by the second floor neighbours in need. Mr Jeet had some health issues and the Vanderbeeker children want to cheer him and his wife, Miss Josie, up.
Having read the usual books children their
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age read, they come up with the "Secret Garden" idea - and still, would rather face Voldemort that enter the garden opposite, where a large "No Pass" sign is supposed to stop anyone from entering the garden. Well, in typical Vanderbeeker fashion the children do their magic and some gardening, or don't they?
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Awards
New York City Book Award (2018)
Green Earth Book Award (Short List — Children's Fiction — 2019)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018-09-25
Physical description
7.63 inches
ISBN
0358117348 / 9780358117346