Books about families working together are a lot of fun to read because while they are usually working toward a common goal, there's still a lot of room for personalities to shine through and many adventures (or misadventures sometimes!). Think the Pevensies, the kids from the Spiderwick Chronicles, etc. They go through a lot and we get to experience these things with them.

New this year are the adventures of the Vanderbeeker children, trying to save their home when the landlord won't renew the lease. All twelve and under, each of the five children brings something unique to the effort along with ideas about how to endear themselves to Mr. Bierderman the landlord.

While one might think that the book will solely be about the Vanderbeekers and their effort to stay in Harlem, there are layers to the story: Jessie and Isa, the twelve year old twins, and what it means to be growing up and with different interests; Mr. Beiderman and why he's a shut-in that won't renew their lease; Oliver being the middle child and only boy. It all unfolded wonderfully, sadly, emotionally.

The side characters were as well developed as the Vanderbeeker children. Miss Josie and Mr. Jeet upstairs, Benny Castleman and his family at the bakery, Oliver's friend next door, and a few others. Even the parents weren't background one dimensional people like I've seen in some middle grade adventures. It was pleasant to be as interested in these characters as I was the individual children, learning about their interests, their interactions with the kids.

Reading this was a funny adventure because you never knew what each kid was going to come up with next. It was also very tense because, while it is a middle grade book and I usually expect happy endings, I wasn't wholly sure that the Vanderbeekers would be able to pull the plan off or not. Do you think they will? Nail biting, I tell you!

Finding out the reasons behind things, like the motivations of Mr. Biederman and of Jessie regarding a new turning point in her and Isa's lives, was both expected (Jessie/Isa) and saddening (Mr. Biederman). My heart was breaking near the end when things were looking particularly bleak.

Alongside the story of saving their home, the Vanderbeekers have drawings and letters included that bring their situation, whether it be Jessie's Rube Goldberg machine or Oliver's challenging their neighbor/landlord to a duel. These simple line drawings are fun and informative. Sometimes I have trouble picturing layouts in regard to buildings and whatnot, so seeing the Vanderbeekers brownstone sketched out was a blessing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who's ever enjoyed the adventures of particularly determined children and seeing how they surmount their odds.



I received a copy of this book from the author as part of the Debut Author Bash in exchange for an honest review.