The Vanderbeekers on the Road (The Vanderbeekers, 6)
Book by Karina Yan Glaser
DETAILS
Publisher : Clarion Books (September 20, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 352 pages ISBN-10 : 0358434572 ISBN-13 : 978-0358434573 Reading age : 8 - 12 years Grade level : 3 - 7 Item Weight : 15.2 ounces , In this fresh adventure in the New York Times bestselling series about the beloved Vanderbeeker family, a surprise road trip turns rocky when the younger siblings try to keep their family from ever facing change. The popular Harlem family is putting the VAN in Vanderbeekers as they hit the highway to give their dad the best birthday surprise EVER! Re-creating a road trip Papa never got the chance to take with his own father, the whole crew is packed and ready for a cross-country adventure. Things get off to a rocky start when the car breaks down on their way to pick up Papa. But they really veer off course when Laney discovers that Jessie and Orlando are interviewing at a college once they get to California. How can they even think about leaving New York? Wouldn't that change their family? And how can she and her other siblings stop them? Exploring themes of leaving home, embracing change, and the lessons to be learned from going to new places, The Vanderbeekers on the Road is every bit an engaging and rewarding journey. 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 The Vanderbeekers Ever After Read more
REVIEW
Reading aloud the newest Vanderbeeker novel has become a tradition in our homeschool each fall. This relatable, delightful, and brilliant series has captured the hearts of all four of my girls now ages ranging from 6-16. However, this latest book in the series was quite a disappointment. Picking up immediately from book 5, the Vanderbeekers hit the road on what should be an epic birthday trip from Harlem to Monterey, California. With many children, friends, and pets in tow, the family adventures include the foreseeable challenges of being cramped into a van for hours on end. Compared to other books in this series, the storyline felt forced and repetitive. Each plot point was retold at least a few times amongst the siblings, even though as the reader we were already well informed. Very little attention was given to the need to retell the events amongst the characters as if the author was needing to make a minimum word count. Many of the plot points felt disconnected and unnecessary to the arch of the story. Investing in multiple chapters on camping with the Barsar family and the emergency that occurs was inconsequential and ended up being a frustrating tangent. While we were used to the loving sibling banter and desire to love by surprise, the turn towards deceit and selfishness on the part of the younger siblings was distasteful and seemed contradictory to who the characters are. Many paragraphs were spent describing details on places or animals that did nothing to the overall story, leaving us slogging through nearly the first two thirds of the book. Thankfully, the last few chapters have redemptive qualities leading the reader to scenes more in line with the Vanderbeekers we know and love. The hilarious scenes of purple silk shirt button popping and flapping chicken wings in a conference center brought delight back to this read aloud. The characters fell into place and even though there was still tension and conflict, it seems more in line with what a Vanderbeeker novel should be. My overall impression is that the author was rushed to print. She had a great ending worked out (with an obvious bridge to the next book in the series) but had to figure out how to get to that point. Characters and conflicts were not well flushed out. We still love our favorite family read-aloud series, but this one is not one we will be grabbing to enjoy again and again. If this is your first venture into the Vanderbeekers, just put it down and start at the beginning. This is NOT what the series is all about.
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