4.13 AVERAGE

adventurous challenging funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

It has a great idea, and I love the siblings working together, but Issa becomes too much of a main character for my liking in the last 2-4 chapters.
hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Very heart warming

The kids (11 & 9) and I loved this story! Heartwarming, comical, and suspenseful.
emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Great children’s story! 

A sweet debut novel for middle grade that tells the story of the Vanderbeeker family and their fight to stay in their brownstone apartment after their mysterious landlord, Mr. Beiderman, decides not to renew their lease.

There are five Vanderbeeker kids and a variety of pets, who come up with all kinds of schemes to get their landlord to let them stay.

I didn’t find it as good as the Winterhouse series, but it was enjoyable, and I’m sure most kids would like it.

I would rate it a 3.5, rounded up here. I’ve already got the second book in the series, so I’ll read it as well.
adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
hopeful fast-paced

Set in the run up to Christmas, the Vanderbeeker kids are on a mission to change their landlords mind as he is trying to evict them.
This is a lovely uplifting middle grade book about understanding other people and why they may be unhappy and a community that comes together in support.

This book was the most darling read!!! Just simple family life, crisis, sibling love/rivalries and children learning to be aware of the world around them. Absolutely grateful I put it on hold after a friend suggested it. Basically like the Penderwick books just a different family. I laughed, I cried and I couldn't put it down. Definitely recommend.

This was adorable and heartwarming and charming—the perfect book for reading aloud, especially if you’re into creating distinctive voices. I read this aloud on a recent 26 hour road trip (ugh!) and my husband and all five of our kids, from the moody, dismissive tween to the one year old who just wanted to hear my voice and our laughter, kept begging for more. The characters were distinctive and recognizable without devolving into stereotypes. More than once we ran across a passage where the youngest Vanderbeeker’s antics had all of us laughing so hard at the familiar adorability that it took me 10 minutes and several tries to make it through a page. Sure, several plot lines are somewhat predictable, but it’s all written beautifully, with the added bonus that there are enough SAT words to noticeably expand a middle grader’s vocabulary without making it too impossible for a preschooler to understand. Even if I hadn’t loved it, I’d be ready to head back for round two (due out in September) just for the way it brought our family together.