The Vanderbeeker kids want to do something nice for their neighbor Miss Josie and their neighborhood as well. They plan to turn an abandoned lot into a garden. But someone else wants to sell the lot for a high rise, which would wreck the quiet block. As always, the Vanderbeekers get by on charm and manage to get their way.

The Vanderbeekers love their neighbors like family, so when Mr. Jeet suffers a stroke, the kids decide they need to create a community garden for him and his wife, Miss Josie. This is the kind of middle grade I really love- it appeals to kids with the realistic portrayals of families of all walks of life while also appealing to adults through nostalgic nods to The Secret Garden. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

This second book is just as adorable as the first! I loved everything the Vanderbeekers had to do to complete their acts of kindness.

New York City kids love this series as will fans of the The Penderwicks series. I find myself recommending it often.

This is a sweet story for previous fans of this close-knit family. When their beloved neighbor has a stroke and must stay in the hospital, the kids decide to make a garden for their plant-loving friend in an old lot near the church.

The first book was amazing; this book was good.

The Vanderbeekers didn’t disappoint the second time around! Love this sweet family and their dedication to doing kind things for those in their lives. I can’t wait for book 3!

The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden brings the reader back into the colorful world of the Vanderbeeker family. A small suggestion becomes an immense labor of love when the Vanderbeekers' upstairs neighbor Mr. Jeet has a stroke and is hospitalized. Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney put themselves to work creating a garden for Mr. Jeet and Mrs. Josie in an abandoned lot next to a nearby church. With various obstacles and issues standing in the way of their dream garden, it takes all of their ingenuity, resourcefulness, and creativity to make the project work. Old characters return and new characters debut, adding to the cozy neighborhood of the Vanderbeekers' community. Everything wraps up in a warm, happy ending and leaves readers wanting more stories with the Vanderbeekers.

Stepping back into the chaotic world of the Vanderbeekers was such a delight. I'm usually wary of middle grade sequels, but Glaser did a fantastic job of keeping her characters in character while letting them also grow. My godkids had a blast reading this one- and so did I!

This second instalment in the Vanderbeeker series was just as enjoyable as the first! It was such an uplifting, feel-good story where the Vanderbeeker children overcome huge obstacles in order to do something kind for others. Highly recommend to readers of all ages.

I finally got to sit down and read this book, and I fell in love with the Vanderbeekers all over again! Oh my, what a fun and sweet adventure! I loved getting to know the kids, and their neighbors, a bit better, and sharing in more escapades. I couldn’t put it down. Themes of creativity, honesty, kindness, friendship, resilience, and courage are woven through this book, along with plenty of humor. I’ll admit I shed quite a few tears as different pieces of the story fell into place. I can’t wait to share this book with my students, and I’ll be preordering the next book in this series as well!

I was unable to read this before it's publication date. Thank you for the opportunity to receive an advance reader copy of this title. Based on review of others, I will definitely recommend to my middle grade readers.

My students loved this book just as much as I did. Readers will benefit from reading the previous book in the series before this one.

Absolutely charming! A beautiful follow up to The Vanderbeekers of 141st street which was one of our favorites last year. I was so excited to get to spend more time with the Vanderbeeker family. I know there’s a third one on the way and I can hardly contain myself.

This was another great one by Glaser. I loved the element of mystery and the character development. There's a sense of community in this book and sends the message of how we can make a difference in the lives of others. I highly recommend this for your middle grader.

Another charming entry in the Vanderbeeker family saga. While I wasn't as in love with this as the first one, I still thought the story was very well done and sweet. I liked how Glaser balanced the MANY characters and all of their different personalities and I loved the way it all came together at the end. Very enjoyable!

I was hooked from the first line, “This is the most boring summer in the history of the world,” nine-year-old Oliver Vanderbeeker announced.”

Oliver is one of the five Vanderbeeker children who live with their parents on the bottom two floors of Brownstone on 141 street Harlem, New York. Mr. Jeet and Miss Josie live above them. Mr. Jeet has suffered a bad stroke and was in the hospital.

Josie says to Oliver, “It’s only the first week of summer vacation.”
“How are you bored already?” Mr. Beiderman asks…he’s their third-floor neighbor and landlord until half a year ago, he hasn’t left his apartment in 6 years.”

The neighbors and kids are brainstorming about what they can do to combat boredom. Hyacinth pips up with her suggestion to teach her brother Oliver to knit. He replies, “If I ever take up knitting, feel free to stab me in the heart.”

Miss Josie suggests creating a community garden. She and Mr. Jeet met while working at the New York Botanical gardens. She worked there for forty-five years.

The kids aren’t crazy about this idea at first because they must clean up the abandoned lot adjacent to a church to create the garden. But they were excited about doing this as a surprise for Mr. Jeet. Other neighbors see them hard at work and decide to donate their time and help with the materials as needed for the project. I enjoyed reading about this diversified group working together to reach their common goal.

This was a refreshing story that was not technology driven and didn’t have a dystopia spin to it. This was a fun, feel good story filled with relate-able average kids doing above average things to combat the summer doldrums.

I enjoyed this sweet story about respectable, smart, problem solving, creative children working together on this vacant lot of ashes and turning it into something beautiful they all could enjoy. I liked how they developed friendships as they worked to surprise one of their neighbors all the while teaching readers about good behavior, self-suffering, and how to create a sense of pride in their community. This is a story that will tug at your heart, make you smile and laugh out loud. The only problem I had with this book was the fact that I didn’t read book one to this series first.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher/Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine https://www.bookfun.org/page/past-issues-book-fun-mag

You know how sometimes you want to read a warm-and-fuzzy book about a nice family with lots of kids who live in a New York City brownstone and end up planting a secret garden in the vacant lot next door? Next time that reading urge strikes you, I can heartily recommend The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden (the sequel to equally warm-and-fuzzy The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street). We enjoyed it as a readaloud.

I was so so excited to read this book when I got the ARC, then fell waaaay behind with my reading and just finally had a chance to read it. If you enjoyed the first book, you will not be disappointed by this one. Although it was a little weird to be missing Isa, for the most part we experienced many of the same types of interactions between the siblings. We see the same love and frustration and pettiness and deep loyalty that made the first book feel so true and enjoyable. I gave this book four stars instead of five because I don't think it had quite the same impact (although admittedly I tried to read the final half quickly), but I will definitely be reading it again when I can get ahold of the print, and I will definitely be buying the sequel for my libraries.

Love these characters, love this story! The Vanderbeekers are the kind of adventurous and kind kids that everyone aspires to be. They confront family drama, grief, disappointment and more in this great follow up to the first. Kids will love this!

Another charming title featuring the Vanderbeeker family. This time they are trying to restore an overgrown church lot into a beautiful garden for Ms Josie and Mr Jeet. Mr Jeet is hospitalized with a stroke and the children decide the garden will cheer everyone up and help him heal. The path is never easy, since an unscrupulous man they know is trying to sell the lot out from under them.

Th children are growing up a little and each of them is going through their own individual struggles as they do. We also get to see their cantankerous landlord more and learn more about his family. This book is a wonderful sequel, but won’t stand alone in the series. Highly recommended for those who loved the previous book.