The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is a middle grade children’s novel by Karina Yan Glaser wherein the large, quirky Vanderbeeker family attempts to save their place in their beloved brownstone by befriending their cranky landlord.

Karina Yan Glaser wrote The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street in response to a dare. As a child, Glaser dreamed of living in New York City. After attending college in New York, she stayed and built her life in Harlem and later began writing a blog about raising children in an urban landscape. After reading her blog, her uncle dared her to turn it into a book. Glaser used her experience living in Harlem to craft a story about a large family living in a historic brownstone and navigating the ups and downs of New York life. The Vanderbeeker pets are based on Glaser’s own adopted family pets, and her eldest daughter’s love of music inspired the character of Isa Vanderbeeker. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is the recipient of a string of accolades including a New York Times Notable Children’s Book, Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year, and Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Children’s Book Award, and the novel has been translated into 12 languages.