THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET

There’s just so much to love about The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street! This delightful story is billed as a middle grade book but I think it would best be described as a “family book” to be enjoyed by kids and adults of all ages. In it, the five Vanderbeeker siblings have one week to convince their curmudgeon landlord to renew their family’s lease, or they will have to move from the beloved Harlem brownstone they call home.

This book is contemporary yet has a nostalgic feel, and offers valuable lessons without being preachy. The characters’ tiny kindnesses - beautifully observed and subtly woven into the fabric of their neighborhood - make the story heartwarming and truly special. Patience for an elderly neighbor whose speech is slow. A favorite postal worker who proudly wears homemade buttons gifted by a young Vanderbeeker. Extra dog biscuits baked for a pet up the street. These are little things that don’t get top billing in the story, but have the cumulative effect of a big, warm hug.

So. Many. Treats! This book is absolutely filled with cookies, croissants, pastries and all manner of delicious baked goods. The Vanderbeekers have an upstairs neighbor named Miss Josie, who, four year old Laney notes, “made the best jam cookies, with plenty of strawberry jam in the middle, and she never, ever used orange marmalade.” If you’re a little kid, I guess that tells you all you need to know about a person. And with that, here’s my homemade attempt at Miss Josie’s cookies, with no marmalade anywhere in sight.