THE VANDERBEEKERS TO THE RESCUE

The multiracial Vanderbeekers return in another Harlem adventure.

It all starts because of Mama’s good news: A magazine wants to feature her home-based bakery! The five children, ranging in age from 13 to 6, ready the house by surprise-repainting the walls in the middle of the night (how could they have known that in the daylight it would look fuchsia and not baby pink?) and, when Mama isn’t home, helpfully showing in the health inspector (who orders the business shuttered due to the Vanderbeekers’ multiple pets). It’s up to them to rectify their mistakes, and that would be all well and good if it weren’t for the fact that their house is being bombed with new pets in the middle of the night—soon their brownstone is overrun with kittens, guinea pigs, and chickens. Once again Glaser produces a charming novel reminiscent of classic and contemporary family story mainstays by Edward Eager, Jeanne Birdsall, and others, but she adds depth with racial diversity, evocative city details, and complex socio-economic issues, even if this particular volume’s catastrophes stretch believability. Glaser’s chapter heads, occasional annotated lists and charts, and maps both add whimsy and attest to the busyness of this family’s life.

Satisfying as a stand-alone and a welcome return for those who consider the Vanderbeekers part of their own family.