Вандербикеры с 141-й улицы

So lovable and charming!

After seeing a lot of rave reviews for this one (and being disappointed by the last MG book I read with similar reviews), I was skeptical about The Vanderbeekers. But I was delightfully hooked just a few minutes into this audiobook, and by the end, I was crying (both because the book was so touching and because I found out what the last book in this series is about).

I'm sure I would have loved this series in elementary school, but I also feel like I appreciate it so much right now as an adult. The themes of family, community, and individualism hit just as hard as I would have liked, and I just... let's just say I have plans to read the rest of the series very soon. I'm delighted to know that MG books like this are out there.

(Also, yes, some of the ending was a little unrealistic, but I felt it was perfectly excusable for a middle grade book. Young readers will probably feel that what happened made sense, and the dramatic effect of that whole plotline worked in my eyes.)