The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

by Karina Yan Glaser

  “Never going to happen,” Jessie said, flicking the remains of her chocolate croissant at Allegra and hitting her right in the middle of the forehead.

  A crowd of neighbors, including Mr. Jones the postman and Mr. Ritchie the Christmas tree guy, stopped in, along with Mr. Van Hooten, who pulled out his violin and started playing holiday music. The Vanderbeeker home was filled to capacity with neighbors and friends, all swarming in to congratulate and celebrate.

  Mr. Beiderman, in the meantime, spent most of his time sitting on a stool in a sheltered corner of the kitchen, a location that granted him a perfect view of all the happenings around him but protected him from the crush of people. Next to him was Oliver, immersed in his new books. Mr. Beiderman’s cat, who Laney had already started calling Princess Cutie, was wrapping herself around his ankles. Isa, Jessie, and their friends stood in a group, laughing about who knows what. Franz turned in circles, attempting to remove a piece of red fabric tied in a jaunty bow around his neck. Laney crawled around the floor, traversing a path that made sense only to her. Uncle Arthur examined the hole in the ceiling that Papa had made during the Great Plumbing Accident, shaking his head in disbelief. Mama and Papa stood in the kitchen, washing dishes, filling glasses, and forcing more food onto their guests’ plates. Mr. Beiderman quietly surveyed the scene, and then he took a deep breath. Oliver, who had glanced over at just that moment, said later that it looked like Mr. Beiderman was breathing happiness into his body.

  It was hours before the Vanderbeeker apartment cleared out. Mr. Beiderman was one of the first to leave, but only after Laney made him promise to come back the following day for dinner. He cradled his black kitten in his arms as he said a brief goodbye and escaped up to his apartment. The other guests trickled away, until only Auntie Harrigan and Uncle Arthur were left. While Mama and Papa began cleaning up the apartment, the kids helped their aunt and uncle pack up. After innumerable hugs and kisses, Auntie Harrigan and Uncle Arthur got in their car and honked as they rolled down the street while the kids waved and shouted their goodbyes and I-love-yous.

  When the car rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, the Vanderbeekers turned and faced the brownstone.

  “I guess we should help clean up and start unpacking,” Jessie commented.

  “Let’s start now,” Oliver suggested. “I’m ready.”

  Isa held up a hand. “Let’s just . . . wait a second.” The kids stilled and drank in the sight of the brownstone. The twisting iron fence that surrounded it, the smooth red rock that made up the façade, the wide windows that winked in the sunlight.

  When they’d had their fill, the Vanderbeekers filed inside. The brownstone creaked as it settled more firmly into its foundation, wrapping the kids in warmth and love just as it had for so many years past and would, now, for many years to come.

  Epilogue

  One Month, Six Days Later

  A baby blue Volkswagen rattled down West 141st Street and slowed to a stop in front of the red brownstone. The back passenger door opened, and out stepped a gangly eighth grade boy. He was wearing a crisply pressed black suit with a burgundy tie. His hair was still slightly damp and had signs of a recent combing. On his feet were the same sneakers he usually wore when he played basketball. In his hand was a plastic container with an amaranth-pink corsage nestled inside.

  He raced up to the front door, then paused before lifting his hand to press the doorbell.

  “Hey! Hey, you!” Startled, Benny dropped his hand from the buzzer and looked up. Mr. Beiderman was hanging out his window.

  Benny stepped back to get a better vantage point. “Oh. Hey, Mr. Beiderman. It’s just me. Benny.”

  Mr. Beiderman leaned even farther out his window. “I know who you are. What are you doing here at this hour?”

  “Sir? I’m here to pick up Isa? For the dance?” Benny shivered in the cold. It was late January, and icicles hung from the brownstone eaves. He wanted to make a good first impression when Isa first saw him, so he’d left his coat in the car. He hadn’t expected to be standing outside so long.

  Mr. Beiderman glared at Benny. “Don’t try any funny stuff with Isa. Remember, I have all the time in the world to make your life miserable.”

  Benny glanced around for hidden hit men, but thankfully, at just that moment, the Vanderbeekers’ door flew open and out tumbled Isa. She looked as if she had stepped out of a glossy magazine. She ran right up to Benny and hugged him.

  “So much for a grand entrance,” Auntie Harrigan remarked, standing in the doorway holding a can of hairspray.

  “Move, Harrigan!” Mama said, trying to reach around Auntie Harrigan to snap photos of Isa on her phone.

  Papa pushed his way through with Isa’s coat. When he saw Benny holding Isa’s hand, he scowled. “Rule number one. No touching.” Benny dropped Isa’s hand. Papa handed Isa her coat.

  Uncle Arthur followed Papa outside. He was holding Oliver’s plastic pirate sword. “Don’t give me a reason to use this on you, boy.”

  Mama and Isa sighed. From above, Mr. Beiderman coughed. Papa and Uncle Arthur glanced up, and Mr. Beiderman gave them a discreet thumbs-up.

  “Hi, Benny!” Jessie called from the roof. Everyone looked up. “Ready for some music?” Jessie disappeared, and soon the chimes and bells of a newly installed water wall rang through the neighborhood.

  Oliver launched himself outside. “Hey, Benny. Cool shoes.”

  Laney, already in her pajamas, made her way outside to see Benny. “Can we see the flower bracelet?”

  Franz bounded out next, 320 wpm, with Hyacinth close behind. Benny opened the box and pulled out the corsage, then slipped it around Isa’s wrist.

  “Ooh,” said Hyacinth and Laney.

  A window on the second floor creaked open.

  “Is it time for the dance?” called Miss Josie. Next to her, Mr. Jeet pushed his head out the window to look down at the crowd.

  “It’s time!” Isa called up. She grabbed Benny’s hand. Papa, Uncle Arthur, and Mr. Beiderman scowled at them again. “We better get going. Poor Benny has no jacket!”

  “Let me just get one photo!” called Mama. Isa looked at Benny apologetically; then they moved together to pose for a photo. “Smile!” Mama said, clicking the button at least eleven times before Papa confiscated her phone. Isa and Benny waved and ran to the car, piling into the back seat. From the front seats, Mr. and Mrs. Castleman waved.

  “Be careful!” said Papa.

  “Bring me back something!” cried Laney.

  “Where’d you get your shoes?” Oliver asked Benny.

  “I’ll wait up for you!” called Jessie from the roof.

  “Don’t they look lovely?” Miss Josie asked Mr. Jeet.

  “I want to make a corsage for myself,” said Hyacinth.

  “Curfew is at ten o’clock sharp!” Mr. Beiderman yelled at Benny.

  “See you back at home! Have fun!” said Mama.

  Benny and Isa smiled and waved at everyone, then shut the car door. Slowly, the Castlemans pulled away from the curb.

  Mr. Beiderman gave a gruff wave and retreated into his apartment. Miss Josie and Mr. Jeet blew kisses to the Vanderbeekers and closed their windows. Jessie disappeared, and the Vanderbeekers could hear the fire escape creaking as she descended the metal stairs.

  The weathervane on top of the brownstone whirled in jubilation as the Vanderbeekers filed back into their home. A home that was, and always would be, the brownstone on 141st Street.

  Acknowledgments

  This book has been a journey, and I am so grateful for my many fellow travelers. First of all, Ann Rider. I cannot imagine a more perfect editor for me and for this book. I am ever thankful for her gentle nudging and invaluable feedback and for loving the Vanderbeeker kids and giving them a home at HMH. Thank you to the HMH design team, especially Sheila Smallwood, for the gorgeous layout and careful attention to every detail. So many people at HMH have made this book possible, including Mary Wilcox, Lily Kessinger, Karen Walsh, Lis
a DiSarro, Mary Magrisso, Tara Shanahan, and Lauren Cepero. I owe so much to Colleen Fellingham and Alison Kerr Miller for their meticulous copyediting and thorough fact checking. Jennifer Thermes’s gorgeous map art brought the Vanderbeekers’ neighborhood to life, and Karl James Mountford did a magical job with the stunning jacket art.

  A giant thank-you to the team at Curtis Brown, in particular the amazing and indomitable Ginger Clark, who deserves eternal wombat happiness, and the wonderful Tess Callero, who deserves frolicking puppies for all her days. There are not enough double chocolate pecan cookies in the world to sufficiently thank Holly Frederick for her relentless belief in me and in this book.

  I’m endlessly grateful for my two writing partners who provide daily encouragement and loving company, Sarah Farivar-Hayes and Janice Nimura, kindred spirits in the truest sense. My readers and dear friends deserve so much gratitude, most especially Lauren Hart, Laura Shovan, Katie Graves-Abe, Emily Rabin, and Harrigan Bowman. A very special thanks to Lev Rosen, my mentor and friend, for his punishing (yet encouraging) feedback.

  A big hug to Jayme and Anne Brentan, who encouraged me to start this journey in the first place. Lots of gratitude to the Glaser family, with extra love to Michael and Kathleen for their relentless support and encouragement.

  I owe so much to the communities that have inspired and supported me, most especially the fine folks at the Town School, Lucy Moses School, Book Riot, the New York Society Library, the Book Cellar, and my Harlem neighborhood. I am incredibly grateful to Nurit Pacht and Monica Stein-Krausz, gifted musicians who pour so much beauty into the world through their music.

  Finally, much love to my daughters, Kaela and Lina, who inspire me with their funny antics and joyful spirits, and to Dan, my husband and best friend, who funded hundreds of cups of tea so this story could be written.

  Return to Harlem for more Vanderbeeker adventures in 2018!

  It’s the dog days of summer, and while Isa is off at sleepaway orchestra camp, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney are stuck at home in the brownstone with nothing to do but get on one another’s nerves. But when catastrophe strikes their beloved upstairs neighbor, their sleepy summer transforms in an instant as the Vanderbeeker children band together to do what they do best: make a plan.

  In this companion to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, experience the warmth of a family and their community as they work together to bring a little more beauty and kindness to the world, one thwarted plan at a time.

  MiddleGradeMania.com

  About the Author

  Photo by Corey Hayes

  KARINA YAN GLASER has had many jobs, including waitressing, community organizing, and teaching literacy in family homeless shelters. She is now a full-time writer, as well as a contributing editor to Book Riot. She lives in Harlem, New York City, with her husband, two daughters, and assortment of rescue animals. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book. This is her debut novel.

  Visit her online at www.karinaglaser.com

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