The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found
Page 1
Contents
* * *
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Sunday, October 20
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Monday, October 21
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Tuesday, October 22
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Wednesday, October 23 to Friday, October 25
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Monday, October 28
Twenty
Twenty-One
Tuesday, October 29
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Wednesday, October 30
Twenty-Five
Thursday, October 31
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Friday, November 1
Twenty-Eight
Saturday, November 2
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Sunday, November 3
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Acknowledgments
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Text and illustrations copyright © 2020 by Karina Yan Glaser
Map © 2020 by Jennifer Thermes
All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to trade.permissions@hmhco.com or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.
hmhbooks.com
Cover illustration © 2020 by Katya Longhi
Cover design by Natalie Fondriest
p. 172: Joy Harjo, excerpt from She Had Some Horses. Copyright © 2008, 1983 by Joy Harjo. Used by permission of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
pp. 174–75: Li-Young Lee, excerpt from “From Blossoms” from Rose. Copyright © 1986 by Li-Young Lee. Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of BOA Editions, Ltd., boaeditions.org.
p. 176: Lucille Clifton, excerpt from “blessing the boats” from The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton. Copyright © 1991 by Lucille Clifton. Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of BOA Editions, Ltd., boaeditions.org.
p. 177: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” from The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes, edited by Arnold Rampersad with David Roessel, Associate Editor, copyright © 1994 by the Estate of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” reprinted by permission of Harold Ober Associates.
Copyright © 1994 by the Langston Hughes Estate.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Glaser, Karina Yan, author.
Title: Vanderbeekers lost and found / by Karina Yan Glaser.
Description: Boston ; New York : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. | Series: The Vanderbeekers ; [4] | Audience: Ages 7 to 10. | Audience: Grades 2–3. | Summary: As they look forward to the New York City Marathon in which their friend Mr. B will run, the Vanderbeeker children learn that one of their good friends is homeless.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019052304 (print) | LCCN 2019052305 (ebook) | ISBN 9780358256199 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780358255246 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Family life—New York (State)—Harlem—Fiction. | African Americans—Fiction. | Neighbors—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Harlem (New York, N.Y.)—Fiction. | New York (N.Y.)—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.G5847 Val 2020 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.G5847 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019052304
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019052305
v1.0820
To Team Vanderbeeker:
Ann
Ginger
Tara
Holly
I wonder how the road beyond it goes—what there is of green glory and soft, checkered light and shadows—what new landscapes—what new beauties—what curves and hills and valleys further on.
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Sunday, October 20
Fourteen Days Until the New York City Marathon
One
Bright morning sunshine drifted through the windows of the red brownstone on 141st Street, filling the kitchen with a soft glow. Eight-year-old Hyacinth stood on a step stool, dipping thick slices of raisin bread purchased that morning at Castleman’s Bakery into an egg, milk, and cinnamon sugar mixture. She wore a floral bandana wrapped around her hair and a dress she had made from two of Papa’s old striped work shirts. Oliver, age eleven, was managing frying pans on three burners with measured concentration, flipping sizzling french toast. He hadn’t brushed his hair in two days, so it was even wilder than normal.
Mama had already left for work at the Treehouse Bakery and Cat Café, the cookie shop she owned and operated, and Papa sat on a stool by the stove supervising while drinking coffee, serving as fire warden and occasionally washing the dishes that piled up on the counter. Six-year-old Laney sat at his feet, brushing her rabbit Paganini’s ears with a sparkly doll comb. She wore pajamas, unicorn slippers, and six strands of beads around her neck.
“Hello!” called Orlando, their upstairs neighbors’ grandnephew, letting himself in through the building door on the first floor. He was built like a football player and was fourteen years old, the same age as Isa and Jessie; he wore one of the nerdy science T-shirts that Jessie liked to give him on birthdays. This one said, “Never Trust an Atom, They Make Up Everything.” In Orlando’s arms was Billie Holiday, formerly known as New Dog, a pup with long legs and big ears that the Vanderbeekers had found outside their door that previous spring. Mr. Jeet and Miss Josie had adopted her, but the Vanderbeekers took her out for walks daily since going up and down stairs hurt Miss Josie’s knees. Mr. Jeet used a wheelchair exclusively to get around these days; he rarely went out except to go to doctor’s appointments.
“You’re spoiling that dog,” Jessie said to Orlando.
He shrugged as he put Billie Holiday down. Franz ran to greet her with a low howl, and Tuxedo scampered up and batted at her ears.
“Billie Holiday doesn’t like the wood stairs,” Orlando said. “Too slippery.”
Jessie pushed her glasses higher on her nose and turned to Isa, pointing a thumb over her shoulder toward Orlando. “See? Spoiled.”
Isa gathered her long, straight hair over one shoulder and smiled. “Orlando is such a pushover when it comes to Billie Holiday.”
Isa leaned down to feed George Washington, their orange tabby, while Laney scooped out a can of cat food for Tuxedo, yet another animal that had been left on their doorstep the past spring. The black-and-white kitten had been Laney’s favorite of the five that had been abandoned, and she had campaigned relentlessly to keep him until her parents finally gave in. The rest of the kittens had been adopted by other families, including their friend Herman’s.
Because Herman’s parents did not allow pets in their home, the Vanderbeekers had coordinated for Herman’s cat, who he named Purl One, to live at the cat café. Purl
One, who was named after knitting terminology, was the one permanent resident; eleven other adoptable cats lived there on a rotating basis. Herman took Purl One with him whenever he could, nestling her into a kangaroo-pouch cat carrier that strapped to his chest. Hyacinth had made the carrier for him, and the Vanderbeekers agreed that Purl One was the calmest cat they had ever met. There was no way George Washington or Tuxedo would put up with that treatment.
“Get your french toast while it’s hot!” Oliver called from the stove, expertly flipping a piece of perfectly browned toast onto a platter next to the burners.
Jessie grabbed the platter while Isa and Orlando set the table. As Laney waited, she pulled the fold of her turtleneck up and chewed on it, a habit she had recently acquired. Jessie hypothesized that this new habit had a direct relationship to their neighbor Mr. Jeet’s health decline over the last month. These days, Mr. Jeet spent most of his time in bed, and his periods of wakefulness had decreased significantly since the summer.
“We’re going to the garden after breakfast,” Jessie told Orlando. “Want to come?”
“We’ve got to leave food for the PM!” Laney said.
Two weeks ago, the Vanderbeekers had discovered signs that someone had been sleeping in the shed they used to store their gardening tools, soil, and seeds. They hadn’t yet spotted the Person of Mystery, or PM, but hidden in a corner of the shed behind a stack of soil bags was a pile of clothes, neatly folded, plus a toothbrush, a worn Bible, and a rolled-up blanket. Worried that the PM was hungry, the kids had been leaving food next to the clothes. Each day the food was gone, so they figured whoever was staying there needed it.
Mama and Papa had been on board with the plan as long as the kids visited the garden only when there was an adult they knew inside with them. This wasn’t difficult, because somebody they knew was always inside, tending their plot or taking a break from the city bustle. The gate wasn’t locked at night, so the person must have been coming after dark and leaving early in the morning.
“I’ve been making him a scarf!” Hyacinth called to Orlando from the stove.
“I wonder who he is,” Laney said. “I hope he finds a home soon.”
“Yeah,” Oliver agreed as he flipped another piece of french toast. “That shed is so creepy. He must be really desperate.”
“If you come,” Jessie said to Orlando, “you can help me record my findings.” Jessie had been working on a science experiment she had started earlier that month about the effectiveness of various fertilizers. She had lined up multiple pots of mums and marked them clearly with the varying amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in their soil. One of them was planted in soil that had been mixed with compost made from the Vanderbeekers’ food scraps and discarded hay from Paganini’s litter box.
Orlando shook his head. “I’ve got cross-country practice.”
“Is running your favorite thing to do?” Laney asked.
“Football is my favorite,” Orlando said. “But our high school doesn’t have a football team.”
Laney looked at Orlando. “Do you like watching football?”
Orlando nodded.
“Which team are you voting for?” she asked him.
Orlando choked on a piece of french toast. “‘Voting for’? Laney, if you’re going to be my friend, you’ve got to know sports terminology. First off, you don’t vote for a team. You’re a fan of the team.”
Laney swung her legs under the table. “Okay, what fan are you?”
“The Atlanta Falcons.”
“Do they get a lot of home runs?” asked Laney.
Orlando clutched his heart. “Oh man, Laney, we have a lot of work to do. Tomorrow night, you and me are watching some football. Be ready.”
“Why don’t we watch now?” Laney asked.
“I’ve got cross-country practice in half an hour. Mr. Beiderman is coming with me.”
Mr. Beiderman was their third-floor neighbor and landlord. He had been a mysterious recluse until two years ago, when the Vanderbeekers had befriended him after he tried to kick them out of their apartment.
Jessie swallowed a bite of french toast, then looked at Orlando. “Tell me again why Mr. B joined your high school running team? He’s like, old. As old as Papa.”
“I can hear you,” Papa called from the sink.
“He thought running with us would help him train for the marathon.”
The New York City Marathon was like a citywide block party that happened the first Sunday of every November. It was for serious runners who raced to win money, but also for people who did it for fun. The Vanderbeekers loved watching the marathon every year and cheering on the runners. Because Harlem was located near the end of the course, many of the runners were exhausted by the time they ran past the Vanderbeekers and had leg cramps and needed encouragement.
Isa squinted. “Do you think Mr. Beiderman can run all 26.2 miles of the course? When he was training over the summer, he was sort of . . . well, you know . . .”
“Super out of shape?” Oliver offered from his spot at the stove.
“He was out of breath running around the playground with me,” Laney reported. “I had to pat his back to help him breathe.”
“How did he even qualify for the marathon? Don’t you have to be a really good runner?” asked Jessie.
Orlando shrugged. “He’s running with a charity. Anyway, he’s not the worst runner on our crosscountry team. That would be Stanley.”
“Doesn’t Stanley have asthma?” Jessie asked.
“He does,” Orlando said. Finished with his french toast, he crunched into an apple he grabbed from the fruit bowl.
“Are you running the marathon?” Laney asked Orlando.
“Nope,” he said. “You have to be at least eighteen years old.”
“I still can’t imagine Mr. Beiderman even trying a marathon,” Jessie mused. “I mean, this is the guy who didn’t leave his apartment for six years.”
“I think he’ll be okay,” Orlando said. “I’ve been training with him a few mornings a week for a couple of months to help him get ready. On marathon day, my team will take turns running with him. Eight of us will be at different parts of the route, and we’ll each run a couple of miles.”
“Can I run with him?” Laney asked.
Orlando, done with his apple, started on a banana. “Nope. But when you’re older you can.”
Laney watched Orlando eat the banana in three bites. “I’m already six.”
“We don’t want you to be trampled,” Isa told her. “Remember how many runners there are? Over fifty thousand. But don’t forget that we’re organizing the Halloween Five-K Fun Run at St. Nicholas Park. You can even run in your costume if you want.”
“I can’t wait for the fun run, but I’m going to run the real New York City Marathon one day where all those people cheer for you and call out your name if you write it big on your shirt,” Laney announced. “I’ll start training right away.” She pulled her turtleneck back up to her mouth, put her dishes in the dishwasher, and proceeded to run laps around the living room until she got so dizzy she fell down on the carpet and was rewarded by lots of dog kisses.
Two
After breakfast and cleanup, Orlando left for practice and the five Vanderbeeker kids walked down the street to the community garden on 141st Street, a space that used to be an empty lot filled with trash and weeds. A little over a year earlier, the Vanderbeekers had spent the summer cleaning it up and transforming it into a garden for Mr. Jeet and Miss Josie.
It was a perfect autumn day. The wind blew just enough to lightly rustle the leaves. The sky was a crystal-clear blue. They entered the garden, and Hyacinth led Franz and Billie Holiday to a patch of grass. Franz rolled over and relished a back rub against the stubby grass, his tail wagging at 150 wpm, or wags per minute. Billie Holiday, a primmer and more dignified dog, sat with her ears pricked forward and her nose at attention.
Miss Josie had asked Hyacinth to take Billie Holiday for the day because a
hospital bed was being delivered for Mr. Jeet that morning. After a weeklong fundraiser in the neighborhood earlier that month, they had collected enough money for the bed rental. Not only would the hospital bed allow him to sit up with the press of a button, but the rails along its sides would keep him safe and give him something to hold on to when getting in and out of bed. Miss Josie had promised Laney that she could try it out later that afternoon.
The Vanderbeekers weren’t the only ones in the garden. Next to them, Mr. Jones, the neighborhood mail carrier, carefully tended his plot, plucking dead leaves from his squash plants and pulling out flowers that had withered after a blast of cold weather. A few other neighbors were there as well, watering plants and cutting herbs to dry so they could use them through the winter. The sweet smell of sage drifted through the air.
Hyacinth sat on the grass with her newest knitting project while Laney rolled around on the grass with the dogs. Next to Hyacinth, Isa and Jessie both did their homework, their workload having increased considerably since they had started high school the previous month. Hyacinth peeked at Jessie’s notebook. Her sister was writing down all sorts of numbers for her science experiment: the height of the plants, the number of leaves, the number of flowers, the time until blooming, and the branching of stems.
Hyacinth gazed at her family, their physical features a combination of their parents’ ethnicities. Although Isa and Jessie were twins, Isa was rapidly growing to look more like their mom, with long, straight hair that fell over her shoulders like a waterfall, while Jessie looked a lot like Papa’s side of the family, with hair that puffed out rather than flowing down. Oliver, who had always been skinny despite the many cookies he consumed every day, continued to grow taller without ever seeming to gain weight. Laney looked like an exact mix of her parents. It was as if a painter had blended her parents’ skin tones to create one especially for her. As for Hyacinth, she thought she looked like Mama, but everyone said she had Papa’s big smile.
“Hey, Vanderbeekers!”
The kids turned, and their friend Herman stepped into the garden with Purl One wrapped in her carrier. Hyacinth scrambled up to welcome him.