General Information:
Title of Book: The Vanderbeekers on the Road
Author: Karina Yan Glaser
Published: 2022
Genre: Realistic fiction
Number of Pages: 351
“The Vanderbeekers on the Road” by Karina Yan Glaser is about the Vanderbeekers, a family with five kids who go on a road trip with their friend and landlord, plus a dog, three cats, and a chicken. They’re all traveling in a van to take their dad on a cross-country road trip for his birthday.
Along the way, there are many mishaps and delays. Laney, the youngest sibling, finds out that her older twin sisters might move far away to go to college. Laney is worried that their brownstone home won’t be the same without them! They are almost like a second set of parents to her. Laney informs the three younger siblings of this potential change, and they are determined to prevent the older siblings from getting to their university interviews.
I really enjoyed this book, and I especially liked the amusing chaos of the large group. A specific scene that was funny was when the Vanderbeekers were traveling in the van, and how Laney expresses her need to go to the bathroom.
“I think Franz needs to go to the bathroom,” Laney announced.
Hyacinth looked at Franz. He was fast asleep, his mouth open and his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
“We just stopped an hour ago,” Mama said.
Laney wiggled in her seat. “I think he really needs to go.”
Mama sighed. “I’ll stop at the next gas station.”
I recommend this book to anyone who likes “The Penderwicks” by Jeanne Birdsall or “All-of-a-Kind Family” by Sydney Taylor. They all involve a large family with multiple children and mayhem.
Rating: 10 / 10