The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden by Karina Yan Glaser

I fell in love with the Vanderbeekers the first time around, so I was thrilled to read their next story. This is the 2nd book in this series and while it could be a standalone story, I think readers will want all the background from the first story. Oliver, Laney, Jessie, Isa (who is away at camp) and Hyacinth are enjoying time with Mr. Biederman, Miss Josie and Mr. Jeet, when all of a sudden Mr. Jeet collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Because of Miss Josie’s and Mr. Jeet’s interest in gardening, the Vanderbeekers wanted to do something special with a garden. This story is about their plan to turn a vacant piece of land in the city into a beautiful garden. They realize that gardening is not an easy feat and costs time, money and lots of hard work.

Straight Talk for Librarians: What stands out to me in this story is the kindness that the characters show each other. There is conflict and tension, but most of the trouble the Vanderbeekers get into comes from a place of love. I think this will be a very popular book in your school library, especially if your readers love the first one. The Vanderbeeker kids have a very close relationship with their parents and they all work together to overcome different challenges. They are also close with their neighbors and love the community that they live in. It really is very heartwarming. I think this is a perfect book for free choice in an ELA classroom. It will appeal to readers of realistic fiction. It could have some some very powerful curriculum connections in schools that have established a community garden and where students are learning about how to eat, farm to table. This book would be great on a themed display for spring or summer. It could be paired with non-fiction gardening and fruits/vegetable books. If you are in an IB school, all the attributes of the Learner Profile could be divided amongst the well-rounded and colorful characters in this book. For example, Jessie is a great example of being an inquirer and knowledgable. She is proud of her hard work at school and she excels at physics. They are all very principled, caring and risk-takers. They took a risk when they decided to embark on their gardening journey. I love the illustrations sprinkled throughout the book and I think that will appeal to the more visual thinkers. This is just a great middle grade read and will contribute to engaging all kinds of readers and developing that empathy that we try to instill in our learners. Buy this for your middle grade readers!

Authors Twitter: @KarinaYanGlaser
Authors Website:http://www.karinaglaser.com/
Publisher:  @hmhkids

Reviewed by Klaudia Janek: @kjanek