The Vanderbeekers On the Road: Review

When Papa’s flight is canceled right before his birthday, Mama and the Vanderbeeker kids decide to head on the road to bring the birthday party to him. But time is running out when the van breaks down. Then the trip turns interesting when Laney discovers that Jessie and Orlando are planning to interview for a college scholarship once they get to California. She’s torn between helping Papa celebrate his birthday on a once-in-a-lifetime road trip and keeping Jessie and Orlando from making it to the interview. What will she do?

Length: 352 pages
Read-Aloud age: 6+

LJR’s Thoughts on The Vanderbeekers on the Road

Everything you loved about the first book – without the tragedy. When Papa gets stranded in on his 40th birthday, Mama, Mr. Beiderman, Orlando, and the Vanderbeeker kids set out to surprise him along with Franz, Tuxedo, a couple of cats, and even a chicken! In typical Vanderbeeker fashion, things go awry and they set out on a couple of secret missions that take our favorite Harlem family all the way to Monterrey, California.

If you’re an avid fan of The Vanderbeeker series, you’ll love the newest Vanderbeeker adventure by Karina Yan Glaser. The Vanderbeekers display the same love for each other as they have since the first book in the series, with the same realistic sibling squabbles and make-ups. Any noteworthy negatives are enough to engage in conversation with your kiddos without exposing them to themes that are too mature for them.

LJR thinks anything good in The Vanderbeekers on the Road outweighs anything you may find noteworthy below.

LJR Rating

Pink circle with blue thumbs up in the middle

Noteworthy for The Vanderbeekers on the Road

In our usual LJR fashion, we try to find anything Christian families may want to know ahead of time to address, skip, or dig deeper into. Take a look below and even look for our take on Discipleship Opportunities at the bottom of the review.

Mrs. Vanderbeeker, the kids, and Mr. Beiderman & Orlando find a camping spot but only 1 tent goes up before it rains buckets. Mr. B and Orlando end up in the tent with the oldest Vanderbeeker girls while Mrs. Vanderbeeker stays in the van with everyone else.
Jessie and Orlando hide that they’re going to apply for a scholarship to a college.
Laney hatches a plan with her other siblings to thwart Jessie and Orlando’s plan. One plan involves creating a fake email account
An adult male character chats on the phone often with an adult female character. They appear to have a romantic relationship. By the end of the book, there is a profession of love for each other and a kiss, though nothing is described. The day after this, they hold hands.
A character thinks she sees a ghost.
One of the Vanderbeeker siblings knows about an attempt to stop Jessie and Orlando but decides to look the other way because if he doesn’t know about it, he can’t get into trouble.
One of the kids mentions sending a prayer “into the universe” and there’s mention of a “wish” coming true.
A mention of dinosaurs being 56 million years ago.

Discipleship Opportunities for The Vanderbeekers on the Road

When the van breaks down (Chapter 6), there’s a lot of grumbling and complaining. What would you do? What does the Bible tell us about not grumbling and complaining? Bible verses to dig into are Numbers 14:26 – 30; John 6:43; Philippians 2:14; James 5:9. Even check out this article, “How to Complain Without Grumbling”
Jesus tells us in the Bible to “love our neighbor” as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19; Mark 12:31; Matthew 22:39; Luke 10:27). In Chapter 9, when Laney hatches a plan to stop Jessie and Orlando, is she following these commandments? What would you do? How could you love Jessie and Orlando as yourself if you were Laney?
In Chapter 15, the Vanderbeekers get help from a stranger. This reminds us of the Good Samaritan. Have you ever helped a stranger in need? When Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, what is he trying to teach? (Luke 10:25-37)

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