by Karina Yan Glaser
Adventure never seems to leave the Vanderbeekers!
As autumn and the start of a new school year roll around, the Vanderbeekers are busy helping Mr. Beiderman prepare for the city marathon and trying to figure out who the mysterious person sleeping the community garden shed is. When the Vanderbeekers do discover who the mystery person is, it is one of the last people they would ever think of.
The discovery of the mysterious person’s identity shakes the Vanderbeeker’s world and sets them off on a goal of how to best help their friend, all while navigating the trials of growing up.
I absolutely love the Vanderbeeker books. If you’ve read the previous Vanderbeeker books and have enjoyed them, you’ll like The Vanderbeekers, Lost and Found.
Now, I say all of that because past this point is going to be filled with spoilers, simply because I can’t think of a way to write a review for The Vanderbeekers, Lost and Found without talking about spoilers. Continue reading at your own risk.
I resonated so much with Hyacinth’s struggle to make friends. I am an introvert and making friends is hard for me. I loved how Hyacinth found friends though.
I’m going to be honest here: I cried a little when Mr. Jeet died. And I rarely, rarely cry over books. It just tugged on my heart strings so much. I have always loved the adoptive-grandparents relationship between Mr. Jeet, Mrs. Josie, and the Vanderbeekers.
The Vanderbeekers, Lost and Found tackles the subject of absent parents. Orlando’s mom just sporadically leaves him at times. And this time, she leaves him and the bills long enough that Orlando gets evicted from their apartment. It is a sad thing to read about because you know that it isn’t simply a fictional thing.
While I enjoyed the happy ending of The Vanderbeekers, Lost and Found, I do wish that we had gotten to see more interactions between Mr. Beiderman and Orlando. It felt a little strange for Mr. Beiderman to become Orlando’s guardian, simply because their relationship isn’t developed too much on the page.
The Vanderbeekers, Lost and Found is another wonderful addition to the Vanderbeeker series
Cautions: none
Hailey Huntington 