Reviews

The Vanderbeekers Make A Wish, by Karina Yan Glaser

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librarianaaryn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

pay10hughes's review

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5.0

I love these kids! Can’t wait for the next book.

The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish is the 5th in the series about this very unique and lovable family. The kids are excited for a surprise birthday party for their Papa and are trying to plan the best gift to give him. They agree that their gift has to be epic considering it’s their papa’s 40th birthday. Plans go awry when papa leaves home to help a friend in need, days before his surprise party. In addition, their mama’s parents arrive a week ahead of the party and seem intent on staying the whole time. Mamas parents seem cold and reserved and grandma has a tendency to a bit critical about everything. Aunt Penny visiting with them is a shining light given the gloomy circumstances. Before leaving papa mentions his dad, Pop-pop , as he’s cleaning out an ancient looking suitcase which belonged to Pop -pop. The children are intrigued they never met their dad’s dad and know very little about him. Their curiosity is further peaked when they discover something that was intended for their papa from their Pop-pop. This starts the children on a quest to find answers to the mysteries surrounding the best gift they can think about getting their papa. By the end of this book I was in tears. I love how the author paints such vivid pictures and characters that draw you into the story and make you believe that you are part of the family. Even though the Vanderbeekers are not a perfect family, they learn and grow with each other forgiving one another, accepting each other’s differences and overall enjoying life together.

meganeveritt's review

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4.0

4⭐️. Read aloud -kindle via library. Such a great series and both girls (15 & 10) and I just love the Vanderbeeker family and their adventures. We really enjoyed the Asian tones that were a bit more prevalent in this one. We always anticipate the release of the next one in this series and we are hoping for news on #6 soon.

booksandpops4000's review

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5.0

This book was such a fun read!! I loved seeing all of these characters again. I liked the different characters we had in this read, it def shook up the series. I also thought this book handled complicated realtionships with grandparents in a really fun way. I also the mystery and adventure elements that were tossed in. It was a really quick read and I am so excited for the next book in this series. It was such a fun read that put a smile on my face.