The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

Not since the Penderwicks have I been so charmed by a family.  The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street does not disappoint.  Karina Yan Glaser creates rich characters with wit and depth.  The Vanderbeekers are a family of seven who live in a brownstone in New York.  When their reclusive landlord decides not to renew the lease to their beloved brownstone, the Vanderbeeker children jump into action with a plan to save their home with help from the delightful neighbors and friends.  The Vanderbeeker children soon discover that their landlord Mr. Biederman hides a painful secret.  The story unfolds with kindness, compassion, and humor.

Continue reading “The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street”

Finding Time to Read With Your Children

If you asked my children (or anyone who’s close to me) to describe me, I have no doubt their list would include:

  1.  She loves to serve Jesus through volunteering.
  2. She’s clumsy.
  3. She LOVES to read.

Pretty accurate assessment of their mom.  Anyone who knows me can attest to my love of reading and to the importance I place on reading with my children.  In fact, I’ve written about how important time spent reading with your children is here. While most of you don’t doubt the importance of reading with your kids, you may be wondering where to find the time.

I hear you.  Finding time for our children to read or for us to read with our children can be difficult.  It seems our schedules are crammed with activities from sun-up to sun-down, but it is possible to find more time than you think to read with your kids, especially this summer.  Here are a few tricks I’ve discovered to make the most of our time. Continue reading “Finding Time to Read With Your Children”