Books like The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

If you liked The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, read Wishtree, A Duet for Home, or Front Desk — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Wishtree by Katherine Applegate — shares community

Get it on Amazon →

Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Looking for books like The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, community, and home. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Wishtree590L
Shares themes of community, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
A Duet for Homegrades 4–5
Is by Karina Yan Glaser, the same author and overlapping grades (4–5). Amazon → books like this →
Front Desk640L
Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
You Are Here: Connecting Flightsgrades 3–6
Shares themes of community, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats #1)grades 2–5
Shares themes of family and community and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Labors of Hercules Bealgrades 3–7
Shares themes of family and community and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Saving Shilohgrades 4–7
Shares themes of community and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Look Both Waysgrades 5–8
Shares themes of community, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Mystery of the Monarchsgrades 4–8
Shares themes of community and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Pie in the Skygrades 3–6
Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

  • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga · 930L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

  • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga · 930L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street?
The 10 closest matches to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser on ReadingList include Wishtree, A Duet for Home, Front Desk, You Are Here: Connecting Flights, and Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats #1). Each is scored on shared themes (family, community, and home), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?
Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

← Back to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

Browse by another angle

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: