The Vanderbeekers ever after

The seventh volume in the Vanderbeerker series offers a story with a broad emotional range, from the humor of barely controlled family chaos to the responses of individual siblings when one of them faces serious illness. It's not as though the Vanderbeeker kids haven't dealt with fears of loss before, but the prospect of eviction from their apartment pales beside the possibility of losing their youngest sister, seven-year-old Laney, to cancer. Even the most thoughtful, creative, and hardworking siblings feel helpless at such a time. Preparing for an upcoming wedding offers a much-needed distraction, but nothing can fill the gap in their family during Laney's lengthy hospital stay. Her own story as a leukemia patient will fascinate many readers as well. Glaser pulls out all the stops in this absorbing novel, which occasionally focuses on an individual family member or friend. The narrative deals with difficult subjects in a matter-of-fact but hopeful way, letting readers know that leukemia recovery rates are quite high for children, without ignoring the fact that not all young patients survive. With a lovable cast and a strong, resilient main character, the final volume in the Vanderbeeker series tells a heartening story about a family and a community that readers will long remember.