The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

“Newton’s Laws apply to everything.”

Newton’s Third Law supports that there is a symmetry in actions and consequences, and Jessie doesn’t think they have done anything to the Beiderman that merits this reaction. This quote characterizes Jessie’s logical personality. Jessie thinks scientifically, and until now, Newton’s Laws offer the answers to every question she has in life. However, rational scientific laws can’t explain nor help her understand why Mr. Beiderman would no longer want them as tenants.

“I have a little dreidel, I made it out of clay.”

Laney sings “I Have a Little Dreidel,” a traditional Jewish children’s song sung during the holiday season. A dreidel is a four-sided top with each side printed with Hebrew letters. Laney’s idea to sing a song for Biederman illustrates her innocence and kindness.

“Magic Jay, this is Captain Kidd.”

Oliver speaks to his best friend Jimmy L over the walkie-talkie because he does not own a cell phone. The friends use code names exemplifying their adventurous personalities. Jimmy’s nickname is an homage to his favorite basketball player Magic Johnson and Oliver’s is a character from his favorite novel Treasure Island. The scene represents the importance of Oliver’s friendship and his fantastical spirit.

“But each time is new, my little violinist. You’ve never played it exactly that way, right? The beauty of live music!”

This quote captures Papa’s personality and the way that he interacts with and loves his children. In contrast to Mr. Beiderman’s hatred of live music, Papa loves the sound of Isa playing the violin. Papa appreciates his daughter’s talents and enjoys listening to her even when she is still learning to play the instrument properly.

“[T]he brownstone creaked mournfully in the silence.”

Karina Yan Glaser anthropomorphizes the brownstone, making it appear like a living creature. Using figurative language, Glaser imparts emotions on the building. As the characters mourn the loss of their home, the house mimics their somber mood.

“Mrs. Castleman preferred to use the antique cash register that made a brisk ka-ching! sound whenever the drawer opened.”

Glaser uses onomatopoeia to create the sound of the cash register opening. Mrs. Castleman’s preference for the antique as opposed to a modern checkout system adds an old-fashioned feel to the bakery and sets it apart from a more modern, chain establishment. Castleman’s is a family-owned business that prioritizes personal relationships with its customers.

“I feel like we need to cut out that part of the wall and bring it with us to our new home.”

Papa and Mama try to keep their sadness hidden from the children. At this moment, Mama drops her façade and shows her true feelings about the move. The place on the wall is not just a yardstick to measure her children, but a symbol of their family and how each child has grown while living in the home.

“Going into their apartment was like entering an enchanted garden. And Miss Josie let Laney pick flowers anytime she wanted.”

Glaser compares Miss Josie and Mr. Jeet’s urban apartment to a mythical garden. Though it doesn’t contain flowers or plants, for Laney it holds a sense of freedom and adventure. The Vanderbeekers have a special relationship with the older couple, but Laney is particularly close to them.

“We have bigger things to worry about than dances.”

Jessie’s annoyance with Isa’s obsession with the dance represents the realism in the novel. Isa and Jessie are adolescents and despite their family crisis, they also have normal teenage problems. Jessie tries to pretend she is worried about losing their home, but she is worried she is losing her sister.

“In Treasure Island, the black spot meant you were guilty of something and would be fully punished.”

Despite his sisters’ insistence that they use only kindness to persuade the Beiderman after he makes Hyacinth cry, Oliver takes matters into his own hands and writes him a scathing note. He alludes to the infamous black spot in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island used as a threat of violence or death between pirates. Though Oliver is not outrightly threatening the Beiderman, he is condemning his cruelty towards the family.

“Jazz! The Beegerman likes jazz!”

This quote illustrates Laney’s child-like propensity to often mispronounce words and phrases, which adds to the charm of her character. However, it also represents a key moment in the narrative when the children learn something about the mysterious Mr. Beiderman’s past that may be a clue to helping them win his heart.

“Did you ever notice […] that we know everyone in this neighborhood?”

Isa is the most perceptive of the Vanderbeeker children and takes her time to think through situations before making decisions. Her realization that they know everyone in the neighborhood gives her an idea for Operation Beiderman, but she keeps it to herself until she can fully process it. This realization also illustrates how deeply the family is connected to their community.

“The church with the stained-glass windows was illuminated from the inside, which gave the building an ethereal look.”

The author includes detailed descriptions of not only the iconic brownstones but also the other buildings on the street that add to the charm and endearing nature of the area. The descriptions of the buildings give them an other-worldly quality and add to the charm of the neighborhood. The family almost feels as much kinship to the buildings of their community as they do to its residents.

“The stairs felt unsteady, as if they would collapse. Was the brownstone trying to keep her from going upstairs?”

The author doesn’t give many insights into Laney’s internal monologue, but this moment reveals her moment of doubt and fear. She takes a risk in delivering the tiny Christmas tree to the Beiderman, and she worries that she is making a mistake. The quote continues the motif of animating the brownstone as if it is alive.

“Do you think the brownstone loves us?”

Once Jessie discovers Isa’s secret room, the twins share a heartfelt moment where they express their fears over losing the brownstone. Isa struggles to put into words how much the house means to her and wonders if by chance the home loves them back. The family has come to love the home so much that they see it as a living being.

“It can’t be him […] He hates kids. He hates people.”

When the kids learn that Mr. Beiderman had a wife and a daughter, they can’t reconcile the information with what they know about his behavior. Learning about his sad past is a turning point for the children. Once they learn that Mr. Beiderman was a husband and father, they begin to see him as a human being and not a monster. 

“It’s hard to play a cantabile when your mind is a tornado, Isa thought.”

A cantabile or cantando is a piece of music designed to be played to naturally mimic the human singing voice. Isa struggles to perform for the recording for Mr. Beiderman because her frustrations and fears keep coming out in her performance. She uses figurative language in comparing her mind to a storm to convey her turbulent mental state.

“I am not you! […] We are not the same person!”

The narrative reaches a climax in Jessie and Isa’s relationship when Isa discovers Jessie withheld Benny’s intent to ask her to the dance. It is a turning point in the twins’ relationship, as they have previously been inseparable, but the conflict brings a rift in their union. Despite their unique identity as a set of twins, Isa longs to assert her individuality.

“Bread and water for dinner […] How Dickensian.”

This quote is an allusion to the works of Charles Dickens, a 19th-century British author whose works exposed the rigid class structure in England and focused on the plight of the poor, especially children. Jessie and Isa’s stew is overly salty, a symbolic representation of the current state of their relationship. Oliver and his uncle are thankful for Castleman’s bread, which might be all that is edible at the meal.

“The piece was ‘Les Furies,’ and Isa’s playing was harsh and unrelenting. It was as if she were dueling against her fury and disappointment and frustration and loneliness.”

“Les Furies,” which translates to “the furies,” is a reference to Greek mythological deities who take revenge on those who renege on a sworn oath. The piece is a violin sonata by Belgian composer Eugéne Ysaÿe. Isa channels all her emotions into her performance and the title of the piece symbolizes her mental state. She uses the performance to release her anger before verbally speaking to Mr. Beiderman, whom she believes has not been fair to his agreement with the family. She is also angry with Jessie by whom she feels betrayed.

“It’s good to be a Vanderbeeker, wherever we live.”

As the children accept the inevitability of their move, they realize that their mission is not a total failure. They learned to appreciate their family members more deeply. Isa’s statement symbolizes the theme of the novel in that 141st is where the Vanderbeekers live, but their true home is with each other no matter their address.

“The family was speechless. Oliver, in the whole entire history of his life, had never offered to give out his presents first.”

Oliver’s behavior on Christmas morning and his selfless gifts displays his character growth since the beginning of the story. Through Operation Beiderman and working closely with his siblings for a common goal, Oliver has learned to put others first. He is still excited about his gifts, but he takes far more joy in watching his siblings unwrap and savor theirs.

“Years later, her memory would linger on this exact moment. The leaves swirling, the gravel crunching, the crisp smell of winter.”

Glaser uses sensory imagery to bring the reader into the moment and to sear the memory into Isa’s brain. Isa’s internal monologue briefly moves into the future where she looks back on this coming-of-age moment with fondness. The pleasant memory reveals that when she looks back on this season of her life, she will not remember the heartache and grief surrounding it, but instead the joy and elation of getting asked on her first date.