The Vanderbeekers Make A Wish by Karina Yan Glaser

Author:Karina Yan Glaser
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780358255260
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-09-21T00:00:00+00:00

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The last time the Vanderbeekers had gone to the Brooklyn Bridge, Laney was three years old, and she managed to create a fifty-three-bike pile-up in the bike lane. It had been a hot summer day, and the Vanderbeekers plus Miss Josie, Mr. Jeet, Auntie Harrigan, and Uncle Arthur had planned a lovely afternoon. They headed downtown on the number 2 subway train and got off in Brooklyn, where they walked by beautiful brownstones on gorgeous, tree-shaded streets.

It was the middle of the afternoon by the time they had stepped onto the bridge, and the Vanderbeekers were getting tired. After a few wrong turns, they finally found the entrance and got on the pedestrian walkway, joining thousands of overheated and grumpy tourists who had also thought that walking across the Brooklyn Bridge was a good idea.

The pedestrian walkway had a thick white line painted right in the middle, which separated pedestrians and bikers. Unfortunately, with so many people angling to take the best photos on the bridge, it became impossible to have a nice, leisurely walk. Instead, Mama and Papa were constantly reminding the kids to watch out or to stay in the pedestrian lane and not step into the bike lane.

Laney had the worst time of it. Being only thirty-one and a half inches tall at the time, she was often invisible to zealous photographers who swung their bags over their shoulders and accidentally smacked her in the face or who hit the back of her head while raising a selfie stick. Thirty minutes later, the Vanderbeekers and their friends were hot and sweaty and grouchy—and they were only halfway across the bridge.

“How much longer?” Laney had asked, looking up at Papa.

“We’re almost to the end,” Papa said, scanning the crowds to make sure all his kids were still accounted for.

At just that moment, a bike passed over into the pedestrian lane. The rubber handgrip hit Laney in the back, and she fell down. The bike and the biker continued on without so much as an apology. Papa didn’t see it happen—he had just noticed that Oliver was nowhere to be seen—and Laney got up and took one big step into the bike lane.

“Watch it!” yelled a man on a sleek black bike who swerved around her.

“Get out of the bike lane!” yelled a woman who zipped past her.

But Laney had had enough. She continued into the bike lane and reached her arms out as far as they could go, effectively blocking bikers from passing her. Unfortunately, a bike tour group from France, who were all wearing matching T-shirts with the French flag embroidered on the pocket, were in a tight group and heading right toward her. The leader, who had a flag hanging from her bike basket, was saying something to the person behind her as she gestured toward the Manhattan skyline.

She didn’t see Laney standing tall and angry in the middle of the bike path, daring cyclists to run her over. At the very last moment,

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