The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Yan Glaser, Karina. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.

The Vanderbeeker family gathers in their brownstone on 141st Street when Papa asks the children how much they love living in their home. They promise that they would be devastated if they ever had to move, and the children worry that their parents may be planning to get a divorce. They news of a move shocks them when Mama and Papa share that their landlord, Mr. Beiderman has not renewed their lease and they must leave at the end of the month after Christmas. The children gather together and decide to hatch a plan to convince Mr. Beiderman to allow them to stay in the brownstone.

The children begin by preparing tea and pastries for Mr. Beiderman's special breakfast. A series of mishaps leads to them dropping the tea tray and shattering it outside of his apartment door. Hyacinth is the only one brave enough to confront Mr. Beiderman by herself and she is surprised by his overcast appearance. He tells her and the rest of the children to leave him alone.

Jessie struggles with jealousy when her twin sister, Isa, is excited about the possibility of being invited to the eighth grade dance. Jessie does not reveal that their friend, Benny, asked her to ask Isa if she would like to go and she lied and said she was not interested.

Mr. Beiderman begins planning showings for the apartment, making the children even more determined to find a way to save their house. They begin gathering signatures around the neighborhood on a petition which angers Mr. Beiderman when he finds out. The Vanderbeekers decide that the next phase of their plan must include researching Mr. Beiderman to try and find something he likes that they can use to sway his opinion. One of Oliver's friends also does some digging and finds out that Mr. Beiderman's wife and daughter died a few years ago in a car accident. Since then, he has been living all alone.

On Christmas Eve, the family tries to enjoy their last holiday in the brownstone with all of their friends. Isa performs a special violin performance which elicits a noise complaint from Mr. Beiderman. She goes upstairs to his apartment and loudly plays her violin before he is shocked and apologizes. Isa's violin teacher tells her that Mr. Beiderman's late daughter, Luciana, used to play the same violin she now uses and also took music lessons. Isa begins to realize why Mr. Beiderman dislikes listening to her playing.

On Christmas, the children find the kitten that they had given Mr. Beiderman back on their doorstep with a note inviting them upstairs. He apologizes to the children and tells them that he found it too painful for them to live in the brownstone while they kept doing things that reminded him of his own child. He tells the family that he would like them to stay in their home. The kids invite him to their Christmas breakfast and the entire neighborhood comes together.