Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Book: Keeper
Author: Kathi Appelt
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover 416 pages
Published: April 26 2010
Date Read: July 19 2010
Book Source: ARC

Description from the publisher:

“To ten-year-old Keeper, this moon is her chance to fix all that has gone wrong…and so much has gone wrong. But she knows who can make things right again: Meggie Marie, her mermaid mother who swam away when Keeper was just three. A blue moon calls the mermaids to gather at the sandbar, and that’s exactly where she is headed — in a small boat, in the middle of the night, with only her dog, BD (Best Dog), and a seagull named Captain.

When the riptide pulls at the boat, tugging her away from the shore and deep into the rough waters of the Gulf of Mexico, panic sets in, and the fairy tales that lured her out there go tumbling into the waves. Maybe the blue moon isn’t magic and maybe the sandbar won’t sparkle with mermaids and maybe — Oh, no…”Maybe” is just too difficult to bear. Kathi Appelt follows up to her New York Times bestseller, The Underneath, with a tale that will pull right at your very core — stronger than moon currents — capturing the crash and echo of the waves and the dark magic of the ocean.”

My Thoughts:

I read a borrowed ARC of this book over the summer.

A sweet and heartwarming fantasy tale for middle grade readers. Beautifully written, KEEPER tells the story of a 10 year old girl who has grown up believing in mermaids and magic. After a terrible day, she embarks on an adventure to try to make things right again.

KEEPER is a story of family, friendship, heartbreak, hope, magic and love. The story is told in a non-linear and poetic style. The author fills in the background of the characters throughout the book. The side characters are fully fleshed and charming and add to the magical tone of the story.

KEEPER has a great balance of adventure, fantasy, quirkiness, and heart. The beautiful illustrations by August Hall add to the enjoyment of the story.

My heart ached for Keeper after the horrible day when everything went wrong, and she went in search for her mother. I hoped she would realize she had her all along.

An enjoyable read for a summer day- I would have loved to read this as a kid!

Recommended for ages 9-12

Four Stars

Ornament

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