Adrift in the ocean in search of mermaid, mother, and myth—a breathtaking, magical novel from Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt.
Keeper was born in the ocean, like a dolphin, like a Minke whale—like a mermaid. That’s what Keeper was told, and that’s what she believes. But, what if being born in the middle of the night, in the middle of the waves, isn’t so much about being part mermaid as it is about being the daughter of a woman who is unpredictable, wild, and uncommonly gorgeous, a woman who swam away when Keeper was three—a mermaid? That’s what Singe says and what Keeper believes. So when this ten-year-old goes out looking for her mother, she heads right for the ocean and the sandbar where mermaids are known to gather. But her boat is too small for the storm that is brewing on the horizon.
Kathi Appelt’s follow-up to The Underneath is a stunning, mysterious, and breathless tale of outgrowing fairytales just a little to late—and learning in the end that there is nothing more magical and mythical than love itself.
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"Being a big fan of mermaids and having a small collection of mermaid pieces, I was excited about reading Kathi Appelt's novel, Keeper. I can happily say that it is a delightful read in which the possibility of mermaids and other magical occurrences capture your imagination and take it to a place of suspended belief. Another of my favorite objects, the full moon, is in play in this tale, too. In fact, it is a blue moon, the second full moon of a month, and I had just experienced a blue moon when I started reading this story. It's as if the heavens were aligned, which only increased my pleasure in the reading. Keeper is a 10-year-old girl who lives along the coast of Texas on an isolated oyster shell road at the foot of a salt grass marsh and narrow beach. There are only four human inhabitants, including her, on this small stretch, and none of them are blood-related. However, not only blood makes family, which is one of the precious truths to be gleaned from this sweet, sweet novel. Besides Keeper, there is Signe, Keeper's mother figure since age 3 and who left her native Iowa ten years back for a better life ; Dogie, a lost soul who ends up finding his peace in this "other-world" after serving in the combat; and Mr. Beauchamp, an elderly gentleman originally from France who is waiting on something or someone. There are the charming animals that include B.D. (Best Dog), Captain the tame seagull, Too (Best Dog Too), and the one-eyed cat Sinbad. The characters, both human and animal are ones that the reader wishes to know, and through Appelt's fine writing, a most satisfying knowledge is achieved. On the night of the magical "blue moon," Keeper undertakes a dangerous journey into the waters of the Gulf to try to set right the disasters of the day for which she holds herself responsible. It seems everyone's plans for a most special night have been shattered as a result of the crabs for Signe's crab gumbo calling out to Keeper to be set free. There follows a domino effect of disasters, and Keeper feels only her connection to mermaids will turn her upside-down world upright again. Everyone on Oyster Ridge Road will be forever changed by the bravery of one small girl."
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Kathy (4 out of 5 stars)