Kathi Appelt, Newbery-honor author of The Underneath, continues her writing brilliance in Keeper.  Imagine your worst day ever. Does it involve talking crabs, burnt gumbo, a broken ukulele, a terrorized cat, mysterious mermaids, a lost mother, shattered flower pots, and a search and rescue mission?  Well, Keeper’s worst day involves all of those.

Once again, Kathi Appelt weaves together a realistic story with hints of myth, legend, and magic.  She tells us a story from multiple points of view, and I love her for that.  We often hear that when we write, we should choose a point of view and stick with it.  Kathi Appelt masterfully shows us just how to break that rule.  Through the story, we go into the thoughts of cats, seagulls, mermaids, and dogs, along with the main character Keeper, her adopted mother Signe, and her surfer neighbor Dogie.  I was also amazed that in 400 pages, only one day went by, yet I was captivated by every page.

On the surface, this is a story of a girl’s search for her mother and a terrible day she has along the way.  However, deeper down this story has many lessons to be learned for all ages.  I invite you to discover Keeper.

View the book trailer here.