Keeper (Appelt novel) facts for kids
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| Author | Kathi Appelt |
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| Illustrator | August Hall |
| Cover artist | August Hall |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature Fantasy |
| Publisher | Atheneum Books for Young Readers |
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Publication date
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2010 |
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Published in English
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2010 |
| Pages | 399 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4169-5060-8 |
Keeper is an exciting fantasy novel from 2010. It was written by Kathi Appelt. The story follows a brave young girl named Keeper. She goes on a big adventure to find her mother, Meggie Marie. Keeper believes her mother is a mermaid who disappeared seven years ago.
The Story of Keeper's Quest
The story begins on a special blue moon day. Keeper accidentally causes a lot of trouble. She messes up her guardian's crab gumbo. She also breaks a special wooden bowl. Her friend's ukulele gets broken too. Plus, she knocks over her elderly neighbor's plants.
Feeling bad, Keeper decides to fix everything. She packs seven small mermaid figurines. Her loyal dog, BD, joins her. She also takes a special charm she's had since she was little. Keeper then sets off to find her mother, Meggie Marie. Her mother vanished seven years ago. Keeper believes she is a mermaid.
During her journey, Keeper learns a surprising truth. Her mother was not actually a mermaid. But Keeper still finds her own kind of magic. The book is full of adventure and discovery.
Meet the Characters
Here are some of the main characters you'll meet in Keeper:
- Keeper: She is the main character of the story. Keeper is ten years old and has black hair. Her mother, Meggie Marie, disappeared seven years ago. Since then, Keeper has lived with her guardian, Signe. People call her "Sweet Pea" or "Good'un." Her mother used to call her "Mergirl." Keeper was born in the water.
- Signe: She is Keeper's guardian. Signe has raised Keeper since her mother left. She is twenty-five years old and has white hair. Signe came from Iowa. She owned a special wooden bowl that Keeper accidentally broke. This bowl was very important to Signe.
- Dogie: He is Keeper's friend and neighbor. Dogie owns a surf shop called "The Bus," which is actually a bus! He cares a lot about Signe. On the blue moon day, he planned to sing to her with his ukulele. He wanted to ask her to marry him. Dogie sometimes stutters when he talks. His dog, Too, can sense storms and trouble. Dogie is shown to be African American. He came from New Jersey and served in the army. When he sings and plays his ukulele, he doesn't stutter.
- Mr. Henri Beauchamp: He is Keeper's elderly neighbor. Mr. Beauchamp knows many stories about mermaids. He has a one-eyed cat named Sinbad. His beautiful flowers, including a night-blooming cereus, were knocked over. This happened when Sinbad was being chased by BD. Mr. Beauchamp is from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. When he was fifteen, he met a merboy named Jack.
- BD: This is Keeper and Signe's dog. His name is short for "Best Dog." BD is good friends with a seagull named Captain. BD goes with Keeper on her journey to find her mother.
- Too: He is Dogie's small dog. His full name was "Best Dog Too." Too is known as a Storm Prognosticator. This means he can predict storms and other problems.
- Jacques de Mer/Jack: He is a merman. Jacques was a friend of Mr. Beauchamp's. Some believe he might be the son of Yemaya. Yemaya is a powerful figure who asks for a gift when a wish is made.
- Sinbad: He is Mr. Beauchamp's one-eyed cat. Sinbad is very old and often teases BD. Mr. Beauchamp says Sinbad comes from a "long line of pirate cats."
- Captain: He is a resident seagull. Five years before the story, Captain crashed through Keeper's window during a storm. He had a broken wing. Signe helped him get better. Captain is friends with BD. His favorite food is watermelon. Watermelon helped him learn to fly again.
- Meggie Marie: She is Keeper's mother. Meggie Marie disappeared seven years before the story begins. At first, Keeper thinks her mother is a mermaid. Later, Keeper learns this isn't true. Meggie Marie had a difficult moment with Keeper when Keeper was three years old. The house where she, Keeper, and Signe lived belonged to Meggie Marie's grandmother.
