Keeper (Peet novel) facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Mal Peet |
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| Cover artist | Yves St. Laurent |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult sports novel |
| Publisher | Walker Books |
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Publication date
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6 October 2003 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 230 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-7445-9025-6 |
| OCLC | 60376723 |
| LC Class | PZ7.P3564 Kee 2003 PZ7.P3564 Kee 2003 |
Keeper is an exciting sports novel for young adults, written by Mal Peet. It was published by Walker Books in 2003. This book was Mal Peet's first novel. It is also the first of three football stories that feature a South American sports reporter named Paul Faustino.
The story is told like an interview with the world's best goalkeeper, El Gato, whose nickname means "The Cat." He shares his amazing life story with the reporter. Mal Peet won the Branford Boase Award for Keeper. This award celebrates the best first novel for children each year.
The book was also published in the United States in 2005 by Candlewick Press. It has been translated into many languages, including Danish, Hungarian, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Contents
Why Mal Peet Wrote Keeper
Keeper was the first novel written by Mal Peet. He started writing it when he was 52 years old and finished it three years later.
Mal Peet once said that he felt football books for kids were "pretty much hey." This meant he thought they were not very exciting or interesting. He loved playing football when he was younger. He wanted to write a story that would make football exciting for young readers. He said that writing allowed him to "play football vicariously," meaning he could experience the game through his characters.
Story of Keeper
The story of Keeper begins with a journalist named Paul Faustino. He works for a newspaper called La Nación. Paul is interviewing El Gato, who has just won the FIFA World Cup. During their talk, El Gato starts to tell Paul about his teenage years. He explains how he first got into playing soccer.
El Gato tells Paul that he was coached by a ghost. He calls this ghost "the Keeper." Paul Faustino finds this hard to believe. He thinks El Gato might be making it up. But El Gato seems very honest and serious, as if he is telling the complete truth.
El Gato continues his story. As a teenager, he secretly trained with the Keeper. Their training ground was an old, hidden soccer field deep in the rainforest. El Gato convinced his parents that he spent so much time in the rainforest because he loved nature. His family believed him and even bought him things for collecting plants. They called him "Professor."
This went on until El Gato turned 15. At that age, he was expected to start working in the logging industry with his father. He did not tell the Keeper that he would stop coming to practice.
On his first Saturday at his new job, El Gato discovered something exciting. His co-workers played a soccer game after work. They invited him to play as the goalkeeper. This was his first game since training with the Keeper. He helped his team win!
The next Saturday, a new player joined their game. The others called him "El Ladron," which means "the thief." This new player was actually a director for a soccer camp named DSJ. He also brought the owners of a team, Mr. and Mrs. DaSilva, to watch the games. They were very impressed with El Gato. They wanted to sign him to a two-year contract and offered him $10,000. This was the start of his professional football career.
Later in the interview, El Gato reveals a big secret to Paul Faustino. He admits that he cheated during the second-to-last penalty shot of the World Cup.
El Gato tells Faustino that he wants their interview to become a book. Paul Faustino is not sure at first. He has to give the interview to his boss. But he changes his mind. He decides to help El Gato turn his amazing story into a book.
In the end, El Gato quits soccer. He becomes a naturalist, just like his parents had always imagined he would be. At the very end of the novel, El Gato finally explains the Keeper's true history. He reveals that the Keeper was a real player.
Main Characters
There are three main characters in the novel Keeper.
El Gato
El Gato is the main character, or protagonist, of the story. "El Gato" is actually just his nickname. He is a very tall man who is usually quiet. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper. Throughout the book, he tells his life story to a soccer reporter during an interview.
The Keeper
The Keeper was El Gato's mysterious mentor. His real name is never mentioned in the book. The Keeper seemed like a phantom, almost like a ghost. Readers don't learn much about him until the very end of the story.
Paul Faustino
Paul Faustino is the reporter who interviews El Gato. He is obsessed with money. He wants to do the interview to get a big bonus from his boss. Paul is the first character mentioned in the story.
Awards for Keeper
Besides winning the Branford Boase Award, Keeper received other honors. It was a bronze runner-up for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in the 9–11 years age category. The book also made the shortlist for the Hampshire Book Awards.
