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Keeper
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Keeper (2010) (edit title/settings)

by Kathi Appelt (Author) (edit contributors)

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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... read more

Summary edit see section history

This book is about a young 10 year old girl, Keeper. Early in life (around age three) her mother abandoned her and left her with a lady, Signe, who at the time was very young, early 20s. Keeper always thought that her mother had become a mermaid and had gone back into the ocean and Signe had... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

This book is about a young 10 year old girl, Keeper. Early in life (around age three) her mother abandoned her and left her with a lady, Signe, who at the time was very young, early 20s. Keeper always thought that her mother had become a mermaid and had gone back into the ocean and Signe had let her believe that.

One day it seemed as though everything had gone wrong in Keeper’s life. It was a blue moon day and Signe had made a family tradition of making crab gumbo on blue moon days. Dogie (a man that Keeper worked for waxing surfboards and a good family friend) had brought over 10 crabs that morning that he had caught in the Gulf of Mexico. After seeing the crabs Keeper noticed how beautiful they are. She thought she could hear the crabs speak to her because of her merblood (Mermaid blood. Her mom was a mermaid as she believed; therefore she herself had merblood in her.). While Signe was away getting an ingredient for the gumbo Keeper took the crabs and released them. She used the only thing Signe had of her mothers, a large wooden bowl. As Signe was pulling into the driveway Keeper ran inside to try put everything away, she slipped on a large puddle of water from the crabs and ended up breaking Signe’s bowl. While Keeper was taking care of the crabs she ended up letting the gumbo boil over and ended up ruining the only gumbo pan the family had.

Signe was angry with Keeper. Signe made Keeper go tell Dogie that she had released the crabs that he worked so hard to get. On the way to Dogie, BD (Keeper’s dog, BD is short for Best Dog) decided to chase the neighbor, Mr. Beauchamp’s, cat, Sinbad. As BD was chasing him he knocked over Mr. Beauchamp’s prized French Roses and depotted them. Mr. Beauchamp was a very elderly man.

Keeper continued onto talk to Dogie. Once there BD and Captain (a seagull that Signe had saved that hung around with BD) decided to try to knock over a box of cheese crackers. While in the process they ended up breaking Dogie’s ukulele which was the only way he could sing, and when he sung he didn’t stutter as he did the rest of the time. Dogie was going to use the ukulele to sing “Marry Me,” to Signe during that night when they enjoyed the crab gumbo.

Keeper had felt like the whole day had been a disaster. So she decided that night that she was going to ride in Dogie’s boat while nobody knew to the Gulf of Mexico and ask her mom, who she believed was a mermaid, to help her fix everything. She takes BD with her. After waiting on the tide to rise she realizes she gets swept out father away then she wants to. As the boat rocks a lot from the harsh waves she comes to terms with her mother’s disappearance. Keeper realizes that her mother was going to let her drown and Signe had saved her. After her dog gets swept overboard Keeper feels like all hope is gone. She falls asleep by while asleep mermaids take her to a sand bar and from there she can swim to shore.

When back on shore she finds Signe and Dogie waiting for her, searching for her. After Captain shows them where BD is they walk back to Signe and Keeper’s house. Where Dogie starts humming the marry me song, and without his ukulele he signs to Signe Marry Me without any stutters. She says yes! And they enjoy a nice beach wedding.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “"KEEEEPPPPPPPEEEERRRR!"”

First Sentence edit see section history

Keeper leaned over the edge of the boat.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in Kirkus Reviews: 2010 Best Children's Books. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Kathi Appelt (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Atheneum
Country: New York, NY USA
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 9781416950608
Page Count: 399

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