Keeper

Keeper was born in the ocean, like a dolphin, like a Minke whale--like a mermaid. 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, born in the middle of waves isn't so much about being part mermaid as it is about being the daughter of a woman who is unpredictable and wild and uncommonly gorgeous, a woman who swam away when Keeper was three. A mermaid! That's what Singe says and that's what keeper believes. So, when this ten-year-old goes out looking for her mother, she heads right for the ocean, right for the sandbar where mermaids are known to gather. But, her boat is much too small for the surf and Keeper is about to learn that it is much too small for the storm that is much too small for the storm that is brewing on the horizon. Lengend and beliefs round out a life; they make a person whole and complete--but stories of magic and myths can also--if believed too tightly--rip a person apart. Kathi Appelt's follow-up to her Newbery Honor, National Book Award finalist novel The Underneath with a stunning, mysterious, and breathless tale of outgrowing fairytales just a little too late--and learning in the end that there is nothing more magical and mythical than love itself.