Atheneum Books for Young Readers
May 2010
399 pgs.
Summary
On the night of the blue moon when mermaids are said to gather on a sandbar in the Gulf of Mexico, ten-year-old Keeper sets out in a small boat, with her dog BD and a seagull named Captain, determined to find her mother, a mermaid, as Keeper has always believed, who left long ago to return to the sea.
I love it!
ReplyDeleteMartha,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that--I tried to listen to the audio version (recorded by the author herself) and just couldn't get into it. Maybe this book is better in print form.
I loved this one. I could see Keeper out there on the water. The writing was strong and the emotions really flowed through the writing.
ReplyDeleteI also listened to the audio version, and unfortunately I found the voice and thoughts of Keeper quite annoying as the story went on. Her thoughts seemed way too young for her age – more like 4 years old than 10. I found I was not at all interested in the sections told in her voice, but whenever the story switched to the adults’ perspectives, I was drawn in again.
ReplyDeleteI should have told everyone I know NOT to listen to the audio--the narrator was the author herself, Kathi Appelt, and I think the publisher should have hired a professional reader. Others who have read the print version & not listened to the audio have loved it. I'm going to try to read it again, w/o audio.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I've read this one, and although it started out slowly, I found myself enjoying it more and more as I learned more about Keeper, her family, and her neighbors. Great sense of setting here as well as great character development. Appelt has a definite storytelling style--this one's very similar to The Underneath, but I found it a stronger book than The Underneath (which won a Newbery Honor). We'll see what happens!
ReplyDelete