Keeper [Paperback]

Mal Peet (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

"This stirring adventure — a soccer story? a ghost story? — defies expectations. . . . Both lyrical and gripping." — KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)

When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in the South American rainforest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach a poor, gawky boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. A seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action, this evocative novel will haunt readers long after the story ends.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–When acclaimed South American journalist Paul Faustino begins his interview with World Cup soccer star El Gato, he expects to be recording the thoughts of a goalkeeper at the height of his career. He never envisioned hearing about a young, lonely boy growing up in the middle of a rain forest, who wandered upon a mysterious soccer field and an apparition that appeared to him daily and trained him to become the greatest goalkeeper ever known. Is El Gato mad? Is he suffering from hallucinations due to the stress of the game? Is there some truth to be discovered in his fantastic tale? Only at the conclusion of the interview and the resolution of who the Keeper really is and what he is waiting for will readers even think of putting down this fascinating book. Peet achieves his expressed desire to write an entirely new kind of soccer story, not only including the experience of play, but also mesmerizing readers with a supernatural mystery in a tale about relationships, loneliness, and believing in oneself. This is a well-written, fast-paced sports story that addresses far more than just the sport itself. Fans of Chris Crutcher's sports-themed novels will want to pick up this selection by a new and talented writer.–Kathryn Childs, Morris Mid/High School, OK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Published originally in the United Kingdom, this unusual novel won the 2004 Branford Boase Award and was short-listed for the Nestle Children's Book Prize. Framed as an interview between a South American sports reporter and the world's best soccer goalkeeper, the now 30-year-old "El Gato" relates how he developed his skills, achieved great fame, and won the coveted World Cup. His story is one of poverty and isolation in a small logging community, of strong family ties in a beloved jungle being inexorably denuded, and of intense focus on the game of soccer. If a coming-of-age tale meeting an environmental message framed by sports narrative weren't enough, a mystical element is added, as El Gato describes his rigorous soccer training by a ghost in a magical clearing hewn from dense foliage. El Gato's remembrances do not consistently take the reader with him, and disparate elements don't always gel. Rich depictions of family and forest are marred by stilted, implausible dialog and choppy transitions between present and past. With its lengthy descriptions of the game, this may appeal most to soccer fans. Holly Koelling
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763632864
• ISBN-13: 978-0763632861
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your average sports story, March 18, 2006

By 

Alan Gratz "Author" (Western North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Keeper (Hardcover)

On the surface, Keeper is a soccer story. Goalie extraordinaire El Gato sits in a small hotel room recounting not only how he's just won the World Cup, but also how he came to be the keeper he is today.

What follows though is a story filled with mystery and magic - yes, magic. We learn that as a boy, El Gato discovered a ghostly presence in the jungle outside his small South American village, a ghost that taunt him with almost desperate authority how to be the best goalie (keeper) in the world. It's an odd premise, but the story unfolds in startling and endearing ways, eventually encompassing issues as big as deforestation and as small as leaving family and home for good.

For me, this is the ultimate kind of sports book. It escapes the cookie-cutter realm of "team is disorganized, team becomes organized, team overcomes odds to win big game." Even winning the World Cup isn't so important that we have to re-live every moment of the "big game." It's the consequences of the game, and the keeper's development as a person and a goalie, that are far more important in the long run.

By focusing on the boy and the greater issues he resolves through his keeping skills, this story transcends its own genre. It's a fantastic book to put in the hands of any boy who's ever played youth soccer, or just any boy who ever sought his place in the world on a playing field.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Don't Like Reading, But I Really Can't Put This Book Down!, May 9, 2006

By 

The Keeper "Matt" (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeper (Hardcover)

wow!!! what an amazing book!! I just can't put this book down!! I got this book yesterday and I have not put it down since, this is without a doubt the BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!!! wow!!! This is an amazing book!! I would recomend to buy it!! This was required for my school, but if I had not ever heard of this and had to buy it, I would have thought it was nothing!! I recomend this for all young adults like middle schoolers 6-8 and also it could be just a fun book to read for adults too!! BUY THIS BOOK!!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read for lovers of sports fiction, February 21, 2006

By 

Sarina Singh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeper (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my nephew who loves soccer. The cover was so interesting that I had to read it myself before giving it to him. This is a gripping story of a boy who starts off playing soccer in a remote logging camp in the middle of the Amazon jungle and his rise to become one of the greatest goal keepers in the world and a hero in the World Cup.

Peet weaves magic and mystery into a story that avoids most stereotypes typical of the genre. This book also has a strong environmentalist message that shoudl appeal to many children.