Book Review: “The Keeper” by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
The Keeper by Guadalupe García McCall
ARC received from NetGalley
Released on Feb 8th 2022
I am so very glad that I got to read an early copy of this book. I am going to add this one to the list to purchase for the nieces and nephews for holiday and birthday gifts! It’s the perfect spooky thriller for kids who enjoy mystery, tension, and even a little bit of magic.
I am in love with the way the author blends her Mexican heritage and culture into the natural flow of the book, adding indigenous religious symbols and new words to learn. It’s a very nice contrast to the usual fare of white Christianity versus Paganism. I make it my aim to provide the kiddos in my life with diverse reading material so they can get a variety of perspectives and writing styles. I think it’s important they read stories with influences from all around the world, but especially things that also mirror their own Latinx heritage.
This book is jam packed with tension, mysterious details that will make you curl your toes under the blankets if you read before bed, and just the right amount of creepy evildoers! I enjoyed the references to birds as well, as many religions and global cultures use birds as omens, spiritual guides, and even tricksters in their storytelling. The bad guys in this book are pretty dastardly, and it does get a little dark with mention of child death, but for brave kiddos around age 9 or 10, this will be a tale of heroic feats from kids their own age. I think it’s just right for older elementary and middle-grade readers. As an adult, I found it compelling and interesting and really captivating! I found myself reading it before bed and trying very hard to stay up later and later to keep reading it, haha! In fact, I was so engrossed in it at one point I was alternating closing each of my eyes so I could “half sleep” and still try to keep reading (it did not work, but I picked it up the next day ASAP!).
I love the style of the author’s writing, and it speaks to the child reader with respect and correctly assumes they can handle more than most adults will give them credit for! In fact, many of the characters in this story deal with that very same thing; they learn and investigate and come to conclusions using their reasoning and context clues, and solve the mysteries long before any of the bumbling adults! They’re brave in the face of danger, and our hero siblings continue onwards even while afraid, a valuable lesson I was just explaining to my smallest niece - it is normal to be afraid in the face of the unknown, to feel scared and overwhelmed or sad, but the important thing is that we carry on in spite of those fears *while* we’re afraid, because we are stronger than we may realize, and we can do the hard things and be brave even if we are anxious. I loved that this message is carried throughout. The mentions of dark, scary things aren’t too graphic or intense, they’re just enough for an introduction to spooky literature. Well done all around, and would love to read more about the adventures of these siblings and their Kiddo compatriots in their Oregonian neighborhood!
Excellent tale of magic and mystery. Would definitely read any follow-ups by this author, or any sequels set in this same universe.
Review by Ellen Avigliano
Twitter: @imaginariumartz
www.imaginariumarts.com
