by Kathi Appelt
Sandbars have a lot of names: shoals, gravebars, even spits. They are typically created by wave action and are made up of a combination of granular material, including sand, pebbles, and rocks. Many come and go, depending upon the direction and volume of the waves. But some build up over time and become barrier islands.
The first time I ever stepped on a sandbar off the beach of Galveston, I was surprised by its solidity. It wasn’t so much sand as sandstone. Older sandbars can begin as reefs, such as one made by an oyster bed, which give them a certain amount of rigidity and longevity. I imagine that my fictional sandbar is in this latter group and that it could easily be thought of as a rock. Thus, De Vaca’s Rock.
Other things have names too. For example, crabs technically have pincers. But I have taken liberties with the word and called them “pinchers,” which is the way my ear always heard them when I was growing up, and after all, that’s what they do—pinch.
Surfers definitely have their own language. When my sisters and I were teenagers, we owned a surfboard called a “gun.” It’s a flat-out miracle that we didn’t hurt ourselves in our attempts to gun for a big wave. And while I’ve never personally heard a surfer say “cooleoleo,” legend has it that it was, indeed, surfers who first coined the term. I vote for bringing that delicious word into the regular lexicon.
As for the mer, find a body of water….
Acknowledgments
Here’s a true thing: A teller can spin a tale only if there are people around the campfire to help her keep that story from spinning away. I am indebted to Kimberly Willis Holt, Jeanette Ingold, Lola Schaefer, and Rebecca Kai Dotlich, who read the earliest messy draft and stopped short of telling me to toss it back to the sharks. Candace Leslie listened when I needed a listener, and so did Rose Eder and Janet Jones.
I am particularly grateful for the care offered up by Randall Brown, Debbie Leland, and Uma Krishnaswami, each of whom encouraged me to rewrite the ending. Maybe the dude on the beach will find his own story, eh?
As always, a boatload of gratitude goes to Dennis Foley. He’s my anchorman.
When I felt like I might drown, Diane Linn threw a rope and helped bring the whole story into sharper focus. She lovingly cast her knowledge of tides and currents and stingrays my way, and she asked me to consider heartbreak over anger. Thank you!
And always, always, my brilliant editor, Caitlyn Dlouhy, believed in the magic of Keeper’s tale, even when my own doubts felt overwhelming. She helped me find my Keeper—yep, she did. Assistant editor Kiley Frank kept the oars in the water throughout the long process. A writer needs navigation, especially in rough waters, and that’s what Jeannie Ng provided. As well, my agents, Emily E. vanBeek and Holly McGhee, and my kindred Pips, kept the light burning, a beacon.
Right along on the edge of the water, my late grandmother Marge, my personal haint, walks between the pages of this book. She lived in Galveston, where I spent many happy hours and days as a child. It was her very real BD and Captain and green Dodge station wagon, her house by the marsh where the stingrays laid their mermaids’ purses, with its wraparound porch, that offered up this story. Marge always called me a “keeper.” It’s what I wish for every child, to feel that way, completely loved and cherished. I know she would have swum through the sea at night to find me.
In my world unto itself, I am blessed to have many people who keep watch. I am a better person and a better writer because of my colleagues and students at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’m a nicer person because of my mom, Patricia Childress, who continues to steer the craft; Laini Bostian, who sends me mermaids in the mail; my two sons, Jacob and Cooper, who are my true heart; and my sweet and handsome Ken, whom I love like crazy and always will.
Keeper
by Kathi Appelt
Reading Group Guide
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is a blue moon? How often does a blue moon occur? What important events supposedly occur on the night of a blue moon?
2. Why does the author allow the reader to see the human characters from Sinbad’s and BD’s points of view? How do the animals portray the humans? What do the readers learn about the animals that they wouldn’t know if they were not able to read the account from the animals’ points of view?
3. On page 92, Keeper refers to “double insurance.” What does she mean by that phrase? How does Keeper gain “double insurance”?
4. What does the reader learn about Signe through Keeper’s descriptions and interactions with her? How would you describe Keeper and Signe’s relationship?
5. Keeper’s biggest fear is that everyone she loves will leave her just as her mother did. What proof does Keeper have that her fear is unfounded? Why is her fear so real to her? What has happened to unleash Keeper’s fear?
6. As Keeper waits in The Scamper for the tide to rise, why does she have second thoughts? What are her second thoughts? Why does she continue to ignore her instincts?
7. Signe’s stock answer to questions for which she doesn’t have the answers is, “That is a question for the universe.” How can a question for the universe be answered? Why isn’t Signe willing to discuss those questions with Keeper?
8. The night Keeper takes The Scamper out through the cut, for what does each character wish? How are their wishes granted? Is it a night for the “magic of wishes”? Why or why not?
9. How does the trauma of almost drowning in The Scamper allow Keeper to remember the truth about her mother, Meggie Marie? What is the truth about Keeper, her mother, and Signe? How did Keeper get her name?
10. Dogie, Signe, and Mr. Beauchamp all lose something important to them as a result of Keeper’s choices. What do they lose? How does each character cope with his or her loss? What does Keeper lose? How does she find it?
11. What roles do BD, Sinbad, Too, and Captain play in Keeper’s story? How do they help save her life?
12. What connection does Jacques de Mer have to Mr. Beauchamp? What signal calls Jacques de Mer to The Scamper to save Keeper’s life?
13. What makes Mr. Beauchamp, Dogie, Signe, and Keeper a family of sorts? In spite of the hurt feelings, how do the day and night of the blue moon draw the four characters closer together?
