- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Walker Books Ltd; New edition edition (Oct 2 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1406303933
- ISBN-13: 978-1406303933
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 240 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Details |
Product Description
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 the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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 the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Gift for "Tween" Soccer Fans,
By KHP (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Keeper (Hardcover)
My 13 year old son is soccer mad, but as anyone browsing Amazon will see, so many of the fiction titles are geared to very young children. He loved this book - couldn't put to down until he was done. In his words, "This is the best soccer book I've ever read. I wish there were more like this."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews) 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your average sports story,
By Alan Gratz "Author" - Published on Amazon.com
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!,
By The Keeper "Matt" - Published on Amazon.com
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,
By Sarina Singh - Published on Amazon.com
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. |
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