Joel’s story grabbed me by the heart and pulled me into the action from the first page. Joel lives with his Gran, believing that his parents abandoned him when he was young, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.
Gran doesn’t want Joel to do anything remotely unsafe, including talking to strangers but is it just because she is over protective? Joel doesn’t tend to think before he acts. He’s the one to fly over the edge of the steepest hill on his bike, and worry about what happens when he lands.
Sick of being bullied at school and getting into trouble when he can’t concentrate, Joel decides a stand-in Dad will solve his problems. When Dev the biker answers Joel’s ad, the complications build. It’s not easy hiding a tall muscly biker in a quiet seaside town with a population of 500.
Dev and Joel become close but their world is affected by others. Can Dev stay or will he be forced to leave? What will happen when the real danger strikes? Joel discovers the truth about both his parents, but it’s not what he wants to hear. Will he survive? Can he come to terms with the truth about his parents?
Make sure you’ve got time to keep reading when you pick up The Keeper. I couldn’t put it down.
The Keeper is the first book in a trilogy, which continues with Sailmaker and Killer Ute (KBR review here).
Title: The Keeper
Author: Rosanne Hawke
Publisher: University of Queensland Press (UQP), $15.95 RRP
Publication Date: 27 March 2013
Format: Paperback
RRP: $15.95
ISBN: 9780702249730
For ages: 10 +
Type: Middle Fiction, Young Adult Fiction