Thank you to NetGalley for sending me "The Keeper" in exchange for an honest review. Let me start by saying I am NOT the intended audience for this Fantasy/Adventure Middle Grade Book. I think that if this would have been out 20 years ago when I was about the age of 12 I would have LOVED this book. As a women in her 30's I can appericate some things in here. Personally it's about a 3.5 stars but because I am NOT the intended audicene and think someone who is the middle grade age I am giving it 4 stars!
Here's Why:
1. I love the relationship the James and Ava have. It felt like a real brother/sister bond. I remeber being that young and my brother and I would always laugh at each other, we were mean but as soon as someone else tried to be mean to me, Jesse would stick up for me. It felt like a real bond.
2. The build-up of the setting was fun. It was dark and gloomy to match Jame's feelings on moving to Orewgon.
3. It was just fun. Parts of it were even creppy. Like I already said if I read this at an apporitate age I would have LOVED this!

So good! THE KEEPER surpassed my expectations! Spooky, but not too spooky. I loved the Oregon setting and James is a wonderful character, Don't miss this!
Perfect middle school reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

James and Ava are siblings moving from Texas to Oregon for their mother's work. Neither is particularly thrilled about the move, but especially not James. He has great friends and a great social life back in Texas and it's close to his heart because his Ita (grandmother) has recently passed away and Texas reminds him of her and of his family connections.

Something James and Ava are well known for is their love of pranks. They truly love one another... but also love to try to scare the pants of each other. This is all fun and games until one day, James gets a mysterious letter from "The Keeper" and his parents think it's just another elaborate prank.

Eventually, James has no choice but to try to get to the root of who the Keeper is and what they want. And he can only do that if he and Ava team up.

This was a really great middle grade story-- definitely creepy, but not *too* creepy for the intended audience. It also deals with issues like not fitting in due to your race, death of a family member, moving, sibling dynamics, and the environment. This will definitely be a story I'll keep in mind when I have middle grade readers of my own. I love how the story encourages teamwork and skills like bravery and cleverness. The Mexican folklore and language throughout was incredibly interesting and I learned a lot through my reading.

I would highly recommend this to middle grade readers who want to be creeped out!

Knowing this is inspired/based on a true story was kind of cool when going into it! Middle Grade horror is a genre that I love and will always love I hope. Guadalupe García McCall does a great job at slowly building the story and setting the scene and then the second half of the book totally unleashes the world on the reader. The Mexican and Mexican American culture explored throughout kept me totally invested in this one and I will definitely read more from the author!

I have had a thing for Middle Grade scary book lately and this cover pulled me in. I had high expectations for some creepy stuff going on and I was a little disappointed in the beginning. It wasn't until much later in the book where we started to see some of the really creepy things.

Don't get me wrong, there were some mysterious elements early on that were interesting and kept me intrigued. I loved the characters and especially the sibling relationship of the main characters.

This book is a delight and perfectly spooky! As someone who grew up in Oregon, this is the kind of story I love to see set in Oregon - spooky, paranormal stories! This book did a great job taking a real (terrifying) story and making it a fun, age appropriate paranormal story!

This is the perfect little thriller for my middle school students. I've already pre-ordered it for my library. James and Ava are forced to move to Oregon after the loss of their grandmother. James has a bit of a sixth sense about the area that they moved to. When he and his sister enter into a prank war, they find out that lots of crazy things have happened in the area, and specifically something to do with "Young blood." This was an entertaining and thrilling tale and I will be doing a book talk for my middle schoolers.

Thank you to @Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

Middle grade horror is a tricky thing. You have to find the right level of spooky without becoming extreme or unbelievable. This is especially difficult when you aren't dealing with ghosts. While I can understand the desire to tread new ground, it's much harder to create a convincingly scary atmosphere without ghosts. This book goes too far, going to weird horror cliches for the threat. And until the danger is revealed, it's not especially frightening. The town is more uncanny than truly creepy. I think for a middle schooler, I would stick with a ghost story.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I only sort of liked it.

It's based on a true unsolved crime story, which I normally go for. But it's a slow burn with a lot of logic stretches, even for a kid's book.

The positives:
- It's got all the right parts for a creepy-but-not-terrifiying middle school read: New kids on the block, history of missing kids, weird letters, and strange neighbors. It's a little Coraline-ish. The investigation held by children is pretty much the adventure mystery-machine style perfect for that age group.
- the sibling main characters are funny. They pull pranks on each other, and their banter is realistic for siblings (Which many books struggle with). And them banding together to investigate the mystery of their new house, the weird letters, and missing kids is a great focal point for the story. It's my selling point for this book. Also, their Mexican American roots are VERY strong and easy to identify with.
- the ending finally gets the pacing that's missing for the first half of the book.

A good middle grade horror read, but it may take a couple starts to get into the story.

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 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 hthe 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 :)

James and his family move to Oregon from Texas. James and his sister have a long-standing prank feud, so when he starts receiving mysterious, threatening letters from someone called "The Keeper" his parents don't believe him.

The premise of this book is AMAZING. I love that the author took inspiration from the true crime story of the Westfield Watcher (if you're unfamiliar with the story, it's worth looking up!) - there's so much potential there, and calling the kids "young bloods" is deeply creepy. There were some legitimately spooky moments in this book, but the spooky factor was diminished by the Scooby Doo-level hijinks -- a boomerang AND a lasso? Zoinks! -- and a really unlikeable, annoying main character. I think some middle grade readers will enjoy this book, but it's not my favorite middle grade horror by a long shot. That said, the concept of this book was excellent, so I'd definitely read another book by McCall in the future.

A copy of The Keeper was sent to me for review by the publisher, and all opinions in this review are mine!

In this book, we follow James, an intelligent, courageous boy whose family has just moved from Texas to the pacific northwest. They arrive in the near-perfect town, and almost immediately, James begins receiving a series of mysterious and vaguely threatening letters from “the keeper”. No one believes him but his little sister, Ava, and it is up to them to solve the mystery before they can become the next in a line of missing children.

I adored this story. The worldbuilding, the relationships, the authentic and vulnerable moments of being young were all lovely. This is exactly the story I wanted and needed as a kid, and being able to read it as an adult was a real treat. The mystery is well-written, and the intrigue is palpable. But nothing about this story can compare to the perfectly crafted familial relationships. So much care was given to the development of James’ relationships with his parents and sister.

It does take a little while for the action to start, and I was curious about when the inciting incident would occur (surprised that it took about so long, but looking back I understand). If you enjoy middlegrade or have a child who does, I wholeheartedly recommend this story.

**Youtube video set to publish on February 8, 2022

Truly a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story as McCall bases the story on a real event. The characters felt underdeveloped. I appreciated several moments, especially about the pranks.

The Keeper is a story about siblings, James and Ava. They just moved to a small town in OR from TX. Right away I enjoyed the sprinkling of Spanish words - so nice. This would be a good book to demonstrate using an ereader so the students can learn to look up translations or definitions if needed.

Lovely mentions of Ita, grandma who recently passed away.

I wasn’t sure which direction the story would go. No hint of mystical elements, story plot until 20%. It could have just been a story about siblings, new homes and friends. The pressure kids put on themselves to fit in or be a star in sports.

At about 30 or 40% things changed!

Mysterious things are happening in this small OR town. The creepy neighborhood is turning dangerous. The siblings need to work together and no longer fight.

There are lots of characters to add to the depth and mystery of the story. Is it real? A prank? There is Witchcraft, blood moon, scary events that happened over the previous decades. Oh my - so good!

Ita’s words come in handy, Ava has brains, James has bravery and together they can accomplish anything.

The last 20% of the book was quite scary, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I was very worried for Ava and James. ?? Will this be too intense for some readers?

The Keeper is not a simple kids book with fluff and simple scenes. Loved it. Great for readers who want substance and an exciting, thrilling scare!

I can’t wait to recommend this book to my students.

McCall writes fantastic action! Students will stay up late to see if The Keeper will be defeated, and if not, how many children will pay the price.

This starts as a pretty ordinary middle grade story about a Mexican American family who moves from Texas to Oregon. James is not happy to have left his friends and the only home he's ever known for this rainy place. The only thing that seems to bring him joy is time with family, one-upping his sister in their perpetual prank war, and meeting some kids who also like baseball. But, suddenly, James starts receiving creepy notes from someone called The Keeper. This story then goes from a typical story about family and friendship to a terrifying horror story. I don't want to give away all the twists and turns but I started turning pages REALLY fast and was seriously scared about what would happen next. I recommend this twisted tale to fans of horror movies and truly creepy stories.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing me with this advance reader copy.

Description from NetGalley:
James always knew moving from Texas to Oregon was going to be horrible.. But no sooner have he and his family arrived in their "perfect" new home in their "perfect" new town than he starts getting mysterious letters from someone called the Keeper. Someone who claims to be watching him. Someone who is looking for “young blood.”
James and his sister, Ava, are obviously in danger. But the problem with having a history of playing practical jokes is that no one believes James—not even his parents. Now James and Ava need to figure out who is sending the letters before they become the next victims in their neighborhood’s long history of missing children.

Because one thing is clear: Uncovering the truth about the Keeper is the only thing that will keep them alive.
This book is a super cute/spooky middle grade mystery. James and Ava are written really well. They feel like actual siblings and sound as kids should sound, which can be a hurdle sometimes. I felt for them moving from Texas to Oregon after the death of their grandmother and laughed at their prank war. It was quite refreshing to read about their sibling relationship.

When they arrived at their new house/neighborhood, I started to get the “too nice to be true” kind of spooky plot vibes. As James gets drawn into the mystery I couldn’t put it down. The plot was a little bit of slow burn with a cymbal crash of an ending. I do wish I had more clues as to who it was or longer with the kids working on the mystery of this neighborhood.

It’s a fun mystery for middle grade kids. 4/5

The Keeper started out a little slow, but then really picked up the pace! This middle grade novel is a the perfect mix of mystery and adventure!

The Keeper is a slow build that escalated into a fast ride at the end. The twists and turns kept me guessing, while the creepiness factor increased with each chapter. I loved James & Ava’s relationship, their prank wars, and their closeness to their grandmother and their family. It touched on grief and the big feelings that come with it, but as a middle grades horror novel, it was more about the horror.

This book is a fun spooky read for tweens and young teens (early middle school). What I appreciate about this book are its representation of Mexican-American culture and the close family relationships, particularly between James and Ava. The spooky/horror element was a gradual build, but never frightening. Great character development throughout and loved the distinct personalities of James (athletic/baseball player) and Ava (analytical, science geek). My only complaint was the ending was a bit messy and weak.

Star Little League slugger James and his little sister, science geek Ava, are engaged in a ruthless prank war that has only intensified since they left their Texas home to move to rainy, creepy Oregon. The pair aren't thrilled about the move, even though the neighborhood is full of super nice and welcoming folks. Maybe TOO nice... When James starts to receive spooky letters from the mysterious Keeper, his parents assume it's part of the prank war and ignore his worries, so James begins to investigate the matter himself. The more James and Ava dig, the weirder things get...and the looming threat of the 'Blood Moon' means the stakes are high!

THE KEEPER is a charming, spooky middle grade horror novel, perfect for tweens who want a tense, supernatural thrill alongside a lovely story about family, friendship, and heritage. James' growing relationship with his sister is adorable, and the book's undercurrent of James' struggle to grieve the loss of his abuela will be relevant to many readers. The novel gets off to a slow-ish start, but once the mystery starts to unravel, it doesn't stop. Very fun read!