THE KEEPER

THE NIGHT GARDENER meets THE JUMBIES in this middle grade novel inspired by a terrifying true story about a boy desperately trying to figure how who's sending him threatening letters before he meets the same sinister end as the other children who once lived in his new house.

The first note arrives in the mail. The second appears in his coat pocket. The third is under his pillow. And they are all addressed to James from someone named The Keeper.

Moving from Texas to Oregon was a bad idea. James has known this from the second his parents told them about their seemingly perfect new house in the perfectly friendly town of Brooksville. Of course, even he couldn't have predicted just how bad - and terrifying - their new lives would be.

No sooner have James and his family arrived in their new home than he starts getting mysterious and sinister letters from someone named 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 making a fuss about moving and 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 and what "lies within the walls of their house" before they become the neighborhood's next victims. Because one thing is clear: Uncovering the truth about the Keeper is the only thing that will keep them alive.

Full of chilling twists that will keep readers guessing until the end, this middle grade novel is perfect for fans of Tracey Baptiste and Jonathan Auxier.


Guadalupe Garcia McCall was born in Mexico and moved to Texas as a young girl, keeping close ties with family on both sides of the border. Her poems for adults have appeared in more than a dozen literary journals. She lives near San Antonio, Texas.