Keeper (novel)
Encyclopedia
Keeper is a fictional sports novel for children
by Mal Peet
, published on October 6, 2003 by Walker Books Ltd
. The novel takes the form of an interview by Paul Faustino in which the world's best goalkeeper, El Gato (meaning "The Cat"), tells his life story. Keeper won the Branford Boase Award
in 2004 and was shortlisted for the Hampshire Book Award
that same year.
, is interviewing El Gato about his recent World Cup
win. During the interview, El Gato tells Faustino about his teenage years and his entry into soccer. When El Gato tells Faustino that he is coached by a ghost known to El Gato as "the Keeper," Faustino thinks El Gato is lying to him. However, El Gato seems honest and looks like he is telling the truth.
El Gato continues to tell the interviewer his story. As a teenager, he secretly trains with the Keeper in an abandoned soccer field hidden in the rainforest. The young El Gato convinces his parents his time in the rainforest is the result of his fascination with nature. His family takes him for a naturalist, buying him collection materials and calling him "Professor." The charade continues until El Gato turns 15, when he is expected to start working in the logging industry
with his father. He does not tell the Keeper that he will no longer come to practice.
His first Saturday at work he finds out that his co-workers play a game of soccer after work. His co-workers invite him to play as the goalkeeper and, in his first game since his training with the Keeper, he helps his team win. The next Saturday, he plays with a new player who the others call "El Ladron", meaning "the thief." In reality, El Ladron is a director for a soccer camp named DSJ. He also brings the owners of the team, Mr. and Mrs. DaSilva to the games. They want to sign El Gato for a two year contract and give him 10,000 dollars. This begins his professional soccer career.
Finally, El Gato reveals to Paul Faustino that he cheated in the second last penalty shot of the World Cup.
El Gato tells Faustino that he wants the interview to be a book. Faustino hesitates because he has to give this interview to his boss. However, he changes his mind and helps El Gato turn his interview into a book. El Gato eventually quits soccer and becomes a naturalist, just as his parents had always imagined. At the end of the novel, El Gato explains the Keeper's history as a real player.
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
by Mal Peet
Mal Peet
Mal Peet is an English author who writes mainly for young adults. His novels have won several awards, including the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.- Biography :...
, published on October 6, 2003 by Walker Books Ltd
Walker Books
Walker Books is an independent British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker.The success of their Where's Wally? series enabled them to expand into the American market, starting a sister company called Candlewick Press in 1991.Amelia Edwards, co-founder of Walker Books,...
. The novel takes the form of an interview by Paul Faustino in which the world's best goalkeeper, El Gato (meaning "The Cat"), tells his life story. Keeper won the Branford Boase Award
Branford Boase Award
The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding novel for young people by a first-time writer.Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books and Henrietta Branford worked together previously to produce a great number of books. Both Wendy Boase and...
in 2004 and was shortlisted for the Hampshire Book Award
Hampshire Book Award
The Hampshire Book Award is an annual award given to works of children's literature published in paperback during the previous year. The award is run by Hampshire County Council's School Library Service.-List of prize winners:...
that same year.
Synopsis
Paul Faustino, a journalist for La NaciónLa Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
, is interviewing El Gato about his recent World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
win. During the interview, El Gato tells Faustino about his teenage years and his entry into soccer. When El Gato tells Faustino that he is coached by a ghost known to El Gato as "the Keeper," Faustino thinks El Gato is lying to him. However, El Gato seems honest and looks like he is telling the truth.
El Gato continues to tell the interviewer his story. As a teenager, he secretly trains with the Keeper in an abandoned soccer field hidden in the rainforest. The young El Gato convinces his parents his time in the rainforest is the result of his fascination with nature. His family takes him for a naturalist, buying him collection materials and calling him "Professor." The charade continues until El Gato turns 15, when he is expected to start working in the logging industry
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
with his father. He does not tell the Keeper that he will no longer come to practice.
His first Saturday at work he finds out that his co-workers play a game of soccer after work. His co-workers invite him to play as the goalkeeper and, in his first game since his training with the Keeper, he helps his team win. The next Saturday, he plays with a new player who the others call "El Ladron", meaning "the thief." In reality, El Ladron is a director for a soccer camp named DSJ. He also brings the owners of the team, Mr. and Mrs. DaSilva to the games. They want to sign El Gato for a two year contract and give him 10,000 dollars. This begins his professional soccer career.
Finally, El Gato reveals to Paul Faustino that he cheated in the second last penalty shot of the World Cup.
El Gato tells Faustino that he wants the interview to be a book. Faustino hesitates because he has to give this interview to his boss. However, he changes his mind and helps El Gato turn his interview into a book. El Gato eventually quits soccer and becomes a naturalist, just as his parents had always imagined. At the end of the novel, El Gato explains the Keeper's history as a real player.
Characters
In Keeper, there are three main characters. The first character that will be written about is El Gato, the protagonist of the story. El Gato is actually just a nickname. He is a huge man who normally is very quiet. He is a world cup winning goal keeper, and throughout the story he is telling a soccer reporter his past in an interview. El Gato’s mentor was a mysterious man referred to ‘The Keeper’ and nothing more. The Keeper was somewhat of a phantom, and one doesn’t learn much about him in the story, besides always wearing a hat that obscures his eyes, and also his amazing gift of goalkeeping. The last character was a reporter, whose name is Paul Faustino. He wants to do the interview to receive a big bonus from his boss, because Paul is obsessed with money.External links
- Keeper on Google Books