Keeper

In this poignant middle grade novel, ten-year-old Keeper, who believes she was born in the ocean and is part mermaid, sets out on a perilous journey across the Gulf of Mexico. After a day of mishaps, she hopes to find her mother, Meggie Marie, a mermaid who vanished seven years prior. Accompanied by her loyal dog BD and a seagull named Captain, Keeper navigates a small boat into a brewing storm. The story, rich with quirky characters like her guardian Signe, stuttering surf shop owner Dogie, and mermaid expert Mr. Beauchamp, explores themes of abandonment, the power of belief, and the true meaning of family. Ultimately, Keeper learns that magic isn't always what it seems, and love itself is the most mythical force of all. It's a tale of resilience, identity, and finding belonging.

On the night of the blue moon when mermaids are said to gather on a sandbar in the Gulf of Mexico, ten-year-old Keeper sets out in a small boat, with her dog BD and a seagull named Captain, determined to find her mother, a mermaid, as Keeper has always believed, who left long ago to return to the sea.