Keeper | Tamar | About the author | Extracts | Further reading

All About Keeper

Published in 2003, Keeper is Mal Peet’s first novel and tells the story of the rise of a South American goalkeeper, named El Gato – the Cat, to the top of his game from a modest logging family in the rainforest to winning the most coveted of all football prizes- the World Cup.

As well as being told to the reader, El Gato’s story is also being narrated to sports writer Paul Faustino in the form of an interview. As Faustino encourages Gato, his story slowly unfolds and we learn that he had help in achieving his dreams from a mysterious figure from the rainforest known only as the Keeper.

The world of sport forms a focus for the novel but does not define it. Keeper features themes of family, social position and ecology while producing an intriguing plot and compelling read. Keeper won the Branford Boase Award, and is a popular choice with both children and adults.

Read the first chapter of Keeper on the Walker Books website. (You need to scroll down a bit).

Reviews of Keeper

 ‘A remarkable and absorbing story with football at its heart, but superb storytelling in its soul.’
TES

 ‘(takes) the football story into a new league…replacing the wish-fulfilment of most sporting fiction with rich mythology wedded to absolute realism…the year’s most surprising read in terms of promise and delivery.’
The Guardian

 ‘Extraordinary…magical…evocative and mysterious…a sophisticated read’
BBC Parenting

‘Inspiring and superbly written…as footballing stories go, this one is top of the league.’
The Irish Times

Still hungry for more? Follow this link to the Walker Books site where you can find out more about Keeper.

January saw the launch of an audiobook of Keeper. CD details to follow.