Keeper

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sasha Beckdell Lewis is afraid of everything. Clowns. Cats. Snowballs. Most knives. Some forks. Car wash places. Sprinkler heads. Men in beards. Men in moustaches. Blood. Ketchup (because it looks like blood). Most kinds of cheeses. And that s just her starter list. But when her best friend, Courtney, forces her to try out for the girls soccer team, everything changes. Suddenly, things aren t so scary anymore. Through soccer, Sasha learns to not be afraid of the world. The author of this book, Holly Goldberg Sloan, is also the screenwriter of the Disney classic Angels in the Outfield.

146 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

About the author

Holly Goldberg Sloan was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and spent her childhood living in California, the Netherlands, Istanbul, Washington, DC, and Oregon (where she graduated from high school). She wrote the screenplay for Angels in the Outfield and directed The Big Green, as well as a number of other successful family feature films.

The mother of two sons, Holly lives with her husband (the writer/illustrator Gary Rosen) in Santa Monica, California. I'll Be There was her debut novel. Her next book, Counting By 7s, was Amazon's best novel of the year for middle grade. Her book Just Call My Name is a follow up to I'll Be There and takes place several months after the ending of the first novel.

Appleblossom the Possum was written by Sloan and Illustrated by Rosen and comes out of Sloan's love for Charlotte's Web. Her next novel will be published in January of 2017 from Dial/Penguin Random House.

Reviews

[Ixchel Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sasha Beckdell Lewis an eighth grader has a long list of people, animals, things, and events that terrify her. Her friend Courtney is the complete opposite and pushes Sasha to be more daring, especially when it comes to sports. After basketball tryouts are a disaster for her, she is tricked into giving soccer a try. Being coached by a young man is definitely a plus and suddenly Sasha finds herself as third-string goalie for her school's team.She has lived with her elderly ,grandmother since her mother abandoned her as a baby. She has an interesting variety, of friends. The story moves at the rapid pace of a soccer game with short chapters and lots of action both on and off the field. However, the author has tried to cram too much into the final chapters. Still, soccer players will enjoy the book.

[Jenalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good book by Sloan.