Keeper of the Trees, The

by Beverley Brenna

This modern fantasy novel set in London tells the story of Elizabeth, a twelve-year-old Canadian girl who feels homesick and lonely after her mother’s death when her father moves them to London. Soon, however, she meets an assortment of unusual characters and a strange adventure unfolds. Evil forces appear in the shape of the Hunter whom Elizabeth must face as she battles to keep alive the trees on whose survival hang the lives of many people, including Elizabeth’s young friend Thomas. Readers walk the wire between the real and the unreal, carefully lured into the story by Brenna’s engrossing depiction of the everyday and of the fantastic.

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 1999

About the author

Beverley Brenna calls Saskatoon, Saskatchewan home base, and loves to travel (both for real, and through reading)!

She published her first poem in The Western Producer at age seven. From this point, she was hooked on writing!

Much of what she writes contains autobiographical scenes, such as the "friendship soup" in The Keeper of the Trees, and the care and keeping of a pet tarantula in Spider Summer.

She has worked as a babysitter, home daycare mom, clerk steno, draftsperson, caregiver for orphan lambs, teacher, and university professor as well as a writer and storyteller.

Reviews

[Miranda V · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I remember enjoying this one as a kid. Now it’s very meh. Protagonist’s dad uprooting her (a 12yo girl) from Canada to London, England to live with her aunt for no other reason than he needs to “work on his thesis” is stupid. Also I lol’d when her aunt mentioned that their parents objected to her dad marrying a [*shudder*] Canadian…. They’re literally British…..

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fantasy about the keeper of the trees in London. There is no time left for homeless Maud to be keeper, when she meets Elizabeth, 12 years old, and from Canada. Later, she asks Elizabeth to take her role, and Elizabeth accepts the offer.
I like exciting stories, but this story was not so exciting.