Mine for Keeps

Copeland Family

by Jean Little

Away at school, Sally Copeland has always dreamed of going home, but now that she’s there, she feels frightened and unsure of herself. Will her brother and sister accept her? Will she be able to do things for herself? And what will it be like to go to a regular school and be the only one with cerebral palsy?

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Disability, Young Adult, Canada, Juvenile

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Jean Little is a Canadian author, born in Taiwan. Her work has mainly consisted of children's literature, but she has also written two autobiographies: Little by Little and Stars Come Out Within. Little has been partially blind since birth as a result of scars on her cornea and is frequently accompanied by a guide dog.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have loved this book when it was first published. I would have loved it at ages 8, 9, 10, maybe 11. It was a contemporary setting back then. Reading it as historical fiction as an adult, I still really liked it. I did stay up too late because I wanted to finish it.

It’s a sweet and realistic seeming family story, and school story too. I loved the dog and the relationship between the dog & the girl. There were actually a bunch of fun dogs. I was not thrilled by the buying of a dog, though that happens a lot in today’s world too and at least they took a partly grown dog in need. Regarding the dog training, it wasn’t my favorite part but it could have been worse.

Sal and Sally are nicknames for Sarah?!

I like how cerebral palsy is described as causing different symptoms in different people. It’s a pretty good disability book. I think children with disabilities will like it and think that it might foster empathy in kids who encounter or might encounter other kids with disabilities.

There is a bit of a mystery and I thought that it was engaging and fun and I did make guesses as I read.

I loved Sal’s special place in the garden. I liked that each child in the family had a special place of their own for when they wanted privacy.

This is a also a great immigration story.

It definitely now has to be read as historical fiction but it’s good. For its time I appreciate how it includes characters feeling a variety of feelings and seeming like real people with strengths and flaws. I would have completely immersed myself in the story if I had had the opportunity to read it when it was new and I was young. Rheumatic fever doesn’t seem to happen anymore but did then. In every way it feels like an early 1960s story but it holds up well as long as readers enjoy historical fiction. I do enjoy historical fiction and find it especially entertaining when I have memories of the time period.

I loved the Introduction to this edition. It’s written by Maggie de Vries, Jean Little’s niece, and she shares information about how this book first came to be published. She also discusses a few changes made, and ones not made, and the reasons for them. Much to my surprise I basically concurred with the changes, although an added note about terminology could have also worked. I had not known that Jean Little had a visual disability. The introduction had information helpful to know and I’m glad that it was placed at the very beginning of the book. I might take a look at her books too.

(https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)

I have quite a few books shelved as to read books by Jean Little

(https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)

I won a copy of this reissue edition from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I thought it was a new book and had not realized that it is a classic. I enjoyed it and am glad that I read it. My library doesn’t have any copies of it. This edition is Canadian so they might not be able to order it. I feel lucky to have won a copy.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fantastic. (And it's actually great when read back-to-back with Light a Single Candle.) Sally's coming home to stay for the first time in a long time, after spending years in a school for children with cerebral palsy.

I don't even have the words for how loving and beautiful and beautifully specific this storytelling is. Sally's terrified - of her family (even though she knows they love her), of her new classmates, of being in a school and standing out, of not making friends... And then there's Libby and Elsje, and Piet - "Everyone hates Piet" - I choke up in two places reading this, every single time, and it's not because I'm a waterspout. It's because the writing is that good. It's sensitive and warm and heartbreakingly happy, and I can't rave enough about it.

I can keep flinging adjectives, but instead I'm just going to say one more time how pitch perfect I find this storytelling. This is a good one. And Meg is darling.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sal has cerebral palsy and has always lived in a special institution for the handicapped but now it is finally time for her to go home to live with her family. However, she finds the adjustment to her siblings and classmates much harder than expected. A dog and friends help Sal turn the corner and gain self confidence.

My review: https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** JEAN LITTLE January 1932-April 2020. ***

She will be greatly missed.😢

[Liv Butler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cutie lil book, all was so sweet until it turned into a dog book for the 3/4 chapters right at the end. I hate dog books lmao, probably should’ve noted that there was a dog on the cover.
Also WHAT is with all the parents of this book being like “yeah, my kid is 12, but they can have their OWN DOG” like not even a family dog, THEIRS (for keeps lol) and then just buying a dog for some kid just cause she’s got the measles like thats the ONLY thing they could think of to cheer her up. DEAD AHAHA

Anywhoo thanks to my pal camy for lending me this gem

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, overall, I liked this a lot. (Especially Sally and her dog! <3) It felt very real and NICE and not preachy.

But two things bugged me! I HATED the teacher telling Sally, "I know you think you have it bad, but Elsje had it worse." What an annoying thing to say! I hate it when people say that.

Also, I wasn't much of a fan of Sally pushing Piet at the end in front of everyone to take a step maybe he wasn't ready for. That would've destroyed me.

[Leeanne G · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was difficult to decide how many stars to give this book because I kept changing my mind while I was reading it. I've settled on 3 stars.

I think this book was a good introduction to what life is like for a child with Cerebral Palsy. Sally is coming home to stay for the first time in years. She's been living at the Allendale School for Handicapped Children for over 5 years. It's obviously very far away from her home because she had to take a plane home. She's always dreamed of going home to live, but now that she's home she's all scared about school and learning to do more things for herself.

Jean Little wrote a great, easy to understand explanation for Cerebral Palsy and why everyone who has it is affected by it a little differently. The doctor explains to Sally and her little sister Meg that the brain is like a motor, and people with Cerebral Palsy are born with parts of their motor injured or broken. It was a very helpful explanation for me because I don't know much about Cerebral Palsy.

"We can't fix the broken or injured parts, Meg, and there isn't any place where you can get new brains. But sometimes we can get other parts of the brain to do the work of the injured or broken part. It's as though you had to fix your car motor by getting another motor and working with it and trying it over and over until it worked-not as well as the right motor would have, but well enough to get the car moving. You learned how to drive the motor part of your brain when you learned how to walk. Now Sally has to do that too-but she has to start off with the wrong motor and work a lot harder at it and teach it how to work."

I had a few problems with this book though. First of all, I was really annoyed that Jean Little did not list any ages for the kids, or even say what grades they were in. We only learned that Meg is 4 and we learned that near the end of the book. I know Sally was very frustrated with not being able to do certain things for herself but I hated it when she took that out on her puppy, Susie. She did this when she was trying to teach Susie all by herself to do things like sit. She was frustrated that Susie didn't understand, but it wasn't fair to treat Susie so poorly and scare her so bad.

Between the middle and end of the book my interest kind of waned. It would come in and out, so to speak. I wasn't really into the whole Piet story. I enjoyed the Pooch Academy training and the other kids that joined it, but I never had the chance to like Piet very much. I did sympathize with him and the whole Jansen family's situation. I have no doubt that it isn't easy coming to a new country, trying to learn a new language, and trying to heal from a terrible sickness. I did get caught up in the enthusiasm of the St. Nicholas Day surprise for Elsje, so that saved the ending for me. This book had some shining moments, but it also had some dull ones.

"Now, as he waited for them to make up their minds, he glanced down at the funny-looking dog he was holding. 'Her name is Betty Crocker,' he offered. 'I call her Betts for short.'
'Why Betty Crocker?' Libby asked bluntly.
'Because she's a mix,' Jon answered."

For some reason this joke made me laugh so hard I shrieked. I'm still laughing at it actually. I simply had to share it with you all. :)

[Becca Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was outstanding!!

I really enjoyed From Anna by the same author.

This is the story of a girl with cerebral palsy in the 1960s who has been at a special needs school but is moving back with her family. I have a few family members who have special needs, two with cerebral palsy and I adore the way Jean Little made this family (and the protagonist's friends) so realistic. They each have flaws they need to work on and the character development is great. I love how the parents work with their children and love them well.

I will be reading the sequel as soon as it arrives in the mail!

[Melissa McShane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the 2016 YA/MG Book Battle.

This book about a girl with cerebral palsy learning to function outside her special school was fun to read, but slight compared to others of this year’s Book Battle that are also about family and friendship (Binny in Secret and The Penderwicks in Spring particularly). Sarah Jane (Sal) has been living at a school for children with “motor handicaps” for many years, but her parents have decided she’s finally capable of integrating into a public school. Once at home, Sal faces many challenges, not all of which derive from her condition, which was one of the things I liked about the book. Sal’s cerebral palsy is treated with great sensitivity, but never used as the Big Issue in how others treat her except by one character, who is himself damaged and whose reactions to Sal come off more as his reactions to his own situation.

Sal’s friendships form the heart of the book. I liked the way she wasn’t the only outsider, and how the Dutch girl Elsje reacted to Sal—again, not as a disabled person, but as a threat to her own friendships. Elsje’s brother Piet was one of my favorite characters, not because he’s likeable (he isn’t) but because his situation, being an outsider, being physically damaged, made him compelling. The only character I didn’t like was Sal’s father, who kept sounding like the Professor on Gilligan’s Island. He was just too wise to be real.

I have to say I think in terms of how it handles disability, this book aged well, given how differently we think about disability fifty years later. It functions on one level as a guide to cerebral palsy without turning too much into a lecture, though it made me wonder how cerebral palsy is treated these days, whether Sal’s experience still has meaning. But even though Sal struggles realistically with her disability, many of the other relationships felt too obvious: the antagonism of the other “new girl,” Sal’s older sister who is unrelentingly negative about Sal’s capabilities, Sal’s parents who are completely well-adjusted to their daughter’s problems. Piet’s drama was the one that felt real to me, and his fear felt real as well. Given that this is Sal’s story, I think this is a problem. Even the denouement belongs to Piet, not to Sal, and while we’re meant to see Sal as the one who gives Piet courage, I don’t really buy it. Because of this, the ending feels tacked on, with Sal realizing she has friends and a place away from the school she spent so many years at. It wraps up a little too neatly for real life.

Overall, the book had many admirable qualities, but it’s probably not one I’ll come back to.

[Mrs. S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few longer books I really remember my mother reading to me. I know I was read to a ton as a kid, but I started reading on my own so early that I don't always remember what I read and what my mom read to me. I recently tracked down a copy and gave it a re-read.

I was surprised to find how un-dated this book felt. Aside from some of the terminology (like "handicapped") and the notion that a young girl with some physical limitations would have no options other than a far-off boarding school for "handicapped children", most of this story felt surprisingly fresh and timeless. (Oh, and the part about giving out apples on Halloween. That totally wouldn't fly these days.)

When Sally Copeland comes home from the school where she's lived for five years--home to stay--she doesn't know how she'll manage. She has cerebral palsy, which affects her legs and hands. She uses knee braces and crutches to help her get around, and has a hard time doing everyday tasks like getting dressed. She's nervous enough as it is, and then her mother tells her she'll be attending the same school as her brother and sister: a school where she will be the only child with a disability.

The story of Sally's transition back home and into a mainstream classroom--like most realistic fiction for young readers--deals with a character trying to make friends, overcome her fears, and learn to do new things. The relationships between Sally and her friends and family feel real, and Sally's struggles will resonate with any reader who has ever had to tackle a challenge--so, anyone. I was happy to find that this book was as lovely and vibrant as I remembered it.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book by one of my elementary school teachers. Two decades down the road, I can't remember if it was Mme Duval (2nd grade) or Mme Testa (4th grade), but it was a) a lovely gift and b) thoughtfully chosen. I am not differently abled like Sally, but I did have trouble fitting in at school. Although the book suffered from a shortage of the kinds of things I generally like in my fiction (space, magic, epic quests, etc.), Mine for Keeps was a reminder that friendship and acceptance can be found at a time when I needed one, and I read it many, many times.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel really blessed reading the author’s work for the first time with this amazing award winning middle grade classic.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the advance reading copy of the new edition coming out on 4th April, 2023. It’s amazing! I love the cover so much!

I can relate with the main character Sal the entire time I was reading the book. The sense of wanting to belong to your family as much as everyone else in your family but also desperate for being the individual you are as you are familiar with when you are there with your family. Our main character, Sally Copeland, comes home finally after staying away from her family for years because of her disability.

She’s been missing home the entire time but when she’s surrounded by her family finally she’s not sure what to feel about it. However, her parents and her siblings along with those close to her family do their best to make her feel at home. Even though she struggles to fit in, she eventually finds her own place eventually.

I find the writing getting quite intense in the second half which I felt is just the grip needed to make the story more interesting. I am so happy to read a middle grade book with adult as well as child side characters having a distinct voice in the entire story. I am so impressed with the author’s writing and the manner with which some very sensitive topics having been dealt with so much understanding and maturity. I really appreciate this.

As I said before, I am quite blessed to have read Jean Little’s book for the first time. I am so grateful!

[Paige (pagebypaigebooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Oh, you too Susie. You’re mine too, mine for keeps!”

I'd like to thank Penguin Random House Canada for sending me this book as part of their Tundra Books "You're a Classic" campaign in exchange for an honest review!

I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.

Instagram Post

Blog Post

This was my first time reading this classic story and I was not disappointed! I loved Sally's character and getting to follow her experience coming back home. One of my favourite aspects about Mine for Keeps was the development of Sally's relationships. Her family is very supportive and attentive, which helped grow Sally's confidence as time went on. I also loved her little dog Suzie! Her connection with Sally was adorable and seeing how the two supported one another in difficult times was so heartwarming. Themes of accessibility were also prevalent and a main component of the story. This Puffin Classics edition has an introduction written by Jean’s niece and it details the changes the book has undergone since its initial publication. This includes replacing old terms used in the 1960s to describe disabilities. She also explains Jean’s inspiration for the story that came from her and her students’ frustrations. All in all a great read with an adorable new cover!

Mine for Keeps is a heartwarming story filled with themes of friendship, family, and love. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a feel good read.

[Heidi Busch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy when I saw this in our collection at the library. I remember reading it when I was younger and thinking how great it was that Sally, who has cerebral palsy, was able to train her dog. When I was reading it today I thought about how this book probably helped me realize, when I was young, that children with special needs just want to be treated like everyone else. This is a great book for children to read to help them develop an understanding of and empathy for other children.

[Sanemets · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book as a kid! I even wrote to Jean Little and I got an answer three years later.

[Lori Faiella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book when I was younger! I was just going thru my books and found it. I"m going to re-read it and remind myself why and come back! :)

[Mary Mackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful. How to overcome your fears, in an excellently presented story

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mine for Keeps by Jean Little is a reissue of a beautiful, sensitive novel about a young girl facing the challenges of cerebral palsy. As vocabulary has changed regarding disabilities, this edition was updated to reflect that. Jean Little has a gift for communicating a child's world so authentically and I am so glad another generation can experience the beauty of her writing.

Sally had been boarding at a special school for children with disabilities when her parents made the decision to bring her home. Sally is faced with so many feelings: fear that she won't fit into her family; sadness over leaving the only friends she has known, and doubt that she will be accepted at her new, "regular" school.

The first challenge for Sally is figuring out where she fits into her family. The attention she receives causes some envy from her siblings and everyone is learning to adjust to a new normal. What is really noteworthy is her supportive mother and father. They offer help when absolutely necessary but allow Sally to struggle a little to gain more independence. Her second challenge is facing a new school and trying to find friends. She worries about what other children will think of her having to use crutches (and the fear and dread of misstepping and falling at school).

A secondary part of the story is the friendship between Sally and a new pet. As she nurtures him, she grows in confidence and is determined to train him. With the help of some new friends, she faces this challenge with creativity and grit. This endeavor leads to helping another child who has struggles of his own. All in all, this was a thoroughly delightful, poignant story about the transformational influence of family and friends.

When the book was written, mainstreaming children with disabilities was a significant shift in
educational philosophy. Mine for Keeps offers not only a historical perspective on the integration of children back into their families and into schools, but also offers a very positive example of encouraging all children--regardless of their abilities--to reach their fullest potential. The feelings that Sally experiences are universal: wanting to fit in and be accepted for who we are and learning to grow through challenges with the help of caring friends and family. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Mine for Keeps from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received and the opinions expressed are solely mine.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in the late 60s. My mother was trying to programme me to believe I had "mild cerebral palsy" which I found out about 20 years ago was yet another figment of her imagination. I now know the correct diagnosis of my health, and I never had any form of cerebral palsy (of course). I also know a great deal more about my mother and why she treated me the way she did. Not that it has any bearing on the book, but that was the scenario the first time I read it.

All those years I remembered the first couple of chapters, particularly the chapter title "Nobody Likes Piet." I couldn't remember who Piet was or why no one liked him, or anything about the book, and just the other day it came back to mind. I had no memory of the title of the book, so imagine my surprise when I opened this vintage children's story and found the chapter heading staring up at me from the Contents page! I have to say I didn't enjoy the book very much this time, but then it's been nearly 50 years. What really got to me was the idea that on the outskirts of their town (which is never named) there are apparently several backyard breeders of different types of dog, and that they could supposedly get a cocker spaniel puppy for about six bucks and still have money left over for other presents. Even for those days that was a pipedream, unless it was a "free to good home" puppy the person took their money for.
We never find out even what part of Canada the family lives in, let alone the name of the town. We aren't told the ages of the kids except the youngest who is four, which is odd considering it's a "family story" published in 1961. Most child readers of the time would like to know which was oldest, youngest, middle etc. Apparently Dad is a wealthy and influential member of the community, since he and mom only had to campaign a bit for the new rehabilitation centre to be built. To a modern reader Sally's parents would be seen as very strict and authoritarian, but things really were like that in those days.
Our family acquired a free puppy about the time I read this book. When we took her to be vaccinated, there was this little flyer on one of the tables in the waiting area, "How to Train Your Dog." It gave simple instructions on the basic commands like Heel, Sit, Stay, Come, and Down as well as how to get your dog to drop something it was holding. I was all of about 7 or 8 but with that flyer I was able to teach the puppy to follow the four commands, so it's really not that amazing that Piet was able to do it.

[Pamela Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in two readings in one day. I couldn't make myself put it down to read the newspaper.

I had read it before as a young woman, at least 30 years ago, but I had completely forgotten it. I'd also forgotten how absorbing it is - possibly I was too busy with a job or a baby to let myself get so absorbed then. This is not at all the way I usually react to "middle-grade" books these days - I kept reading them well into adulthood, but after around age 40 I started finding most of them rather dull. (It occurs to me that this is probably because older middle-grade books like this one - from 1962 - are generally much better and more interesting to adults than the more recent crop.) But I was so involved in watching young Sal adapt to life with her family and at a public school, after being in a boarding school for handicapped children almost as long as she can remember, I just had to know what happened next.

Sal has cerebral palsy and requires leg braces and crutches to walk. She can't write quickly, which causes a lot of trouble on her first public-school math quiz. She has trouble changing clothes, especially with buttons. She used to have trouble speaking plainly, but the speech therapy she received at her boarding school has taken care of that problem in her case, though of course it never completely does so for some CP patients. None of these problems change over the course of the book, despite her regular continuing therapy (presumably physical and occupational therapy).

The most distressing thing Sal can't do is walk her young dog Susie - Susie is very small but energetic and has no clue about heeling. The fact that Sal was willing to get a dog surprised Sal herself - she had been afraid of dogs, but Susie was even more afraid of people and that created a bond.

The best part of the book is when Sal becomes involved in doing something she thinks she can't do, to help another child with a disability.

It's also lovely to watch how she and other children learn to be friends despite a poor start. The struggle of Sal's older sister not to help Sal too much is instructive.

The story is set in Canada, where the author lived, but it might as well be in the US, except for singing "God Save the Queen" and saying the Lord's Prayer in school. Canada didn't even have national health care when it was written, which makes it very like here.

[Aimee Massey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Jean Little's best-known and most-loved books.
Sarah Jane Copeland has lived at the Allendale School, a facility for the physically handicapped, for five years. She has cerebral palsy and has some difficulty walking and using her hands, and for a long time there was no facility near her home where she could receive the physical therapy she needs. But now such a facility has been built, and Sally is going home to stay and to attend regular school.
Sally is thrilled to be going home to stay, but she is also nervous about how she will manage away from the school and the many aides who helped her do things. The school encouraged independence, but Sally wasn't above convincing other people to do things she was capable of doing herself. She's also nervous about being the only handicapped student in her new class, and about making friends.
Sally is, quite frankly, scared to death. On her very first morning at home, when her mother brings her a set of new clothes to put on and leaves her alone to dress, Sally has a meltdown; she is sure the clothes will have tricky buttons and zippers and she feels very sorry for herself. Mother comes into the room and sees Sally in tears, and when Sally explains the problem, her mother points out that she hasn't even looked the new clothes over yet. Sally then discovers that the outfit, and in fact all of her new clothes, has been specially selected with her motor skills in mind, and that yes, she can dress herself entirely on her own.
When she starts school, Sally feels as if everyone is staring at her and her leg braces and crutches. But right away she is befriended by Libby, a girl with a heart bigger than the world itself who is everyone's champion. And there's Mr. Mackenzie, a perceptive and accepting teacher who respects Sally's limitations as well as her capabilities, and unobtrusively works with her to find simple ways to make her time in school as normal and stress-free as possible.
Sally's promising start in school is marred by her introduction to Elsje, a recently-arrived Dutch Immigrant girl who is best friends with Libby and who sees Sally as a threat to that friendship. Mr. Mackenzie observes the dynamics between Sally and Elsje, and it's he who explains privately to Sally that Elsje was even more terrified on her first day of school a year ago than Sally was. Elsje and her family had only just arrived in Canada from the Netherlands when her brother Piet became sick with rheumatic fever. His illness and inability to attend school and learn English as quickly as Elsje has taken a toll on all of his family, and though he is now able to go to school, he is an angry, bitter and lonely boy who only wants to go back to Holland.
While Sally and Elsje gradually begin to work out their differences, Sally is still adjusting to life at home. Her parents are firm in their insistence that she must do as much as possible for herself, and she grows to enjoy her new
independence. She enjoys it even more when she receives a pet of her own, a West Highland White terrier she names Susie. Susie is nervous and shy, and so is Sally, but they both seem to understand how much they can help one another and are soon fast friends.
As Sally's friendship with both Libby and Elsje grows stronger, Elsje becomes a much more sympathetic character. She is no longer the cold and jealous girl who resented Sally for being Libby's friend. Instead, we see that Elsje is a fiercely loyal girl with an iron determination and a deep love for her family. Her chief worry is Piet.
In their hometown, Piet was athletic and loved animals. He had a natural talent for training dogs and his own dachshund, Willem, is beautifully behaved and clever. But the rheumatic fever has damaged Piet's heart and broken his spirit; unable to go to school for so long, he hasn't grown proficient in English and has been unable to make friends, and the other kids in his class make fun of his accent and his perceived arrogance. Though he is now physically healthy, Piet can no longer play football, which he used to enjoy, and he's even lost interest in Willem. He is sure he will never be able to do any of the things he wanted to do before his illness, and his parents, struggling to adapt to a new country and to pay off the debts from Piet's medical bills, are at a loss as to how to help him.
Sally at first disliked Piet, but once she has learned of the reasons behind his anger and isolation, she understands how he feels; she has felt his fear and his despair. And with the encouragement of her friends, Sally begins to conquer her fear of failure and of looking foolish. She decides she will learn to train Susie, using the methods Elsje used to watch Piet use with Willem and helped by some library books.
Elsje thus becomes the leader of the Pooch Academy, helping not only Sally but also Libby and her dog Chum. They are soon joined by two boys from their class: Jon, a soft-spoken and insightful boy, and Randy, easygoing and quick with ideas. The boys bring their dogs too, and Pooch Academy is going well ... till Elsje gets the measles and can't come to school or supervise the dog training.
Sally and the others are at first sure they cannot continue without their redoubtable leader, but it's Sally, once called Scarey Sarey by her family, who insists that they can and will keep up with their dogs' training. She wants Susie to be well-behaved, but more than that, She wants to prove to herself, to her family, and to Piet that having a physical handicap needn't prevent her, or Piet, from succeeding at things they want to do, that the fear of failure can be overcome.
And so as Christmas nears, Randy suggests a St. Nicholas Feast for Elsje and her family. His housekeeper is Dutch and has told him of the Dutch tradition of filling wooden shoes with candy and gifts on the night of December 5, and the other kids and their parents eagerly agree.
And so, on St. Nicholas Eve, children, parents, and dogs converge on the Jansen house, bearing good wishes, food treats and one very special gift for Elsje. And Piet finds himself surrounded by people who care about him and not his heart condition, and who know he is capable of many things. And tentatively, unsure of himself but willing to make an effort, the angry, lonely boy reaches out and allows himself to be happy again. He has seen Sally stick to her goal of training her own dog, even though it was sometimes difficult with her limited mobility, and he knows now that he can once again work with his beloved Willem, and to pursue his dream of being a veterinarian or animal trainer.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via LibraryThing, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely little book, one that I had not read myself as a child. It came about at a time when it was de rigeur to write books for children addressing issues of some kind, the sort Judy Blume became particularly famous for: I am fat (Blubber), I have scoliosis (Deenie), or I'm having my period soon Are You There God? It's Me Margaret.

The best of these transcend their elevator pitch origin, and Mine for Keeps does as well. While the protagonist has cerebral palsy, that soon ebbs to a background condition and character trait, and other plot points rise to the surface: will she make friends? what's going on with Piet? Can her dog be trained? I was relieved that the arc of the book wasn't having cerebral palsy, struggling with it, and then coming to terms and being accepted, phew.

And it's written in a straightforward, elegant manner, the writing equivalent of slipping into a warm bath, nice and cosy and easy and something to look forward to. The book escapes five stars for me because I wasn't particularly moved, nor, in a different direction, was it particularly hilarious. It was a calm, gentle story.

(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)

[Lily Bratko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jean Little has a fantastic way of putting reality into a bunch of papers. The Books she has written have so far been the ones at the top of my Christmas list every single year. This book has engaged me with emotions, and this book catches my emotions in a way that only Jean Little can. If you haven't read this, I encourage you to start with the first few chapters. If there are people reading this review and are struggling with something similar to what the main character has been struggling with, I encourage you to keep your chin up high, and know that all pain is for the better of humanity. If we never knew what pain was, we wouldn't know how to help others when pain entered this world. So take that pain and testify to the world that you can't be conquered by whatever you may be going through and that the pains of this world are nothing compared to the pain that our lord Jesus experienced. Jean Little is an amazing thinker, and she placed another book in my life called, "Dancing Through The Snow" It's about a girl named Min, who went through foster care, and I can definitely relate to what Min had gone through because in my own universe I AM Min.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mine for Keeps
Puffin Classics Edition
by Jean Little
Pub Date 04 Apr 2023
Penguin Random House Canada, Puffin Canada
Children's Fiction



I am reviewing a copy of Mine For Keeps through Penguin Random House Canada, Puffin Canada and Netgalley:


While Sally Copeland was away at school she dreamed of going home. Now that she's home she's frightened and uncertain of herself.


Will her brother and sister accept her?


Will she be able to do things for herself?

And what will it be like to go to a regular school and be the only one with cerebral palsy?


I give Mine For Keeps five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this classic dog story, now revamped for modern readers (Puffin 2023 edition). I wish I could have read this book in my childhood, as it would have been one of my favorites back then if I had.

Mine for Keeps was originally published in 1962, but I would definitely recommend it for young readers now. It's a wholesome kind of story. It introduces diverse characters to kids, as Sally is a girl with cerebral palsy, but it touches on other serious topics too. All the characters have their flaws and their virtues. I love how that illustrates that nobody's perfect.

To the dog lovers:
I looooove West Highland Terriers, and am extremely delighted that this breed is in this book.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally has lived at a boarding school for kids with cerebral palsy for the last five years, and now has to figure out how to live at home with her siblings, make friends, and succeed in school while being the only kid with CP. Honestly, this is so good. It was written in 1962, so if it was just republished with current language (disability replacing handicapped), it would be something I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. It explains CP in clear language, her teacher blamed himself the first day for not planning ahead with accommodations, friends and family make accommodations naturally, Sally is very much the agent in her own life.

[Elizabeth Michel · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the setting and adventure just slightly above, and beyond the every day, this book is perfect for the age of its readers. I am reminded of the terror of simply having a meal with my friends and their family by myself at this age. Jean Little is so skilled at connecting directly to her readers life, teaching them valuable life lessons and allowing them to imagine what might be attainable in their own lives, such as training their pets or bringing joy to a sick friend. We want to name our new dog Willem now :)

[Ellen H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading the Jean Little books of my youth and I'm really surprised by how well they hold up. They're startlingly well-written for "issue books" -- written at a time when there weren't so many "issue books", and the issues were often different than you'd see to day in tween literature -- and they make me realize where my standards for good writing came from -- from reading both classics of children's lit and from reading well-written books of the time as well.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is my 8 year oldest rating for a book we read aloud together. He loved the story, the school drama and anxieties, learning more about cerebral palsy, training dogs, and making friends. Very sweet- sparked good conversations. This was written in the 1960s but recently re-released by Tundra/Puffin books.

[Clarissa Unruh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Jean Little. I felt like I was right there with the children. Makes me think of a child with a handicap that I went to school with and how he must’ve felt? A lovely read for children. And obviously adults too;)