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The Keeper
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1986
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
209 books1,040 followersPhyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 22, 2025
Good book and a very interesting read. I really liked the writing style. The ending was a little anticlimactic but I'm pretty sure that was the point.
September 28, 2012
Nick's dad Jacob has been moving from job to job and then he quits his last job without warning because he thinks the Commies are coming to get him. Nick's mother won't tell anyone how her husband's acting, but Nick has to get help. He tells several people, but nobody seems able to do anything. This story seems so true-to-life. Nick is trying to catch a girl one minute and the next is stacking books behind his door in case his dad tries to get in in the middle of the night. The ending is excellent!
March 21, 2016
I loved this book. In fact, I was so intent on finding out what would happen that I let some of my tasks undone just so I could finish. I very good story. Very good characters. A compelling book. I think this book would be classified YA.
April 20, 2012
Touching book about an 8th grade boy dealing with his father's mental illness -- his struggle to keep it secret, to get help & to cope. Good 4th grade read.
Want to read
March 4, 2015Listed as Q3 = A good story with some faults, P3 = A booktalk on this title will excite most people’s interest
March 7, 2008
About a family who must deal with the father's mental illness. A good read about family values.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews