Stay!: Keeper's Story by Lois Lowry, Lois Lowry, True Kelley (Illustrator), True Kelly (Illustrator)

Product Details

Synopsis

Born between a board fence and a set of trash cans, the hero of this absorbing new novel by Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry is a lowly stray dog. Abandoned at an early age by his mother and separated from his siblings, he faces every challenge with his nose upturned and his lustrous tail held high. His journey out of puppyhood, during which he becomes the loyal companion to a homeless man, discovers an ear for poetry, and meets his match in his brutal rival, Scar, is a story of perseverance in a world of danger and unexpected opportunity. But through it all, he cannot forget his frail little sister, Wispy, and he does not rest until he finds her again. Told with humor and keen insight into both canine and human behavior, the story of this proud survivor will delight dog-lovers and adventure-lovers alike.

Annotation

Separated early in life from his mother and siblings, Keeper tells of his adventures with various human masters and his continual search for his little sister.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8A puppyhood spent in a trash-strewn alley behind a French restaurant may not seem like the most auspicious of beginnings, but luckily Keeper was born with three great assetsa glorious tail, a way with words, and a healthy ego. His natural charisma leads him to relationships with several humans, from a homeless man to a photographer who turns the pup into a model famous for his sneer, but it is only after he meets little Emily that he finds his true home and his true name. Keeper tells his own story, sprinkling it with many keen observations about the natures of dogs, cats, and humans. He has a particular fondness for rhymed couplets, as in the gem (composed to pacify a couple of fierce felines): "Fur so fine! Eyes agleam!/You rival me in self-esteem!" Keeper's slight tendency toward pomposity will amuse readers, especially when they can come up with a rhyme that eludes him, and though a final rendezvous with his lifelong enemy does damage to one of his assets, he retains enough of the other two to make this story a "glorious tale." This book will find an audience, but it is more sophisticated in voice, tone, and vocabulary than Lowry's other titles for young readers, and the references to the fashion world, French foods, and Gourmet and Vanity Fair magazines may elude children. Kelley's pen-and-ink illustrations portray a dog whose rather ragtag appearance is amusingly at odds with Keeper's own vision of himself.Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Biography

Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader’s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award. Ms. Lowry now divides her time between Cambridge and an 1840s farmhouse in Maine. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com