Written by Cat Hellisen
Sarah has had a rough life. She and her parents have moved quite often. Suddenly her mother leaves. No warning, no reasons given, she just says she can’t do winter anymore and leaves.
Sarah learns how to survive. She attends school just enough to stay out of trouble. Her father doesn’t seem to even know she exists any more. One day he tells her to pack her things. She does and he drives her to her grandparent’s castle deep in the forest.
Sarah tries to adjust to the new circumstances she finds herself in. In a dark, cold, and lonely turret is where she lives. Her extended family is unusual. She has many questions about the curse that turned her grandfather into a beast. He is kept locked in a cage in a broken down shed. Her grandmothers are unusual.
The actual Beastkeeper is a boy she happened to meet just after her mother left the family. He helps Sarah through the change she had to go through until her grandmother decides to give up being a witch and gives her powers to the Beastkeeper.
Fairy Tale. Fantasy. Curses. All come together to help Sarah.
Review by Kristine Johnson, West Lake Junior High Media Center
Rating: ★★★✩✩ (3 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 7-12
Beastkeeper
Written by Cat Hellisen
Henry Holt and Company
197 pages
Release Date: February 3, 2015
