• Home
• About Authors
• Book Reviews
• Competitions
• For Parents
• Recommended Reads
• Collector's Corner
• Contact Us
• FAQs
• About Us

Who is Charlie Keeper
by Marcus Alexander

Release Date: 11th Jul 2008
Publisher: Marcus Alexander Publishing
ISBN: 978 0 0955 8912 0
RRP: £6.99

Average Customer Rating: 
(0.0 based on 0 ratings)

Got a bored teenager at home? Should've got them Who's Charlie Keeper...

There is always some degree of reluctance to purchase a self-published book - it may look tasty on the outside or sound exhilarating, but if it was that good, then surely someone would want to publish it?! In some cases, this reticence is justified - but not in the case of Who is Charlie Keeper. Not one little bit.

Charlie Keeper is our unassuming heroine - in the sense that she doesn't presume to be a heroine at all. Most pubescent protagonists are portrayed as being constantly in a funk and Charlie is no exception, indeed, for a twelve-year-old, she is remarkably astute and very articulate in relaying her emotive states... (Give me a twelve-year-old girl who isn't, mind you). One moment she is signing away more of her inheritance to the awful family lawyer, Mr Crow; the next, she is falling head over heels through a door into a strange new world in order to escape a monstrosity that has just chased her around her own home with deadly intent. All in a day's work, then...

It's not as if Charlie's life was previously normal - no, Charlie lived in a rather odd house that was altogether more Tardis-like and bizarre than could be considered natural. Living with her senile Grandmother since the abrupt disappearance of her parents, she learned to grow up quickly and brutally (due to the beatings from above mentioned Mr Crow - nasty man). Charlie surname, as it turns out, is extremely apt. She is a gatekeeper by bloodline, a heritage she had no clue of before she stumbled into the other-worldly dimension called 'Bellania'; where demons, wyrms, 'Winged-Ones' (dragons) and other odd-looking creatures live. It seems that her timing is impeccable as she is the holder of a pendant, a key to open the doors between our world and Bellania - a key that the tyrannical Stoman Lord (Bane) will do anything to get his grubby hands on.

There is no magic. Phew. There is only skill and an inbuilt talent that comes to fruition in Bellania called 'Will' - and only by focusing her Will can Charlie hope to survive the endless troubles that come her way.

Like standing in a sweet shop and being told you can grab handfuls and stuff them into your mouth all at once - Who is Charlie Keeper is a wonderful hop, skip and jump for the imagination. Sheer imagination alone does not make this a great book - but the author's ability to write in such a far-reaching, provocative and enthralling manner does. Charlie is a fantastic heroine. Bellania is a wonderfully dense and mysterious place, and Alexander can give himself a pat on the back for a job magnificently well done. Better than Rowling.

---

Your Reviews:

Click here to login or register and leave your very own review of Who is Charlie Keeper

01 April 2009: Anonymous wrote:
what a blazing read!!
Thumbs up for Charlie Keeper :)

---

26 February 2009: cherryb45 wrote:
I have read this book and I think it is totally the next big thing ..... there is fun to be had for young and old ca I love the whole non magic thing .. but sheer will power and thats something we all have. There is a charlie keeper in everybody I know.... also the art work is just amazing.
It is really a great book and I enjoyed reading it very much

---

26 February 2009: Marcus Francis wrote:
A fantastic storyline with a real feel of london with an addition of fantasy creates a very lively storyline, the imagination and experiences of the author really shine in the writing and he does well to describe the emotions which alot of children may relate to in cities in the UK, I recommend it highly!

---

18 February 2009: Anette wrote:
Having been a teaching assistant I would have to comment on the writing style of the author, it is not by any means traditional or even always grammatically correct but strangely it does seem to work exceptionally well. The author's odd use of justification adds extra weight and punctuation on actions, emotive points and speech patterns bringing not just the story but also the characters very much to life. Indeed the book is quite unusual as a whole entity but I would be the first to point out that it connects with today's ambience, fashion and prosetic style.
I further think that the several type errors found within the pages are an indication of the amateurishness of the book strongly suggesting that it is not just a self-published book but one done on a budget (no editor, no proofreader) but this is by no means a suggestion of failure because I very, very strongly believe that the story is phenomenal. It is exciting, well executed and left me lunging for the next page, the unfolding story was always a suprise and breathed into being with a sense of reality, something that cannot always be said for many fantasy novels which are sometimes a little too condescending.
My final thought on this book is that I think it will do well, self published as it is it might struggle against the grinding gears of the publishing industry but Charlie Keeper sparkles where so many 'top sellers' picked by bored newspaper editors are exceptionally lacklustre in comparison.

---

06 February 2009: Taty wrote:
Thanks for the review, I took a copy on your recommendation and was glad I did. Just as you said amazing imagination and easy to follow along. Being a slave to the wage and working a 45 hour week I would perhaps say that this book isn't just for the smaller kids but the bigger ones too!!
More books for those in their 'kidulthood' years please!!
Taty x

© Copyright 2007-2012. You may not copy, reproduce or otherwise distribute any content on this site without prior consent. To obtain consent - email here

The Truth About Books Limited. Registered England & Wales. Registration No: 6418483. Privacy Policy. Terms & Conditions

Send Review Copies to : The Editor, The Truth About Books Ltd, PO Box 4732, Sheffield, S17 9BZ