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Summary
Summary
When the odd new kid at school turns out to be his cousin, Kieran feels embarrassed and resentful. But how far will he let the bullying go?
Eleven-year-old Kieran wants to be part of the "in" group at school. He wants to be on the soccer team. He wants to fit in. But then his weird cousin Bon turns up, both at school and at home. Bon knows nothing about fitting in, with his long blond braid, babyish hand-knit hat, and funny, precise voice. Bon doesn't play sports, and he likes to draw imaginary maps with stories about "Bon the Crusader" and "Kieran the Brave." He's an easy target for teasing, and Kieran has little patience for him. Even more irritating, Bon's only friend is the other new kid, a cool girl named Julia who wears cowboy boots and has a confidence that fascinates Kieran. What could she and Bon possibly have in common? With unflinching honesty, My Cousin's Keeper takes on childhood jealousy, family secrets, and unexpected kindness.
Author Notes
Simon French was born and raised in Australia. He wrote his first novel while still in high school. He has written several novels and picture books, published in Australia and overseas. His work is praised by critics and has won several awards, including the 1987 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for All We Know. Change the Locks was an Honour Book in 1992. His most recent novel, Where in the World, won the 2003 NSW Premier¿s Literary Award for Children¿s Literature, and was shortlisted for the 2003 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, long listed for the 2003 Guardian Children¿s Fiction Prize and nominated to the IBBY Honour List in 2004.
In 2015 his title Other Brother was one of four books by Australian authors selected for the United States Board of Books for Young People (USBBY) list of Outstanding International Books for children and young adults.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Kieran is focused on several goals, including being popular and making the soccer team. But the appearance of his strange cousin, Bon, makes everything very challenging. Bon seems to be everywhere. He's on the playground at school, he's at their grandmother's house, and, eventually, he's sharing Kieran's bedroom when his mentally ill mother is no longer able to care for him. Since the boys are the same age, Kieran's family urges Kieran to look out for Bon, who is an easy target for bullies, with his long braid, his ragged clothes, and his notebook of maps and inventions. Kieran isn't willing to give up his shot at popularity by defending Bon, even after another new girl, Julia, urges him to put his family first. But once the bullying goes too far, Kieran realizes he has to do the right thing, even if it means risking it all. Narrator Todd Haberkorn does an excellent job capturing the boy's distain for his cousin. Although it sometimes feels like the story is a little drawn out, Haberkorn's distinctive character voicing ensures it's always clear who is speaking. Overall, this is a helpful book for jumpstarting discussions, and it will be a welcome addition to most middle grade collections.-Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
There's a vaguely disturbing undercurrent in French's (Where in the World) perceptive book about 11-year-old Kieran and his strange cousin, Bon, who briefly appears in his life when both boys are nine-just long enough to steal two of Kieran's favorite toys. Two years later, to Kieran's dismay, Bon's peripatetic mother, who struggles with mental and emotional problems, settles him with Kieran's family, and in his school. Bon's appearance, demeanor, and unusual interests make him a target for bullying, and Kieran, striving to be popular, does nothing to dissuade the bullies, even uneasily participating in some of the activities. His efforts to distance himself from his cousin while winning favor with another newcomer, the mysterious and confident Julia, are believably depicted, as are Kieran's parents' attempts to cope with the difficult relationship between the boys. The story takes on a quiet emotional power as the boys slowly forge a connection, and although the nature of Bon's mother's instability is never made completely clear, Julia's mystery is cleanly resolved in a way that places the novel firmly in contemporary times. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
When his cousin Bon comes to live at his house, eleven-year-old Kieran Beck is mad: Bon is sharing Kieran's bedroom, intruding on his turf. And Bon is "weird." He has a long braid and tattered clothing; smells of sweat and pee; and talks in an unnaturally precise manner, all of which make Bon a target of the cool-kid bullies at school (and ruining Kieran's chance of hanging out with the cool kids himself). Bon's only friend is another newcomer, a mysterious but kind girl named Julia, and Kieran is jealous of their friendship: he wants to be friends with Julia. Julia becomes the voice of Kieran's conscience as Kieran learns to stand up to the bullies and become a true friend. Bon keeps a notebook filled with drawings of dragons, castles, maps, and inventions and tales of Bon the Crusader, Kieran the Brave, and Julia the Fair; as the protagonists grow into Bon's roles for them, French's novel becomes a story of kids who dare to imagine worlds and become who they need to be. The narrative arc of Kieran's transformation is a bit predictable and tidy, and the voices are occasionally adult-sounding or didactic. But this humane and moving story of three children lost and found--a girl who leaves, a boy who remains, and another who finds the better part of himself--will win the hearts of readers. dean schneider(c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Do you have to be your brother's keeper?When his weird, long-haired cousin Bon turns up in Kieran's hometown to stay with their grandmother and attend his school, it torpedoes the 11-year-old's hopes of becoming one of the popular crowd. The neglected son of a mentally ill mother, Bon, also 11, has spent plenty of time on his own. He escapes into drawing and writing an elaborate adventure in which "Bon the Crusader," "Kieran the Brave" and "Julia the Fair" (another new student, living temporarily with the mother who abducted her) vanquish the forces of evil. There are certainly forces of evil about: families that are by no means as loving and supportive as Kieran's and bullies in the schoolyard. For much of the story, narrator Kieran is not very likable. Caught up in resentment and in his efforts to find a place among the popular, bullying boys, he goes along with their actions. A cruel, unfair attack finally pushes him to do the right thing, becoming the "Kieran the Brave" Bon has imagined. This Australian import, set in a dying small town where soccer is king, stands out for its forthright depiction of dysfunctional families and its effective juxtaposition of them with a functional one. A thought-provoking tale of family struggles, schoolyard bullies, masculinity, reaching out and intolerance, jealousy and friendship just right for middle-grade book discussions. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Eleven-year-old Kieran is not happy when his cousin Bon comes to stay with his family while Bon's mentally ill mother seeks to stabilize her life. Since both boys are the same age, his parents want Kieran to look out for Bon at school, but Bon's long braid, ratty clothes, and peculiar voice make him a target for the same kids with whom Kieran desperately wants to become friends. Meanwhile, Bon gets all the attention at home. Kieran has a different problem with another new kid, Julia: Kieran likes her, but she is nicer to Bon and critical of Kieran's meanness. French avoids moralizing as Kieran struggles over what kind of person he wants to be, portraying both boys with equal sensitivity and giving Kieran understandable motivations. A minor mystery involving Julia's family situation is resolved nicely. This contemporary Australian import deals with peer pressure in a straightforward and sincere way, making it a good choice for middle-grade discussion.--Hutley, Krista Copyright 2014 Booklist
