Keepers of the Marsh by Maura Jortner: Review

Welcome to my review of Keepers of the Marsh by Maura Jortner! I haven’t posted a Middle Grade review in quite a while, so I was excited to get back into this age category.

Keepers of the Marsh by Maura Jortner Cover

Title: Keepers of the Marsh
Author: Maura Jortner
Genre: Adventure
Publisher: Holiday House
Pub Date: 05/20/25

Description

Twin sisters team up—despite drastically different personalities—to save their family from a bitter witch’s curse in this rich and atmospheric middle grade novel.

Twelve-year-old Lana isn’t looking for trouble when she ventures into the swampy marsh behind her family’s home in Galveston Bay. She’s just sweaty and bored and lonely, sick of sitting around doing nothing.

Her family never goes anywhere. Her mom and her sisters want nothing to do with her, and none of them will talk about their dead dad. With loads of unanswered questions and no other options, Lana decides to seek out the legendary Alligator Witch—if she’s even real.

What Lana doesn’t realize is that the Alligator Witch is very real, and has spent decades plotting her revenge on the town. When the witch swiftly casts a terrifying curse, the only person Lana can ask for help is her unfriendly and generally unwilling twin, Gracie.

Together, the twins embark on a memorable journey to make sense of the Alligator Witch’s dark past, along with the unexpected role their family played in her descent. In spite of their differences, Lana and Gracie must unite to make things right and save their loved ones.

An enchanting read packed full of fascinating lore, girl-powered adventure, and just-enough danger, this story of sisterhood will keep readers turning pages. Hand to fans of exciting, lightly magical sagas like The Midnight Children and The Jumbies.

Review

Keepers of the Marsh was a fun read, and it had several different elements to keep attention, like the Alligator Witch song and the written account of Zofia’s life. I really enjoyed the way breadcrumbs were dropped throughout, making the book part mystery and part adventure.

Nana’s involvement in the story was one of my favorite aspects as it was hilarious but also brought complications and a bit of reality to the story for those with sick and aging grandparents. The historical aspect of the book was also very interesting as I didn’t know about the Galveston flood, so it was interesting seeing the way the book connected it to the plot.

Another thing I really liked was the emphasis the book put on the fact that people process death and grieve differently. It’s such a good lesson, and I think the way Lana came to understand it was very natural. I even found myself getting emotional toward the end, which was unexpected. Overall, this was a nice, magical read, and I would read more by this author.

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.*

Author

Maura Jortner teaches creative writing and literature at Baylor University. Her debut novel, 102 Days of Lying About Lauren, was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, received a starred review, and was named a Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year. She lives in Texas with her husband, two daughters, and a cat that can do tricks.