Finders Keepers


Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
240 Pages
Reviewed on 12/11/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Dorothy A. Winsor is originally from Detroit but moved to Iowa in 1995. She still blinks when she sees a cornfield outside her living room window. For about a dozen years, she taught technical writing at Iowa State University and served as the editor of the Journal of Business and Technical Communication. Before that, she taught for ten years at GMI Engineering & Management Institute (now Kettering). She's won six national awards for outstanding research on the communication practices of engineers. She lives with her husband, who engineers tractors, and has one son, the person who first introduced her to the pleasure of reading fantasy. Finders Keepers, her first novel, debuted in September 2015.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Melinda Hills for Readers' Favorite

Stumbling across a beautiful stone in the mud by the local water pump, Cade thinks it will be the perfect gift for his mother. At home, though, it becomes the catalyst for major changes in their lives. In Finders Keepers by Dorothy A. Winsor, the heart stone is a rare and valuable gem that shows itself as special only to those gifted as Finders. Cade never knew he had this ability which he inherited from his mother and now both Cade and his mum face grave danger. After his mum’s arrest, Cade does everything he can to rescue her, but the first step is for his older brother, Roth, to get him out of town. If he is discovered, he could end up in the mines with the other Finders who are worked to death to make the miners and jewelers rich. Cade becomes involved with a girl, Shan, who is trying to track down heart stones to bring to the ancient altar in an attempt to prevent the destruction that is supposed to mark the beginning of the year 4000. When Cade inadvertently causes Shan’s friend, Jem, to be arrested, he has to take Jem’s place helping Shan locate the necessary stones. This leads them through a variety of scary encounters, but will it be enough to save them from the wrath of the gods?

Finders Keepers by Dorothy A. Winsor is a wonderful story combining great adventure and common social issues that challenge the characters to fight for their survival. To a large degree, it is a coming of age story in that Cade has to think beyond his own immediate needs and activities and make decisions based on the common good. The action is brisk, emotions are deep, and the moral message is subtle but strong, providing excellent depth for all readers, young and not so young. Great story - I loved it as an adult and think it is a wonderful book for older kids and young adults.