Book review: Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

Genre: Historical fiction

Release date: February 10, 2026

Goodreads rating: 4.53

My rating: 5

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Another amazing 2026 new release… the year is already kicking off strong for new fiction!

I went into this book already a fan of Sadeqa Johnson. I loved The House of Eve and was excited when I heard she had a new novel coming out.

Keeper of Lost Children is inspired by the real-life efforts of Mabel Grammer and her work to find adoptive families for mixed-race babies in postwar Germany, specifically children born to white German mothers and Black American servicemen following WWII. We follow the perspectives of three key characters: Ethel, the wife of a serviceman stationed in Germany; Ozzie, a deployed soldier; and Sophia, a young biracial girl determined to uncover her history. Through the characters’ intersecting lives, Johnson shows how international adoption, school desegregation, and the Civil Rights movement played out in real life—capturing both the progress made and the setbacks people faced along the way.

I love Johnson’s easy, fluid writing style. She weaves the stories of the three characters seamlessly. I also love her use of short compelling chapters that often end on just enough of a cliffhanger to convince you to read one more chapter (again and again!). Each chapter adds momentum without ever feeling rushed. Johnson knows exactly when to linger in a moment and when to move the story forward, making this a book that’s easy to sink into.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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