Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

Keeper of Lost Children is the latest release from best-selling author Sadeqa Johnson. Released on February 10, 2026, this historical fiction discusses the Brown Baby Project. Ethel finds herself at an orphanage in Germany and is surprised to see that all the children are mixed-race. Sophia is a teen struggling to fit in and find a place where she belongs. Ozzie is a young soldier in Germany, determined to do the right thing and break down racial barriers.

I want to thank Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Keeper of Lost Children. However, all opinions expressed here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Lost in the streets and smoldering rubble of Occupied Germany, Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American soldier, spots a gaggle of mixed-race children following a nun. Desperate to conceive her own family, she feels compelled to follow them to learn their story.

Ozzie Philips volunteers for the army in 1948, eager to break barriers for Black soldiers. Despite his best efforts, he finds the racism he encountered at home in Philadelphia has followed him overseas. He finds solace in the arms of Jelka, a German woman struggling with the lack of resources and even joy in her destroyed country.

In 1965, Sophia Clark discovers she’s been allowed to integrate a prestigious boarding school in Maryland and leave behind her spiteful parents and the grueling demands. In a chance meeting with a fellow classmate, she discovers a secret that upends her world.

My Opinions

Keeper of Lost Children tells the story of the Brown Baby Plan. After World War II ended, US forces were sent to rebuild Germany and other parts of Europe. These soldiers and German women often had relationships. Many times these relationships resulted in babies. In the case of the babies whose fathers were African American, they often caused the mothers to be shunned for having relationships outside of marriage. As such, many of the women took the babies to churches and orphanages to protect the babies and themselves. One woman saw this happening and took it upon herself to put these babies with families who were unable to have children of their own.

While this is a work of fiction, Johnson works hard to make you believe every word. She has a way with telling the hard stories, the ones that often fall through the cracks, and making them easier to understand.

Keeper of Lost Children is told through three POV. Ethel is the woman behind the plan to send the babies to loving families. Sophia is a teen struggling to find her place in her family and her school. Ozzie is a young man who found himself in an awkward situation. Each POV is easy to discern; their voices are distinct.

There may be some language that readers find offensive, but it is used in the context of the time period, as the majority of the story is set in the 1950s and 1960s. While I’m not saying the language was ever right to use, it was more common in certain historical eras.

My biggest issue with the overall story was some of Ozzie’s parts. There were times his story felt like it was dragging the book down. Then I remembered he was a young man in a foreign country, in a tenuous situation.

Overall, I think everyone should read Keeper of Lost Children. It tells a true story that has often fallen through the cracks of time.

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