Publishers Weekly - Audio
With the United States entrenched in WWII and her mother dead, Iris Anderson is trying to make sense of her new life at a public school. Her father’s attempts at running a detective agency spur her to become his unwelcome—and sometimes unknown—sidekick in several cases, including an investigation that focuses on one of her classmates. Haines’s YA novel—a kid detective meets film noir mashup—proves a lively and enjoyable listen, thanks to narrator Rachel Botchan, who infuses Iris with personality and creates a character that is exuberant, curious yet melancholy, and insecure. Botchan also embraces the spirit of Haines’s prose, although at times her tone sounds too modern for the era. A Roaring Brook Press hardcover. (July)
From the Publisher
Adult mystery author Haines's YA debut is a meticulously crafted slow burn. . . . Haines writes gracefully, immersing readers in Iris's perceptive thoughts, suffering, and transformation. Nuanced relationships and a social climate shadowed by ethnic tension and war result in a compelling reflection on a complex era.” —Publishers Weekly
“. . . the compelling characters, superb setting, and myriad twists and turns will keep readers intrigued till the very end.” —School Library Journal
“Take a powder, Nancy Drew. 1940s girl sleuth Iris Anderson is on the case. A stylish, slang-filled teen noir that is as entertaining as it is absorbing.” —Kirkus Reviews
“What makes this such a standout is the cast. Sounding like they're right out of the 1940s (well, a 1940's movie, anyway), the characters, young and old, pop off the pages. Iris, intriguing and infuriating, captures the tension inherent in the teenage years, no matter what the decade. This joint is jumping.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“Iris' story has considerable crossover appeal, enticing both mystery lovers and historical fiction fans, with a cunningly devised plot and a cast of period-specific characters. . . .” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
School Library Journal
Gr 7–10—It's 1942 and 15-year-old Iris Anderson's life is in upheaval. Her mother died and his father lost his leg at Pearl Harbor, necessitating their move from the tony Upper East Side to the much less glamorous Lower East Side of Manhattan. She's had to leave private school and begins attending P.S. 110, where a fast crowd, the Rainbows, rule the school. Culture shock abounds as Iris discovers a whole new world that includes dancing the jitterbug at the Savoy Ballroom in forbidden Harlem. She stumbles into a mystery when the disappearance of one of the Rainbows has connections to Chapin, her old school. There are shades of Veronica Mars and Nancy Drew when Iris secretly tries to help her father, now a private detective. In doing so, she builds a rickety house of cards that is in danger of destroying not only her relationships with her new friends, but also the tentative bond she's made with her father. Rachel Botchan excels at giving each character in Kathryn Miller Haines's debut Iris Anderson mystery (Roaring Brook, 2011) a distinctive voice and accent. This straightforward mystery combines a realistic treatment of ethnicity and interesting period details and lingo with nostalgic atmosphere.—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
OCTOBER 2011 - AudioFile
Rachel Botchan gives a strong performance of this YA standout. Iris Anderson just wants to help out her pop, whose private detective business is floundering. Since he came home wounded from Pearl Harbor and her mother committed suicide, Iris has had to endure a lot of change—no more Upper East Side apartment, no more private school. When Pop starts investigating the disappearance of one of Iris's public school classmates, she gives in to the urge to look into things on her own, befriending a local gang and getting in plenty of trouble. Botchan delivers pitch-perfect depictions of everyone involved—from the Polish Mrs. Mrozenski to Iris's former uptown best friend. Most important, Botchan’s portrayal of Iris is authentic and fresh. K.O. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
