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Summary
Summary
A gripping portrait of a teen's struggles through grief and abuse - and the miraculous power of animals to heal us. (Age 14 and up)After her veterinarian dad dies, sixteen-year-old Iris Wight must leave her beloved Maine to live on a North Carolina farm with her hardbitten aunt and a cousin she barely knows. Iris, a vegetarian and animal lover, immediately clashes with Aunt Sue, who mistreats the livestock, spends Iris's small inheritance, and thinks nothing of striking Iris for the smallest offense. Things come to a head when Iris sets two young goats free to save them from slaughter, and an enraged Aunt Sue orders her brutish son, Book, to beat Iris senseless - a horrific act that lands Book and his mother in jail. Sent to live with an offbeat foster family and their "dooking" ferrets, Iris must find a way to take care of the animals back at the farm, even if it means confronting Aunt Sue. Powerful and deeply moving, this compelling novel affirms the redemptive power of animals and the resilience of the human spirit.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-When 16-year-old Iris's father dies, she is sent from her suburban home in Maine to her aunt's goat farm in North Carolina. Her presence there is barely tolerated, and she is treated as little more than a slave. Aunt Sue expects Iris to rise early, care for the goats, and make the cheese that they sell in a local farmer's market. When school lets out, there are more chores, while her cousin Book goofs off with his buds. Iris doesn't really mind, though, because she has a passion for animals. When her aunt instructs Book to butcher three of the goats, Iris protests, and in retaliation she is brutally beaten. Aunt Sue and Book are arrested for the crime, and Iris goes to live with a local foster family. Now, though, who will take care of the goats? She feels powerless but knows that she has to do something, even if it means confronting her aunt. The story moves at a gentle pace, slowly pulling readers into Iris's cheerless world. The teen is realistically emotional and stubborn, and the secondary characters are well developed. Give this one to teens who enjoy dramatic plots with rays of hope at the end.-Heather Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
After her father's death, sixteen-year-old Iris goes to live in North Carolina with her mean-spirited, abusive aunt and violent cousins. When Iris, an animal lover, sets the farm goats free, her relationship with Aunt Sue comes to a violent head. Endearing characters and poignant themes populate the story, as Iris comes to terms with her loss and her passion. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Abandoned first by her abusive mother and then by her father when he dies, 16-year-old Iris Wight is no stranger to loss. Family friends initially agree to care for her, but problems soon force Iris to leave her home in Maine to live with relatives in North Carolina. Life with her angry aunt and dangerous cousin quickly proves more than she can handle. Before Iris' arrival, her aunt's abusive behavior was focused on the farm animals, but as Iris begins to protest the inhumane treatment of the goats, her aunt's cruelty shifts toward her. The violence culminates in a horrific beating that lands Iris in the hospital and her aunt and cousin in jail, leaving Iris to navigate yet another change. She must learn to wade through the foster-care system and deal with animosity at school while trying to find a way to care for her beloved goats left back at the farm. While never gratuitous, violence is pervasive; difficult scenes include one that graphically describes a goat being bludgeoned to death, which may prove to be a turn-off for some readers. Watkins displays his expertise as he creates a heroine who is broken and yet refuses to stay down. Secondary characters are equally well-developed and engaging. Beautifully written, this story is an unflinching look at the cruelty of life as well as the resilience of the human spirit. (Fiction. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Iris' veterinarian father dies, the 16-year-old is sent from her Maine home to North Carolina to live with her Aunt Sue and cousin Book. The aunt, a virtual stranger, raises goats that the girl comes to love. When her aunt, whose wickedness makes Cruella de Vil look like Little Mary Sunshine, decides to slaughter three young kids, Iris takes matters into her own hands and, as a result, is beaten half to death by her Neanderthal cousin. What comes next is the second half of Iris' fraught story, which often reads like an especially grim fairy tale in its overstated darkness and grotesque characters. Iris, on the other hand, is a character of unrelieved and occasionally sanctimonious goodness. These not-incidental deficiencies aside, Watkins certainly knows how to tell a page-turning, suspenseful story, and his obvious love for animals redeems an otherwise overwrought tale.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist