What do you think?
Rate this book
Iris Brave
Iris Brave isn't as courageous as her name suggests. That's about to change. Iris doesn't take risks. Heights make her dizzy and she prefers to swim in the shallow end... with nose plugs. On a summer visit to her grandpa's farm, a mysterious stranger shadows Iris, leaving her cryptic messages. When this outsider turns out be a phantom from her family's past, Iris sheds her timid ways to uncover the truth and protect the family she loves. Along the way Iris discovers family secrets and enigmatic figures that lead her to question everything she's ever thought was real.
184 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2013
18 people want to read
About the author
Ali B
7 books8 followersI can't remember a time when I wasn't reading. I love books! My mother was an incredible librarian and she always had a stack of books by her chair. Now I have my own stack. I also have a lengthy library queue, a To Be Read list on Goodreads, and a virtual online shopping cart full of brilliant titles.
I love writing too. I love creating characters. I love giving them lives, adventures, challenges and quirks. For me, writing is about developing characters that are worth knowing, throwing obstacles in their path, and then sitting back and watching them grow. And typing. Lots and lots of typing.
I love writing too. I love creating characters. I love giving them lives, adventures, challenges and quirks. For me, writing is about developing characters that are worth knowing, throwing obstacles in their path, and then sitting back and watching them grow. And typing. Lots and lots of typing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 12, 2013
I enjoyed this story about a girl who tries to overcome her fears to find out what happened to her dad. I could feel the Iowa summer heat and the small town atmosphere of Green Grove. Every decision got Iris deeper and deeper into trouble yet I was rooting for her to find answers. Can’t wait for the sequel to come out. Grades 4-8.
August 14, 2013
I'm speechless. (wink)
August 12, 2013
Ali B.'s IRIS BRAVE is a paranormal mystery novel aimed at Middle Grade readers (8-12 years old). Eleven-year-old Iris Brave considers herself anything but her namesake - she's easily frightened (even the Ferris wheel gives her the shakes), and she tends to hyperventilate whenever things get tense. So when a strange young man in a gray hoodie starts following her and leaving cryptic notes, she's a bit clueless as to how to investigate. But when it becomes clear that this young man is somehow connected to her father's tragic death ten years before, Iris is determined to find the courage to solve the mystery and clear her father's name. Was her father really drunk when his car crashed into one driven by a senator's son, killing both of them? Or was something more sinister going on, something Iris must discover if she's ever to learn the truth.
Iris is a compelling narrator. She's a very believable eleven-year-old, a bit of an introvert who loves reading more than crowds, but she also has a close friend in Jess, and a deep love for her mother and grandfather. At one point, she says, "I can't really explain why, but I know I'm different." This "difference" seems to exist deep inside her, the enigmatic essence of who she is at the core. And in her quest for answers about her father, the accident, and what has happened since, it's this part of herself that Iris must also uncover and understand.
IRIS BRAVE is an exciting novel, and I have no doubt that young readers will delight in Iris's adventure. The things she is called upon to do in her quest for the truth are things that would terrify most young girls, but Iris proves herself not just "brave" but worthy. Ali B. manages to drop enough hints about the solution to the mystery to keep her readers guessing without giving it all away too soon. And the final reveal (as far as it goes, anyway) is satisfying and does make sense on a mystical, supernatural level.
I do have two criticisms, neither of which should discourage you from reading IRIS BRAVE (and neither of which got in the way of its five-star rating). First, as the primary installment in a planned series (called "Soul Jumpers"), IRIS BRAVE offers no resolution to either Iris's journey or to the mystery of her father's death. I'm not a fan of serialized fiction (it's all the rage, I know, but novels - especially mystery novels - should be able to stand alone). This one really isn't. So much is left hanging at the close of IRIS BRAVE that readers will either have to buy the second one (I could find no news on the release date, but an excerpt is included at the end of this one) or learn to live with unanswered questions. The fiction market these days (especially for Middle Grade and YA novels) is flooded with series, so I doubt this will bother young readers the way it did me. Just know before you choose to begin that you are making a commitment for any number of books, rather than just one. If you want to know what happens next - and you will with IRIS BRAVE, no doubt about it! - you'll have a few more books to buy.
Additionally, there are an annoying number of typos in this novel. The self-published paperback version is handsomely bound, with a professionally-done cover, and it looks and reads like a professionally edited work. That said, the typos bothered me, more because the book is so well written that it deserves better. There are certainly no errors serious enough to interfere with the reading of IRIS BRAVE, and I'm quite certain children won't catch many of them, but I felt an uncontrollable urge to fix them! A great book like this deserves a sharper editorial eye.
IRIS BRAVE is a great read - it's engaging, exciting, and totally believable, even with its paranormal elements. Young readers, especially girls, will absolutely love it. Ali B. (or Alison Breidenstein) has a great future in front of her. I look forward to the next installment - and considering my admitted lack of love for serialized fiction, that should give you a pretty good idea of how much I enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
Iris is a compelling narrator. She's a very believable eleven-year-old, a bit of an introvert who loves reading more than crowds, but she also has a close friend in Jess, and a deep love for her mother and grandfather. At one point, she says, "I can't really explain why, but I know I'm different." This "difference" seems to exist deep inside her, the enigmatic essence of who she is at the core. And in her quest for answers about her father, the accident, and what has happened since, it's this part of herself that Iris must also uncover and understand.
IRIS BRAVE is an exciting novel, and I have no doubt that young readers will delight in Iris's adventure. The things she is called upon to do in her quest for the truth are things that would terrify most young girls, but Iris proves herself not just "brave" but worthy. Ali B. manages to drop enough hints about the solution to the mystery to keep her readers guessing without giving it all away too soon. And the final reveal (as far as it goes, anyway) is satisfying and does make sense on a mystical, supernatural level.
I do have two criticisms, neither of which should discourage you from reading IRIS BRAVE (and neither of which got in the way of its five-star rating). First, as the primary installment in a planned series (called "Soul Jumpers"), IRIS BRAVE offers no resolution to either Iris's journey or to the mystery of her father's death. I'm not a fan of serialized fiction (it's all the rage, I know, but novels - especially mystery novels - should be able to stand alone). This one really isn't. So much is left hanging at the close of IRIS BRAVE that readers will either have to buy the second one (I could find no news on the release date, but an excerpt is included at the end of this one) or learn to live with unanswered questions. The fiction market these days (especially for Middle Grade and YA novels) is flooded with series, so I doubt this will bother young readers the way it did me. Just know before you choose to begin that you are making a commitment for any number of books, rather than just one. If you want to know what happens next - and you will with IRIS BRAVE, no doubt about it! - you'll have a few more books to buy.
Additionally, there are an annoying number of typos in this novel. The self-published paperback version is handsomely bound, with a professionally-done cover, and it looks and reads like a professionally edited work. That said, the typos bothered me, more because the book is so well written that it deserves better. There are certainly no errors serious enough to interfere with the reading of IRIS BRAVE, and I'm quite certain children won't catch many of them, but I felt an uncontrollable urge to fix them! A great book like this deserves a sharper editorial eye.
IRIS BRAVE is a great read - it's engaging, exciting, and totally believable, even with its paranormal elements. Young readers, especially girls, will absolutely love it. Ali B. (or Alison Breidenstein) has a great future in front of her. I look forward to the next installment - and considering my admitted lack of love for serialized fiction, that should give you a pretty good idea of how much I enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
September 25, 2014
I picked this book up as I was given a copy of The Sixteen, (Book 2 of the Soul Jumpers Series), for review. I felt, to be able to give it a fair review, I needed to read Book 1 first. I am so happy I did! The Soul Jumpers is a children's series geared toward middle grades. Iris is the character telling the story and the language of the book fits the characters age. Some adults may find it too simplistic but I thought it was perfect for the audience it was written to.
The story contains an interesting mystery. Iris lives with her mother and visits her grandfather for the summer. We are told early on that her father died in a car accident. This is where the mystery begins. Iris finds out that it is believed her dad caused the accident by driving under the influence. She sets out to find out the truth and comes across a mysterious guy. I do not want to say too much about it so you can discover the exact mystery for yourself.
I enjoyed the love that Iris has for her family. I was especially happy to learn that the grandpa is her father's father. Too often in children's books, when there has been a divorce or death, missing parent = missing grandparents. It was so gratifying to read about a grandparent staying in the child's life after the death of the child's parent.
I also was impressed with Iris saying she knows she is different. All children go through a time when they are growing up where they feel different. Not only does the author have the character express this but she goes on to tell us how Iris is different. I have a feeling as the series goes on we will learn more of why Iris is different.Iris also speaks of feeling the opposite of her name, Brave. We all have fears, some rational, some not. Having Iris work through hers, often with humor, is a powerful message. I think this book is filled with many positive messages. I did wonder a couple of times at the amount of freedom Iris has. However, when you think about times now, with so many parents working, a lot of middle grade children have a lot of freedom.
Soul jumping is something new for me. I read a lot of books in the paranormal/fantasy genre. It was refreshing to me to come across something still pretty unique in this genre. The mystery is not solved in this book. So be aware that you will need to buy the next book in the series to see where it goes. If your middle grader is looking for a fantasy mystery series this may be one you want to pick up. Personally I think it would be a fun series to read together.There are plenty of things that happen to Iris and decisions she makes that would be excellent conversation starters for parents and their children.
I took off one star just because I felt in a couple of places things did not transition smoothly or they felt rushed. While this interrupted the flow of my reading it did not impact my enjoyment of the book. My actual rating would be 4 and a half stars.
The story contains an interesting mystery. Iris lives with her mother and visits her grandfather for the summer. We are told early on that her father died in a car accident. This is where the mystery begins. Iris finds out that it is believed her dad caused the accident by driving under the influence. She sets out to find out the truth and comes across a mysterious guy. I do not want to say too much about it so you can discover the exact mystery for yourself.
I enjoyed the love that Iris has for her family. I was especially happy to learn that the grandpa is her father's father. Too often in children's books, when there has been a divorce or death, missing parent = missing grandparents. It was so gratifying to read about a grandparent staying in the child's life after the death of the child's parent.
I also was impressed with Iris saying she knows she is different. All children go through a time when they are growing up where they feel different. Not only does the author have the character express this but she goes on to tell us how Iris is different. I have a feeling as the series goes on we will learn more of why Iris is different.Iris also speaks of feeling the opposite of her name, Brave. We all have fears, some rational, some not. Having Iris work through hers, often with humor, is a powerful message. I think this book is filled with many positive messages. I did wonder a couple of times at the amount of freedom Iris has. However, when you think about times now, with so many parents working, a lot of middle grade children have a lot of freedom.
Soul jumping is something new for me. I read a lot of books in the paranormal/fantasy genre. It was refreshing to me to come across something still pretty unique in this genre. The mystery is not solved in this book. So be aware that you will need to buy the next book in the series to see where it goes. If your middle grader is looking for a fantasy mystery series this may be one you want to pick up. Personally I think it would be a fun series to read together.There are plenty of things that happen to Iris and decisions she makes that would be excellent conversation starters for parents and their children.
I took off one star just because I felt in a couple of places things did not transition smoothly or they felt rushed. While this interrupted the flow of my reading it did not impact my enjoyment of the book. My actual rating would be 4 and a half stars.
September 24, 2014
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I got the chance to review this book, the concept seemed pretty interesting. I've read my share of novels, but the Soul Jumping concept is still pretty unique. While the writing is young, I did enjoy the book overall (Keep in mind, some YA books easily appeal to adults, this one would appeal in the Middle School market, so the writing may be a little simplistic to some readers). Length was something that was personally a bit short, but again, that fits the market. A combined edition with several books would probably help this appeal to older readers, that way the abrupt ending doesn't feel as sudden. Younger readers may find the length more manageable though.
Migrating back to the actual story...this book follows Iris, who is visiting her grandpa when a guy in a hoodie starts leaving her messages. At the same time, she is starting to learn bits and pieces about her families past. While the pacing is nice in these sections, and I like the way things unravel, there were a few points where facts seemed to be thrown in a little too abruptly. Some of that is just context editing (a transition needed here, some dialog smoothing there), so it's hard to tell if later editions of this book would fix those problems. There were also some typos along the way, the most noticeable being missing quotation marks and a characters name being misspelled, but some of those things are typical for review copies, so they may get fixed in later editions.
I found Iris likable as a character, although some of the secondary characters felt a little flat, especially towards the end. Hopefully the sequel will build on some of those things though, so I'm waiting to see what will happen. I liked Iris' family overall, and the pacing of the novel. The only real complaint I probably had was Iris' age made a few things feel a little questionable. I didn't feel like enough adults really questioned her traveling alone at times, and there were a few points things were said in narration that also didn't seem to match up with her character. (I don't know many kids who would identify a gap between someone's teeth as a result of refusing to wear a retainer after braces. Since the narration is so personal to the character, small things like that detracted from the story).
It is hard to give much feedback on this book because it's so short. By the time we get to the end, a lot of questions haven't quite been answered, but it is a good launching point for the next novel. I enjoyed what I've seen so far, but a bit of my commentary will probably be reserved for book two. If you have any younger readers around though, this may be one to keep in mind.
When I got the chance to review this book, the concept seemed pretty interesting. I've read my share of novels, but the Soul Jumping concept is still pretty unique. While the writing is young, I did enjoy the book overall (Keep in mind, some YA books easily appeal to adults, this one would appeal in the Middle School market, so the writing may be a little simplistic to some readers). Length was something that was personally a bit short, but again, that fits the market. A combined edition with several books would probably help this appeal to older readers, that way the abrupt ending doesn't feel as sudden. Younger readers may find the length more manageable though.
Migrating back to the actual story...this book follows Iris, who is visiting her grandpa when a guy in a hoodie starts leaving her messages. At the same time, she is starting to learn bits and pieces about her families past. While the pacing is nice in these sections, and I like the way things unravel, there were a few points where facts seemed to be thrown in a little too abruptly. Some of that is just context editing (a transition needed here, some dialog smoothing there), so it's hard to tell if later editions of this book would fix those problems. There were also some typos along the way, the most noticeable being missing quotation marks and a characters name being misspelled, but some of those things are typical for review copies, so they may get fixed in later editions.
I found Iris likable as a character, although some of the secondary characters felt a little flat, especially towards the end. Hopefully the sequel will build on some of those things though, so I'm waiting to see what will happen. I liked Iris' family overall, and the pacing of the novel. The only real complaint I probably had was Iris' age made a few things feel a little questionable. I didn't feel like enough adults really questioned her traveling alone at times, and there were a few points things were said in narration that also didn't seem to match up with her character. (I don't know many kids who would identify a gap between someone's teeth as a result of refusing to wear a retainer after braces. Since the narration is so personal to the character, small things like that detracted from the story).
It is hard to give much feedback on this book because it's so short. By the time we get to the end, a lot of questions haven't quite been answered, but it is a good launching point for the next novel. I enjoyed what I've seen so far, but a bit of my commentary will probably be reserved for book two. If you have any younger readers around though, this may be one to keep in mind.
October 10, 2014
I really enjoyed this intriguing middle grade fantasy. I found the plot to be quite unique and compelling, making for a quick read. The focus of this volume is on Iris and builds up to the reveal at the conclusion so, unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of the paranormal actually happening here, or at least that we are let in on yet. This was the problem I had with the book, that it ended just as the plot was getting to the exciting part! It felt like I'd read only half a book. Otherwise, I really enjoyed Iris, finding her to be a fun and captivating character that I cared about. Her actions were a bit beyond believability but honestly, her impulsive behaviour just made her more endearing to me. So, a good, fun, quick read that ended way too soon and now I'm picking up the second volume so I can find out what's going to happen!
October 1, 2014
I don't tend to read a ton of MG, but this was a seriously fun read and makes me think that I should be enjoying this genre more. Iris is a sweet girl and very identifiable. She's quite mature for her age, and at times I had a hard time picturing her as just 11, but that's certainly not something I'd count against the story. (And who knows, I haven't been around a lot of 11 year old girls lately--I have a whole lot more nephews!) Anyhow, the story was a slow build of suspense that worked really well for me. The characters were all quite well drawn and the story kept me engrossed. The ending left me quite glad that I have the second book all ready to go! :) Final word: definitely something to check out for those fans of middle grade fiction!
November 4, 2018
Not a waste of time. Honestly.
October 30, 2014
See my full review @ bookbevy.wordpress.com.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews