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Dec 20, 2011

Kat rated it:

With their father recently dead and their mother in a permanent vegetative state for the third year with no hope of waking up, just paying rent is a challenge for sisters Kate and Mary. Kate is graduating this year, and has dreams that extent out of El Paso--she's applied for Stanford, though everyone expects her to stay home and attend UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso for all you non-Texan folks) and marry her long-term boyfriend Simon and look after her sister and mother. Mary just wants t More...

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Nov 22, 2011

Richie rated it:

Richie's Picks: IRISES by Francisco X. Stork, Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, January 2012, 304p., ISBN: 978-0-545-15135-1

"Every night, before Kate went to sleep, she poured rubbing alcohol on her palms and massaged Mama's legs so they would not atrophy. When she first started doing this, she kept expecting Mama to open her eyes, to sit up, say thank you, hug her. But as time went on, the nightly hope gave way to a sense that the limbs she was touching were devoid of energy, th More...

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Dec 03, 2011

Barbara rated it:

When their minister father dies unexpectedly, sisters Kate and Mary must figure out a way to take care of their mother who is in a persistent vegetative state as well as themselves. Kate has a scholarship to Stanford, and Mary is a talented painter, but their lives have been restricted by their controlling father and their concern for their mother. As with Stork's previous two titles, this one explores questions about family, faith, and joy, but the exploration seems a bit more heavy-handed than More...

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Dec 10, 2011

Krystal rated it:

This a book many teens will want to find under the Christmas tree or, since it comes out January 1st, as a last present to open. The two main characters in this book are sisters, Kate and Mary. Both are gifted in their own way. Kate is a super student and Mary is an impressive artist, especially with painting. Their father is a reverend whose strict views can sometimes hinder his daughters' dreams. Their mother, due to a horrible accident, was left in a vegetative state with her daughters More...

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Jan 24, 2012

Donna rated it:

This book offers a lot to teen readers who are not into the typical trends of teen fiction (paranormal romance, etc.). Teenagers Kate and Mary have grown up in a protective, enclosed environment intended by their minister father to keep them on the right path. Added to this is the responsibility of caring for their mother, who has been living at home in a persistent vegetative state for the last two years. When their father dies, Kate and Mary must reevaluate their priorities, their ambitions, a More...

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Jan 02, 2012

Mesa (The Sagacity Quest) rated it:

Irises was really good. After the sudden death of their father, Kate and Mary’s life changes significantly. They need money to take care of their mother, and need to find a house for them to move into because they have to evacuate in short amount of time. They struggle to decide what they should do and what decision will benefit them.

Kate, 18, is intelligent and ambition girl with a dream of becoming a doctor. Mary, 16, is a sweet, caring and is extremely passionate about her paintin More...

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Feb 16, 2012

Jessica rated it:

In Francisco X. Stork’s young adult novel Irises (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic), the Romero sisters lived a life so strict that one of them had never been to the mall. Their father, a pastor, “literally thought the devil was going to sneak in the house through the Internet cable.” No wonder that Kate, 18, dreams of escaping her hometown of El Paso for Stanford University, and Mary, 16, paints to escape her world.

But life soon changes for the sisters. Their father dies suddenly, le More...

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Feb 02, 2012

Inkbitten rated it:

Judged by a Cover: Faded Beauty

The cover makes sense, but it isn't exactly something that'll catch your eye. The girls are pretty to close to how I imagined the main characters, but I wish I could see their faces. At least this way, the amount of unnatural photoshopping is kept to a minimum. The font and framing on the cover is embossed and looks lovely, though. Plus, if you tilt the book back and forth it looks shiny.

What's Up?

Kate and Mary live in an em More...

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Dec 27, 2011

Kristen rated it:

This is a book that asked something of me. I think reading the book quickly is inevitable, because it's well written, but when I forced myself to slow down I felt that I was rewarded with challenging characters and maybe even a little soul searching about the cost of doing something that seems at least, reckless, and at most, impossible. Children are always told to follow their dreams. But as soon as they are old enough to do just that, society gives very mixed messages about the ethics of pass More...

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Feb 07, 2012

Julia rated it:

I loved the author’s very original and unique Marcelo In The Real World and The Last Summer Of The Death Warriors. This novel I only really, really liked. I am excited to read that Stork has written other novels I haven’t yet gotten around to reading. While I really liked this novel, it didn’t rock my world. The characters and situation are more restrained, made smaller than the characters in the other books; these are good girls, almost anachronistic. 18 year old Kate and 16 year old Mary’s dom More...

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Feb 10, 2012

Amy rated it:

Mary and Kate are two sisters whose mother is in a "persistent vegetative state" following an accident two years ago. She lives at home with them and their strict papa. Papa passes away suddenly one afternoon, leaving the 16 and 18-year old girls alone with major life decisions ahead of them. Kate must decide between following her dream or helping her artistic sister, Mary, reach hers. And . . . what to do about mama who always had clear dreams for both of her daughters? Free from thei More...

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Jan 31, 2012

Lisa rated it:

The author of "Marcelo in the Real World" has created another thought provoking young adult novel. We see sisters Kate and Mary dealing with the aftermath of their father's sudden death. To compound the situation, they must figure out how to continue to care for their mother who was left in a persistent vegetative state afte an accident years ealier. How will they continue to care for her? What can they afford? Should dreams of going to college or creating art be abandoned? What ar More...

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Jan 05, 2012

F.H. added it

Originally Posted on IceyBooks

Irises was a book I picked up because of the cover. A hazy image of two girls, possibly sisters, overlooking moving water. Now that I've flipped over the last page, I've realized the cover depicts a type of sorrow that lingers through the pages.

Irises is a tale of love and hope. Two normal girls, sisters two years apart, left alone with nothing but their broken hearts and a shaky future. Irises is a type of story that would bring a smi More...

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Dec 08, 2011

Lauren rated it:

This book was pretty good, but there were a few things I did not like about it. First of all, the way it ended kind of upset me. I was so ANGRY that we did not get to find out about how things went and what exactly happened between Kate and Andy or Mary and Marcos. There was so much I wanted to know that I felt like was never really resolved. Another thing was that the book was very predictable. This made it a very quick and easy read, but did not make for the most interesting "keep-you-wa More...

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Jan 07, 2012

Britta rated it:

This review is hard to write because it is not what I hoped it would be. Does that make it a bad book? Not necessarily, but when something is so built up in your mind, it is hard to stop comparing the actual book to the book that was made-up in your head.

The novel takes off with Kate and Mary, two sisters, who find themselves in an extremely difficult situation. Their father passes away and they are left alone with the burden of their mother who is in a vegetative state, not really liv More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2011

Angel rated it:

You can find this review and many more at Mermaid Vision Books!

Release Date: January 1, 2012
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: ARC received from Scholastic Canada

Two sisters discover what's truly worth living for in the new novel by the author of MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. -- if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to s More...

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Feb 01, 2012

Shari rated it:

Francisco X. Stork is my literary hero. He is such a fine writer and each of his three YA novels takes on such different topics and themes. His newest book isn't as "magical" as the first two. It is quieter without the flamboyant, unique characters. However, the question of the quality of life and the decision to end life is something I have been discussing with both of my daughters. I certainly haven't seen another book take on this essential conversation. And it is a great book

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Jan 02, 2012

Tasha rated it:

Stork explores the complicated relationship of sisters and family in his latest book for teens. Teenage sisters Mary and Kate are very different, though they have been raised in the same sheltered way. Kate is planning to be a doctor and attend Stanford. Mary is an artist, a painter, who has already received acclaim for her work. But their plans are thrown into disarray when their father dies, leaving them only their mother who has been in a vegetative state for years. While their father was More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Katyh rated it:

I admire Francisco X. Stork, but I didn't love this book. More of the type of book that critics and librarians admire rather than one that really resonates with readers. I felt that it would have been better to focus on the experience of just one of the sisters rather than both, as each of them had a supporting cast of friends, romantic interests, and general teen problems that were really tangential to the core of the story: the family.

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Jan 27, 2012

MrsB rated it:

I was kind of disappointed in this one because I liked his other novel Marcelo in the Real World. This was a well-written book, I just didn't care for the depressing subject matter. These girls are stuck in a really bad spot with the death of their father and a mother in a persistent vegetative state. I would, however, recommend this book to students who are wondering about end of life decisions or like the highly emotional family drama.

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Feb 22, 2012

Mark rated it:

It's hard to believe that the author of Marcelo in the Real World and Last Summer of the Death Warriors is responsible for this mess. It is painfully obvious what Stork was trying to accomplish, and it is a legitimately compelling concept, but the execution is bad in almost every way, from sentence-level writing, to characterizations, to plotting. Just really disappointing.

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Nov 05, 2011

Charlou rated it:

Wanted it to be so much more. As with his other books, religion plays a part, but like most other things in the book, it wasn't fully or interestingly developed. It all seemed so predictable. The teen age daughters of the Reverend of a small church must decide how to live with little money and a mother in a vegetative state.

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Feb 06, 2012

Christie added it

As expected, Stork tackles difficult questions, creates complex characters, and imagines a story and a sister relationship that challenges the reader to think in new ways. The execution of the story, however, didn't come off as well as I would have hoped, but there is much to discuss with teen readers.

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Nov 20, 2011

Mrs. rated it:

Stork's newest, about two sisters torn between following their individual dreams and taking care of their comatose mother, is warm, engrossing, and relatable. Teens and adults will fall in love with this sweet novel!
--Review by Lauren

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Jan 25, 2012

Jennifer rated it:

A beautiful book by a master of words! The evolving relationship between these two different sisters as they each find their path unfolds in a thought-provoking and lovely way.

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Feb 15, 2012

Briana rated it:

It wasnt as good as I thought it would be. Yes it is about sisters. You see two sides of the same story. Both point of views from each sister. It's basically all about the sisters life and how they deal with hardships.

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Jan 25, 2012

Amanda rated it:

Franciso X. Stork's "Marcelo in the Real World" was much better than "Irises." That's all I really have to say about this book.

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Jan 07, 2012

Amy rated it:

Great characterization, heartfelt story that engages ideas of love, sacrifice, family, art, and truth.

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Nov 20, 2011

Lauren rated it:

Stork's newest, about two sisters torn between following their individual dreams and taking care of their comatose mother, is warm, engrossing, and relatable. Teens and adults will fall in love with this sweet novel!

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