English / Australia
Iris and the tiger
Hall, Leanne
(text)
Melbourne, Vic.: The Text Publishing Company, 2016. – 229 p.
ISBN 978-1-925-240795
Surrealism | Suspense | Aunt | Inheritance | Animals
Reading age: 10+
White Ravens issue: 2017
Twelve-year-old Iris Chen-Taylor travels from Australia to Spain on a self-described spy mission, but nothing can prepare her for what she finds at Bosque de Nubes, her great aunt Ursula’s vast estate. Iris’s parents have sent her to discreetly learn about her aunt’s plans for the property, in the hopes that Iris and her family will inherit it. But when Iris arrives, she immediately has an odd feeling about the place, which once belonged to her late great uncle, a famous surrealist painter. She starts to see inexplicable things, like notes on a piece of sheet music dancing around like ants and giant sunflowers playing tennis. Iris and her new friend Jordi decide to investigate these strange occurrences, and together they uncover a mystery much greater and more dangerous than a simple question of inheritance. Leanne Hall’s first novel for middle-grade readers celebrates art, loyalty, and friendship, and at the same time is a fun, imaginative story with a delightfully surrealist twist.