This debut novel may be set in 1960s Scottsburg, Mich., but today's readers will readily relate to the antics of spunky sixth-grade narrator Iris Weston. As the story opens, Iris is riffling through the dictionary, looking up "illegitimate"-a word snooty Alice Pruitt called her because Iris won't reveal the whereabouts of her secret club. The bulk of the tale takes place in and around the club's headquarters, the Voodoo Shack, an abandoned lean-to that belonged to hard-drinking Ol' Man Hazard, who died mysteriously. In a subplot reminiscent of Louis Sachar's Holes, Iris and her friends are convinced that a sum of money Ol' Man Hazard allegedly stole must be hidden somewhere near the shack. But they're not the only ones looking: Ol' Lady Hazard seems to be searching, too, and her half-dug holes surround the lean-to. Martin infuses the novel with a spirit of adventure and a strong supporting cast (Iris's grandparents and eccentric Ol' Lady Hazard are especially compelling), and the author's smooth interweaving of parallels in Silas Marner (assigned to Iris for a book report) help the heroine cope with the mystery of her own roots. Young adventurers cum sleuths will hope to hear more from the unsinkable Iris Weston. Ages 8-12. --Publisher's Weekly (review of A Family Trait, the original title)

Grade 4-8-Stolen money, a "Voodoo Shack" for a clubhouse, an eccentric old lady whose actions frighten the club members, and being called illegitimate by one of her schoolmates provide Iris Mae Weston with plenty of distractions to keep her from reading Silas Marner for her assigned book report. Iris and her friends decide to search for the money Ol' Man Hazard supposedly stole, not knowing that his widow is also looking for it along with her recipe book of potions that he hid as well. As Iris struggles with understanding her family's relationships, the chores her grandmother insists she complete, the hunt for the money, and Silas Marner, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn into the story, which in many ways seems to parallel the problems she faces in her own life. When her grandmother nearly dies from pneumonia, Iris discovers that helping the eccentric Widow Hazard is the key for curing her grandmother. Set in the early 1960s, Martin's novel traces the girl's journey toward understanding the true meaning of love, family, and friendship. Iris is an appealing character whose relationships with friends and family are realistically portrayed as she struggles to find her place. The plot and characters work well together and have enough action and interaction to provide a good read. --School Library Journal review

Readers fond of lightweight mysteries solved by spunky heroines will take to this fiction debut, though a heavy ballast of tragedy and near-tragedy keeps it low to the ground. Having used the discovery of an empty hunting cabin as an excuse to form a secret club, Iris and four friends spin news reports of missing carnival receipts and the (supposedly) accidental death of the cabin's owner, Ol' Man Hazard, into an exciting scenario involving hidden loot and murder. Then they find a cryptic rhymed clue that mentions treasure, which they take as a broad hint that they're on the right track. The story is carried along on sad undercurrents: Iris, called "illegitimate" by another girl in the opening pages, learns that her parents weren't married when her father was killed in the Korean War; her tough grandmother is rushed to the hospital with severe pneumonia; Iris sets fire to the cabin and nearly suffocates inside; and the reclusive Ol' Lady Hazard, thought to be a witch and chief suspect in her husband's death, turns out to be the sickly, abused widow of a cruel alcoholic. Some of the dialogue and set pieces show a promising authorial gift for comedy. (Fiction. 10-12) --Kirkus Reviews