Deming, Sarah

Personal

Born in Brenham, TX; married Ethan Iverson. Education: Brown University, B.A. (comparative literature).

Addresses

Home and office—Brooklyn, NY. Agent—George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic, 65 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Author. Has worked as a pastry chef, wine seller, yoga instructor, math tutor, and recruiter. Golden Gloves Boxing Champion, 2001.

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Writings

Iris, Messenger, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2007.

Sidelights

In her novel Iris, Messenger, Sarah Deming weaves an adventure story about a spunky preteen with the pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses. Suffering under the inequities heaped upon her by the unkind teachers at Erebus Middle School, Iris Greenwold spends most of her time daydreaming. When she receives a copy of Bullfinch's Mythology for her birthday, Iris begins to suspect that many of her neighbors in suburban Pennsylvania are actually those gods. With the help of a magical shawl, the girl tracks down Poseidon, Dionysus, and Aries in turn, and each discovered deity relates a story that reveals the location of other superhumans and also helps Iris to discover much about herself.

Reviewing Iris, Messenger for School Library Journal, Sharon Grover predicted that this "engaging story of an unhappy girl whose dreaming pays off in wonderful ways will be a hit with adolescents dealing with those difficult middle school years." Casting ancient gods within a modern story is not new, according to a Kirkus Reviews writer, but in this novel the author takes a fresh approach. In Iris, Messenger, the reviewer added, Deming recounts her tale "with uncommon verve, and her characters, mortal or otherwise, positively sparkle."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 2007, April Spisak, review of Iris, Messenger, p. 15.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2007, review of Iris, Messenger.

School Library Journal, July, 2007, Sharon Grover, review of Iris, Messenger, p. 100.

ONLINE

Sarah Deming Home Page,http://sarahdeming.com (July 18, 2008).