From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-Set in the near future when human cloning has become a reality, this emotionless, convoluted story is about Siri Sellin, the "daughter-sister" of Iris Sellin, a renowned composer/pianist who had herself cloned after the onset of multiple sclerosis. Angry at the recently deceased Iris, 22-year-old Siri reflects on their relationship in an attempt to create a unique identity of her own, separate from that of her "mother-twin." Despite the interesting premise, the book is not compelling largely because both characters are cold and self-absorbed, the emotionally laden dialogue has no real impact, and Siri's childhood and teenage memories are essentially glossed over. Her flashbacks skip arbitrarily between the present and past and between both her and Iris's memories. Although Siri finds peace and inner acceptance at the book's end, she is so clinical, so detached, and without sympathy that those readers who make it to the end will feel only relief that the book is over. Kerner's acknowledgments and afterword show the impressive amount of research she did on cloning as well as her interest in the subject. Libraries in search of irresistible teen fiction on the hot topic of human cloning should recommend Marilyn Kaye's outstanding "Replica" series (Bantam), in which the female protagonist is a teenage clone in search of details about her past.Leah J. Sparks, Bowie Public Library, MD Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. "I don't like the word clone. I prefer to call myself blueprint." Thus begins the memoir of Siri Sellin, a clone of her mother, concert pianist-composer Iris Sellin, who, having learned she has MS, decides to immortalize her talent in a daughter-twin. Siri, just as talented as her mother, is angry at the parent who has robbed her of her uniqueness. Blueprint, originally written in German, is a fascinating examination of the ethical and scientific issues surrounding cloning--the psychological, sociological, and physical ramifications of human replication as they impact both the original and the duplicate. Kerner surrounds these difficult questions with a heightened portrayal of the natural mother-daughter bond. The love and competition between a parent and child and the human need for autonomy are magnified threefold in this complex, thought-provoking, carefully researched novel that highlights an issue teens will be forced to address in the future. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Card catalog description
Siri Sellin, one of the first human clones, writes a bitter memoir of her childhood as the daughter of a famous and self-absorbed composer.

ANNOTATION

Siri Sellin, one of the first human clones, writes a bitter memoir of her childhood as the daughter of a famous and self-absorbed composer.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature

It's the not too distant future, and the world has its first human clone. Her name is Siri, which is the backward spelling of Iris, Siri's mother/twin. Iris, a thirtyyearold concert pianist, is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She decides that the only way to ensure her immortality is to make a genetic copy of herself. A brilliant doctor helps Iris conceive and deliver the child, Siri. Being a clone, or blueprint, as Siri prefers to be called, is like having an identical twin, a twin that is thirty years older than you. As Siri grows into her adolescent years, so do her conflicting emotions about herself and her relationship to her mother/sister. Inevitably, Siri has to make a break from Iris, but she does not finally feel free until Iris succumbs to her illness. Inspired by recent advances in science and genetics, this modernday morality tale was originally published in Germany. 2000 (orig. 1999), Lerner Publications Company, Ages 12 to 16, $16.95. Reviewer: Christopher Moning

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Set in the near future when human cloning has become a reality, this emotionless, convoluted story is about Siri Sellin, the "daughter-sister" of Iris Sellin, a renowned composer/pianist who had herself cloned after the onset of multiple sclerosis. Angry at the recently deceased Iris, 22-year-old Siri reflects on their relationship in an attempt to create a unique identity of her own, separate from that of her "mother-twin." Despite the interesting premise, the book is not compelling largely because both characters are cold and self-absorbed, the emotionally laden dialogue has no real impact, and Siri's childhood and teenage memories are essentially glossed over. Her flashbacks skip arbitrarily between the present and past and between both her and Iris's memories. Although Siri finds peace and inner acceptance at the book's end, she is so clinical, so detached, and without sympathy that those readers who make it to the end will feel only relief that the book is over. Kerner's acknowledgments and afterword show the impressive amount of research she did on cloning as well as her interest in the subject. Libraries in search of irresistible teen fiction on the hot topic of human cloning should recommend Marilyn Kaye's outstanding "Replica" series (Bantam), in which the female protagonist is a teenage clone in search of details about her past.-Leah J. Sparks, Bowie Public Library, MD Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Siri is the daughter/twin of Iris and one of the first cloned beings in this seamless translation of German author Kerner's exploration of the psychological reality for cloned humans. A famous pianist and composer, Iris discovers she has Multiple Sclerosis and decides that a child/clone will ensure her immortality. She talks a geneticist into creating the first human clone by implanting her with her own cloned cell. As time goes by, the pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence of Siri are described almost solely focused on the emotional impact of the impossible closeness and the antagonism of the blended egos. Games of"Iyou" and"YouI" become increasingly painful as the child separates from the parent, whose monstrous egotism continues to expect an alternative self for her own use. There is much musing from Siri, who recounts her life in beautifully cadenced and expressive prose. Upon Iris's death there is a miraculous transformation in Siri's life that seems pulled out of thin air and not from Siri's psyche. Until that epilogue the story maintains a steady, wearying descent into frustration and despair at never being loved for who you are, never quite knowing what is your own doing and what is compelled by your genetic code. It is never clear how much of her pain is the result of cloning and how much the result of Iris's ego. Observers of this"monster," as she is called by her grandmother, may debate the ethical questions, ponder the personal dilemmas, and imagine alternative responses, but they will not question the premise. Disturbing and unsettling, this is less a translation of a particular culture than a human face on a question that is intriguing worldwide. (Fiction. 12-14)