Genre #3 - Book Review #1: Sonya Sones - WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW

1. Bibliography -

Sones, Sonya. 2001. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. Ill. by Sonya Sones. New York, NY: Simon Pulse pbk. ISBN-10: 0-689-85553-2 / ISBN-13: 978-0-689-85553-5


2. Plot Summary –

Sophie, a teenage girl uses many poems to describe her life – her relationships with her family, her best friends and with a few boys, as well as the trials and tribulations of her home and school life; while she searches for her true love - her Mr. Right.


3. Critical Analysis –

a. Rhythm:
Sonja Sones arranges her poems in many different ways – her lines and verses flow to a great beat depending on the subject and story that they are explaining to the reader at that moment. They are easy to read, and brilliant!

b. Rhyme:
One or two of her poems do actually rhyme, and use matching sounds, but not many. When she does use rhyme it is not forced and flows magically and easily. She can convey so much meaning in such a few amount of words!

c. Sound:
This book is full of drama! Teen-age hormonal girl drama! Sonya Sones captures this effect with carefully chosen words and letters for its individual and collective effect. It does not feel over-done; on the contrary – it is very satisfying!

d. Language:
Sonja Sones is an amazing author! She uses words and phrases, arranged in such meaningful ways that the reader is actually transported into that age and time in their lives! Some of her poems are fresh and surprising and even though we can relate to the character, we may never have thought of actually talking about the circumstances of that age and time to anyone before. Basically, Sonya Sones puts into words things that many of us would have liked to have said or done but never did when we were teenagers! Of course, this makes it an automatic hit with children of this age group!

e. Imagery:
Sonja Sones creates wonderful imagery with the words that she chooses in this book! Two examples are the poems entitled “deleted” or “cyber soul mate” – just reflecting on those words creates great mental pictures and visual images. Through her creative and unique use of language – once you have started reading her poems - you cannot put the book down until you have reached the end!

f. Emotions:
The emotions in this book were written in such a great natural way – they never seemed forced or fake; and they actually made one feel like they were a teenager again! The emotional impact in this book is great for teens (and older) and really captures the essence of that difficult confusing hormonal time in everyone’s life!

g. Poetry Books:
There was a great balance of poems – some rhymed, others were only a few lines; but they all carried on the same theme of teenage dilemmas and love.

h. Awards & Recognitions:

• Winner of the Iowa Teen Book Award (2005 -2006)

• named by the American Library Association as one of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2004 and of 2005

• Michigan Thumbs Up Award Honor Book (2002)

• unanimously chosen an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2002)

• unanimously chosen an American Library Association Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2002)

• named an International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice (2003)

• named a Booklist Editor's Choice (2001)

• voted a VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers (2003)

• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award: YA Recommended Title (2003 -2004)

• named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age (2002, 2003, and 2004)

• named a Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice (2003 – 2004)

• named a Top Ten Editor's Choice by Teenreads.com (2001)

• named a Bookreporter.com Best of 2001 for Teens

• chosen a Junior Library Guild selection

• chosen a Scholastic Teen Age Book Club selection

• chosen a Scholastic Trumpet Book Club selection

• chosen a Scholastic Book Fair selection

• nominated for the following state awards:

• Volunteer State Book Award (TN) (2004 – 2005)

• Utah Children's Choice Beehive Award (2003 – 2004)

• Garden State Teen Book Award (NJ) (2003 - 2004)

• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2004)

• Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2004)

• South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (2003 – 2004)

• Missouri Gateway Reader's Choice Award for Teens (2003 – 2004)

• Wyoming Library Association Soaring Eagle Book Award (2003 -2004)


4. Review Excerpt(s) –

** “Fast, funny, touching. ...hilarious and irreverent in the style of Naylor's Alice books. The poetry is never pretentious or difficult; on the contrary, the very short, sometimes rhythmic lines make each page fly. Sophie's voice is colloquial and intimate, and the discoveries she makes are beyond formula, even while they are as sweetly romantic as popular song. A natural for reluctant readers, this will also attract young people who love to read." -- Booklist

** "...romantic and sexy, with a happy ending that leaves Sophie together with Mr. Right, Sones ( Stop Pretending: What Happened when My Big Sister Went Crazy, 1999 ) has crafted a verse experience that will leave teenage readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction." -– Kirkus Reviews

** "...Sones is a bright, perceptive writer who digs deeply into her protagonist's soul... Sones's poems are glimpses through a peephole many teens may be peering through for the first time, unaware that others are seeing virtually the same new, scary, unfamiliar things... Sones's book makes these often-difficult years a little more livable by making them real, normal, and OK." -- School Library Journal

** “Winning. What makes this young adult novel so winning is that Sophie's story is told entirely in freewheeling verse -- a 14-year-old's discomfort with her ''fifty-foot'' self set to the tender rhythms of a teenage poet." -- Entertainment Weekly

** “Brilliant.” -- KLIATT

** "...From the opening poem "Nicknames," to the closing "I Slink Into the Cafeteria," What my Mother Doesn't Know captures the sweet confusion of being a teen girl in love for the first time. And the second. And the third." -- Pages Magazine

** "...The poems are snappy, and each one strikes a chord that fluidly moves the reader on to the next episode. Whether she is socking a boy who molests her on the street, purchasing a half dozen sperm-shaped-print panties off the discount rack, or watching her parents finally split apart, Sophie is a strong, likeable, and memorable character." -- Starred Review in VOYA

** “Honest…destined to captivate. – ...Sones (Stop Pretending) poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy...With its separate free verse poems woven into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending, Sophie's honest and earthy story feels destined to captivate a young female audience, avid and reluctant readers alike." -- Publisher’s Weekly


5. Connections –

Other books by Sonya Sones would include:

** WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN’T KNOW
** ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES
** STOP PRETENDING: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY
** SIXTEEN: STORIES ABOUT THAT SWEET AND BITTER BIRTHDAY
** NECESSARY NOISE
** LOVE & SEX: TEN STORIES OF TRUTH
** VIOLET AND WINSTON

Other Connections:

** Sonya Sones used to be an animator – the teacher can point out the fun fact that the author puts a little flip book in her book at the end and can have students make their own flip books. See the following information that Sonya Sones provides:

“By the way, if you look in the lower right hand corner of page 231 you will see a line drawing of a couple dancing. I drew this picture based on the painting called "Le Bal a Bougival" by Jean Renoir, the one I mentioned in my book.
Very few of my readers seem to have noticed this, but if you look at that same spot on the rest of the pages of the book, and run them quickly past your fingers, you can see the couple kiss. It's a little tiny flip book, inspired by the years I spent as an animator. Check it out!” (Sonya Sones, 2009).


Also teachers can extend this activity by looking up the famous painting and artist - “Le Bal a Bougival” by Jean Renoir that Sonya Sones mentions in the book.







References
Sonya Sones. 2009. What my mother doesn’t know. Retrieved October 7, 2009, from http://www.sonyasones.com/index.htm