1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones,
Sonya. What My Mother Doesn't Know.
Ill. by Charise Mericle Harper. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young
Readers, 2001. ISBN 0689841140
2.
PLOT SUMMARY
Sophie is
a fourteen-year-old high school girl narrating the dilemmas experienced through
her relationships with her best friends, boyfriends, and her mother. The story
quickly jumps from one topic to the next as Sophie wrestles with her changing
feelings as she falls in and out of love with different boys, fights with her
mother, and makes plans with her girlfriends. Sophie experiences prejudice in
many forms from being female, a Jew, or caring for someone that is not popular.
She must wrestle with sexual advances and her own sense of worth.
3.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Written
in first person, free verse narrative, Sophie’s teenage voice is convincing as
the reader is given a glimpse into the personal dilemmas of any teenage girl.
The title is intriguing and readers will want the answers to what Sophie’s
mother really does not know about her. Many teen girls will identify with
Sophie’s character as she gets her period, is embarrassed to purchase tampons
from a male cashier, her abiding friendships, her sorrow for the class dork,
her frustrating mother-daughter relationship, and her burning desires.
Sones use
of imagery allows us to imagine Sophie's lust for Dylan, “I’m only aware of the
sparks in his eyes, the sun in his hair, and the spot where his knees are
touching mine.” We enjoy Sophie’s humor through simple text and easy to read
format as the sometimes rhythmic lines push on from one topic to the next. She
expresses the cloudy beach day as “mystic rays are shining down onto the sea
instead of me, probably making some lucky halibut’s day.” Her character propels
us into her feelings of disgust as she unwittingly agrees to go on a date with
a childhood classmate, “On a date. Zak who I used to call Wacky Zakky in
preschool. …. Why did I say yes? I can’t believe I said yes. I can’t wait until
tomorrow night is over.”
The characteristic
mother-daughter disagreements are infused in the portrayal of her relationship
with her mother. When her mother watches soap operas, Sophie endures feelings
of abandonment and loneliness comparing it to the time she waited in the car
while her mother shopped, “I used to be so scared that the car would roll away.
So scared that my mother would never come back. Sometimes when she is watching
her soaps, it feels like she never did.” Sophie’s sense of abandonment is expressively
depicted as we are witnesses to Sophie’s dress crumpled on the floor after a
furious fight with her mother. Sophie
compares her torn dress as being left for dead, “it’s lying there where she threw
it, in a heap, like roadkill: my no-longer-gorgeous black dress.” We feel her
pain, disappointment, and anger through Sones use of imagery.
Teenagers
will enjoy the camaraderie she has with her girlfriends as they continue their
own quest in looking for love as her teenage voice is heard between conversations
of friends, “She says she can’t figure out why I am so worked up about a guy
I’ve never even said two words to. …. But Rachel totally gets it.”
Sophie is
a likeable character as she tells her story about tough choices and her strong
belief in the future as she observes, “He’s smiling through and through. And I
am, too. Because everything is going to be all right. Sometimes I just know
things.”
Teenage
girls will appreciate the voice of Sophie as someone that understands what they
are going through and that they are not alone. Sophie is also inspiring as she
makes tough decisions that have the potential to be socially catastrophic. The
simple text and expressive imagery will permit teens to create their own
picture and they will recognize themselves in her words and make connections
within their own lives.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Amazon.com
Bestseller List
Beehive
Young Adults' Book Award Nominated 2004
SCASL
Book Award (South Carolina) Nominated 2005
Volunteer
State Book Award Nominated 2005
Iowa
Teen Award Winner 2006
“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.” From Booklist, November 01, 2001
“Drawing
on the recognizable cadences of teenage speech, 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.” From Publishers
Weekly, October 15, 2001
‘Told
in Sophie's own free verse poems, the story moves and evolves quickly in a
satisfying and tantalizing manner. Kate Reinders perfectly portrays Sophie's
teen angst. Although the reading is sometimes too rapid for listeners to absorb
the changes in topics, girls will relate to the author's honest prose and
Sophie's angst. An excellent addition to YA collections.” From School Library
Journal, October 01, 2008
5. CONNECTIONS
Students
will write their own first person, free verse poem choosing a subject that is
important to them or from the perspective of one of the characters.
Students
plan their own stay-in-town vacation in their own home town.
Students
will read an interview with Sonya Sones discussing her poetry at
Review Internet safety and chat rooms.
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