What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones (Genre: Poetry)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2001. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689841140

PLOT SUMMARY
This is a story of a 15 yr old girl named Sophie who is a typical teenager looking for true love. She does not get along with her family but loves her best friends, Grace and Rachel. First it was Lou. Then she falls in love with Dylan, who was Rachel's big sister’s best friend’s younger brother. After being together for some time, she meets Chaz online. This made her loose interest in Dyaln and she decides to break up with him. And after Chaz, she secretly harbors a crush for Murphy, the class Geek. For the Halloween dance, Sophie changes her ugly rose covered dress and wears a cool black dress. She finds herself longing for Dylan but when she danced with a mysterious masked man, she felt that she had found her soul mate and wanted to dance with him all night. During her winter break she spends some time with Murphy and finally finds out that the mystery masked man with whom she had danced on the Halloween party was none other than Murphy.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is a light hearted verse novel by Sonya Sones that expresses the feelings of a teenage girl. Each poem has a different title and describes one moment in Sophie’s life. The story keeps moving in sequence to keep the readers connected to the main character. The book is not set as a rhyming poetry but is more like reading a journal in which Sophie describes all her love for her friends, her relationship with her family and her search for love.
My favorite poem in the book was “The Mocking Bird”. Like the mocking bird, Sophie was also trying to use different voices to attract a boy bird so that he could come and dance with her.
This book will be enjoyed by teenagers and adults who could easily connect with the story and discover little pieces of themselves in Sophie. The shape of the poem and the use of fonts compliment the story perfectly.

AWARDS/ REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Top Ten Most Challenged Books (2004-2005)

ALA Best Book for Young Adults (2002)

International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice (2003)

VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers (2003)

BOOKLIST Editor's Choice (2001)

Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice (2003-2004)

Starred review in PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "...Sones poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy..."

Starred review in KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Sones has crafted a verse experience that will leave teenage readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction.

Starred review in BOOKLIST: "The poetry is never pretentious or difficult; on the contrary, the very short, sometimes rhythmic lines make each page fly."

Starred review in VOYA: "The poems are snappy, and each one strikes a chord that fluidly moves the reader to the next episode."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Sones's poems are glimpses through a peephold many teens may be peering through for the first time..."

PAGES MAGAZINE: "...WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW captures the sweet confusion of being a teen girl in love for the first time."

CONNECTIONS
• Students could be asked to write a poem in verse form.
• Students could be encouraged to discuss about Sophie and her relationship with her friends.
• A discussion on the safety of internet chats/dating could be initiated.
• Related books
-Tan, Amy. 1989. THE JOY LUCK CLUB. ISBN 0143038095
-Sones, Sonya.2007.WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN'T KNOW. ISBN 0689876025
-Janeczko, Paul B. 1991. PREPOSTEROUS: POEMS OF YOUTH. ISBN 0531059014