WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones

Bibliography
Sones, Sonya. 2001. What my Mother Doesn't Know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689841140

Plot Summary
This novel in verse tells the story of Sophie and her journey of realizing the difference between love and lust. Sophie is a love-starved teenager who seeks love from boys in school and even through online chat. Sones reveals Sophie's exploration in love through unique poems that mesh together to tell the journey of a girl who finally finds love in the homeliest yet most genuine companion that a girl could ever have.

Critical Analysis
Most of Sones' poems are in free verse with each one put together so carefully that even the poems' titles are crucial in carrying along the plot. For example, the reader finds out that Sophie is an only child only by reading the title of the poem "Why I Don't Mind Being an Only Child." Rhythm, rhyme, sound, and imagery is incorporated sparingly and is a departure from the free verse. These elements are used to alert the reader of a major revelation in the story. For example, "Long Weekend" has a distinct rhythm and portrays Sophie's loneliness and nervousness after a big fight with her boyfriend, Dylan. In "More or Less," rhyme is used as Sophie realizes that she is only physically attracted to Dylan. Alliteration is used in the title "Dinner Downer." This poem. reveals how dysfunctional Sophie's family is. Imagery is used to reveal Sophie's moods. "At the Beach" portrays the "magical" feeling of being touched by sunrays on a beach while providing the reader with a sense of Sophie's "overcast" mood.

What my Mother Doesn't Know is a true reflection of the teenage girl. It reveals the insecurities, worries, and needs that many female adolescents go through in such an honest way that it will automatically appeal to this audience. One may even forget that Sophie is a fictional character.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• Iowa Teen Award, 2006
• Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2001 - American Library Association
• YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2002 - American Library Association
• YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2002 - American Library Association
• Booklist: "A natural for reluctant readers, this will also attract young people who love to read."
• Kirkus: "Romantic and sexy, with a happy ending that leaves Sophie together with Mr. Right, Sones ... has crafted a verse experience that will leave teenage readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction."

Connections

• Poetry is meant to be read aloud. Try reading some of the poems in this book aloud. Start with poems that have distinct rhythms, rhymes, or sounds. 
• Other works by Sonya Sones:

          One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. ISBN 0689858205
          Stop Pretending: What Happened When my Big Sister Went Crazy. ISBN                0060283874

• Nikki Grimes is another poet who writes about the teenage experience from an African American point of view. Try one of her works:      

          Jazmin's Notebook. ISBN 0803722249
         Bronx Masquerade. ISBN 0803725698.