What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sones, Sonya. 2001. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.  ISBN 9780689841149

2.  SUMMARY

Through prose, the young adult narrator, Sophie, tells the story of her first experiences with love.  Using free verse, she discusses her connections with family and friends with the main focus being the peril with boys. Teen girls will relate to the teen angst portrayed in one of Sonya Sones’ best novels.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In her own writing style, which Sones has become famous for, she allows the main character to narrate her teenage life experiences through individual poems. The entire novel is written from Sophie’s point of view and is written in a chronological format. The title of each of the entries is written in a different font than the entries themselves. The dialogue is authentic of a teenage girl filled with the desire for approval from her peers over her choice to date a not-so-popular boy, the kids call Murphy.

Sones develops each character beautifully. The ebb and tide of Sophie’s relationship skillfully flows with entry titles teasing its’ contents. With titles such as, The Confession and The Weirdest Thing Happened Tonight, the reader cannot help but continue being pulled into each lyrical verse after the other.

The story of Sophie unfolds as she moves from a relationship with Dylan, a young man not quite fitting Sophie’s love for Murphy, the ideal love in her mind, but not a popular choice amongst her friends. “…the author poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy. She weaves separate free verse poems into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending" Publishers Weekly (February 24, 2003).

In the middle of the two relationships Sophie gambles on an online romance. Sones writes,

If I could marry a font

I’d marry his.

I just love it,

The way all of the letters lean

at those quirky angles.

They remind me of the letters

In those thought balloons

In the Sunday’s funnies,

Like words that Snoopy

Or Garfield

might be thinking.

And those question marks are-

Well, they’re adorable.

They just are somehow.

If I could marry a font,

I would definitely marry his.

Chaz seems to be ideal until talk leads to meeting face to face and suddenly, without warning, his on line behavior causes Sophie to be weirded out and she abandons the relationship altogether. I think Sones included this bit of 21st century dating as a warning to teens about internet usage, cyber stalkers and the dangerous implications of on-line trust.

What makes this book a dynamic read is that young adult girls will be able to see themselves in the description of Sophie and her characteristics. The ups and downs, lessons learned and the feelings of young love will make it easy to relate.

4.  AWARDS/REVIEWS

A Junior Library Guild Selection

International Reading Association Young Adult's Choice 2003

2001 Booklist Editor's Choice

American Library Association 2002 Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

American Library Association 2002 Best Book for Young Adults 

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

BOOKLIST STARRED review:  "The poetry is never pretentious...the very short, sometimes rhythmic lines make each page fly."

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED review  "...Sophie's honest and earthy story feels destined to captivate a young female audience, avid and reluctant readers alike."

5.  CONNECTIONS

Related websites:

http://www.netpoets.com/poems/teenlove/ contains love poems written from an adolescent's perspective.

http://www.gravityteen.com/poetry/pick.cfm more poetry from the teen perspective. Users may even submit their own poems.

Related books:

Janeczko, Paul B. (1991). Preposterous: Poems of Youth. New York. Orchard Books.
ISBN 0531059014

A poetry anthology that includes many of the themes presented in What My Mother Doesn't Know (i.e.  love, family problems, friendship, secrets, etc...).

Mackler, Carolyn. (2000). Love and Other Four-Letter Words. New York: Delcorte.
ISBN  044022831X

The story of a teenage girl who learns that one's character is strengthened through personal struggles.

http://www.sonyasones.com This web site provides additional biographical information about Sonya Sones and her writings, including descriptions about each book and awards.