Review: WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Somes

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2001. What My Mother Doesn’t Know. New York: Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689841140

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Sophie is a 14, (almost 15), year old girl, who is concerned with her best girl friends and boys, boys, and more boys. This engaging novel in verse is written in a series of poems as if Sophie were writing in her diary. The reader meets Sophie after her break-up with her first boyfriend, and follows along with her emotional ups and downs with her second boyfriend, her close call with a weirdo she meets in a chat room, and her obsession with a masked mystery man she meets at the school Halloween dance. Sophie records her conflicts with her mother, and the humiliation of being the object of racial discrimination due to her Jewish heritage. The reader experiences the inner conflict that Sophie feels when she discovers that she has a lot in common with, and is very attracted to, the school outcast who everyone makes fun of; and then finds out that he is the mystery man.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In What My Mother Doesn’t Know, Sonya Sones has captured the concerns and personality of a typical 14 year old girl. The verse flows freely and naturally as if you could almost hear Sophie talking. Each scenario is told in a different poem like a girl writing in her diary.This story is told in a way that doesn’t just gloss over the sad or difficult situations, but allows the reader to experience the angst felt by a teenage girl.  The words used by Sones in this poem create an imagery that lets the reader experience Sophie’s feelings as she rides an emotional roller coaster through the highs and lows of giddiness, love, lust, anger, disillusionment and everything in between.

 This novel touches in a very sensitive yet down-to-earth way on the concerns of a teenage girl and her friends as they share their important issues, (mainly boys), support each other during crises, and rejoice over good news. It touches on cultural diversity as Sophie experiences religious discrimination due to her Jewish heritage. It reveals that Sophie has a father who is emotionally distant even when he is physically there; and a mother who rides her own emotional rollercoaster. Sophie writes that every day when she gets home from school her mother is in bed watching TV, and sometimes her mother stays in the basement for days eating chocolate and watching soap operas.

Young teenage girls and reluctant readerswill love to read this book, because it is so fast moving and divided into short poems. I found myself wanting to read other books by this author when I had finished this one, and I haven’t been a young teenage girl for a very long time.  It is recommended for ages twelve and up. Some of the content would not be appropriate for a younger reader.

 4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Starred Review: “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. Ages 12-up.”
BOOKLIST review: *Starred Review* “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.” 
KIRKUS starred review: "A verse experience that will leave readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction."

5. CONNECTIONS
This novel is one that is very appealing to young teenage girls, because it deals with issues they face on a daily basis. It would be ideal for a book study designed to get reluctant readers interested in reading.
Other novels in verse by Sonya Sones:
Sones, Sonya. What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know. ISBN: 0689876033
Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. ISBN 0064462188
Sones, Sonya. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. ISBN: 1416907882