Module 14: What My Mother Doesn't Know

Summary

This is the story of Sophie, a ninth grade girl who thinks her mother doesn't really know much about her feelings. It tells about three of her crushes, beginning with the handsome blond boy who calls her Sapphire, Dylan. After she breaks up with Dylan, she "dates" a boy named Chas, an Internet junkie whom she has never met. Chas turns out to be a sort of creep, so the relationship is "terminated." From there, Sophie finds love with a mystery man who sweeps her onto the dance floor, twirls her around, and never reveals his true identity. This mystery boy is who she will end up with at the end of the story. This is a romantic tale that truly pinpoints exactly how young teens feel when it comes to growing up, making lifelong friends, and trying to find the man of your dreams.

Personal Impressions

Sonya Sones writes a fantastic verse novel. I know it sounds strange, but until this module, I had not really experienced any verse novels. The three that I read for this module, What My Mother Doesn't Know included, were among my favorite books in the class. I remember feeling very similarly to Sophie at times during my teenage years. I remember thinking that my mom didn't really know anything about me or what I was up to. It seems that the opposite is often true, as in the case of Sophie and really even myself. Her characters were very real. I see some of the girls at my school and how dramatic everything is at that age. I know some of the girls I teach cry all the time, feel lonely, bounce from relationship to relationship, etc. I loved this book primarily because it was unique to me. I didn't want to put it down once I started, read it straight through, and stayed up way later than I probably should have. I went to school the following day and recommended it to a student. I also used it for my book talk assignment. I am pretty sure that once I turned it in, it was almost immediately checked out by a student. Whereas I really would put it at a high school level, I think my middle school students would still relate to it and enjoy it.

Professional Review

From Publishers Weekly

*Starred Review* Drawing on the recognizable cadences of teenage speech, Sones (Stop Pretending) poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy. The author keenly portrays ninth-grader Sophie's trajectory of lusty crushes and disillusionment whether she is gazing at Dylan's "smoldery dark eyes" or dancing with a mystery man to music that "is slow/ and/ saxophony." Best friends Rachel and Grace provide anchoring friendships for Sophie as she navigates her home life as an only child with a distant father and a soap opera-devotee mother whose "shrieking whips around inside me/ like a tornado." Some images of adolescent changes carry a more contemporary cachet, "I got my period I prefer/ to think of it as/ rebooting my ovarian operating system," others are consciously clich‚d, "my molehills/ have turned into mountains/ overnight" this just makes Sophie seem that much more familiar. 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.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Library Uses

I really think the poetry/verse novel genre could use some promoting in the schools in my district. Most people either love or hate poetry, not realizing how much it contributes to a library collection. With verse novels such as What My Mother Doesn't Know, I would recommend that the school librarian keep a blog designed to promote books and is linked to the school website. A collection of verse novels could be spotlighted in the library, either on display, on top of shelves, or on a table. It would also be great for the school librarian to conduct book talks when classes come to the library. If time doesn't allow for book talks, then the librarian could project the blog on a screen and/or have it open on all of the computers. This book would be a good one to review on a blog or give a book talk over. 

References

Publisher's Weekly. (2001). [Review] What my mother doesn't know. Retrieved 1 December 2012 from: www.publishersweekly.com

Sones, S. (2003). What my mother doesn't know. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.