SLIS 5420, Module #9: What My Mother Doesn't Know

This week's genre: poetry! I can't tell you I am in love with poetry, but I do love prose novels! The unique combination of free verse poetry and a plot (often times, a very complex one at that!), makes me smile, think, and think while smiling! Previously, I have devoured Sold by Patricia McCormick, Karma by Cathy Ostlere, and of course, I couldn't possibly teach teens without reading Ellen Hopkins' legendary prose novels. This week, I got so lucky! I selected What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones without knowing anything about the book or author-and-wow! I think I won the book lottery!

Summary

Sophie, a sophomore in high school, has two best friends (Grace and Rachel) and lots of boyfriends, too. While many boys have flitted in and out of Sophie's love life, art is her true passion. So, when she finds herself on an impromptu "stay-cation" one winter break when Grace and Rachel have left her for sun and glamor, Sophie, of course, heads to her favorite painting at the art museum. But, when the school reject, Murphy (of the "you are such a Murphy!" fame), appears next to the painting, too, Sophie learns that true love comes in all packages.

After spending the rest of vacation with Murphy, whose first name is Robin, Sophie knows that it'll be tough to go back to school and face ridicule from her friends and classmates for dating Robin. After a short freak out, she decides to take that chance. As the story ends, Robin and Sophie's relationship comes to a head as Sophie decides to stay with Robin, despite the staring eyes of the entire cafeteria...

My Thoughts

I am in love! I've recently become obsessed with prose novels and I am now obsessed with Sonya Sones, too! Although just finishing What My Mother Doesn't Know, I've already read the sequel, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know which picks up where the first book leaves off as told by Robin (aka Murphy). I appreciate the readability of this text- while some poetry is overwhelming, What My Mother Doesn't Know is approachable, easy-to-read, and will most definitely connect with middle school girls everywhere.

What have others said?

From Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (2001):

In this series of poems (primarily free verse), teenager Sophie expresses her worry and wonderment over everything from her parents' floundering marriage to her changing body to the differences between lust and love. Though other narrative threads appear as well (her Jewishness, her friendship with best buddies Grace and Rachel), the emphasis here is on romance. When Sophie's infatuation with her boyfriend, Dylan, fizzles as she realizes how little they have in common, she falls for cyberpal Chaz, only to find (luckily before meeting him in person) that he's a creepy pervert. To her surprise, Sophie discovers that the homely school scapegoat, Murphy, is prime boyfriend material (he's sensitive and funny and he shares her love of art), but she fears that her friends won't understand what she sees in him. While many of the poems suffer from mundane language and clichés ("I'm only aware of/ the sparks in his eyes,/ the sun in his hair/ and the spot where his knee's/ touching mine"--from "In the Cafeteria"), a few are more lyrical ("our cheeks/ burning with the cold// the tips of our noses/ numb// our icicled lips/ bump clumsily"--from "Winter Kiss"). Sophie's romance with Murphy will undoubtedly appeal to girls who secretly fantasize about the quiet boy in the back of the class, and teens looking for a quick and pleasant read may appreciate both the brevity of these poems and the familiarity of their content.

And, from  School Library Journal (2001):

A story written in poetry form. Sophie is happily dating Dylan, üntil he's practically glued himself to my side." Then she falls for cyberboy ("if I could marry a font/I'd marry his"). Imagine her surprise when he becomes downright scary. In the satisfying ending, Sophie finds the perfect boyfriend-someone she's known all along. Sones is a bright, perceptive writer who digs deeply into her protagonist's soul. There she reveals the telltale signs of being "boy crazy"; the exciting edginess of cyber romances; the familiar, timeless struggle between teens and parents; and the anguish young people feel when their parents fight. But life goes on, and relationships subtly change. Sones's poems are glimpses through a peephole many teens may be peering through for the first time, unaware that others are seeing virtually the same new, scary, unfamiliar things (parents having nuclear meltdowns, meeting a boyfriend's parents, crying for no apparent reason). In What My Mother Doesn't Know, a lot is revealed about the teenage experience- ("could I really be falling for that geek I dissed a month ago?"), clashes with close friends, and self-doubts. It could, after all, be readers' lives, their English classes, their hands in a first love's. Of course, mothers probably do know these goings-on in their daughters' lives. It's just much easier to believe they don't. Sones's book makes these often-difficult years a little more livable by making them real, normal, and OK.

Some ideas for the classroom or library

Recently, a previous student of mine wrote a grant for the 3D Library. (Yay! $700.00 for books!) What My Mother Doesn't Know (and other Sonya Sones' novels) will honestly be the first book I purchase with this money. The book is everything that my upper-middle school girls crave: poetry, romance, and a little bit of drama!

This year, KIPP is aligning our curriculum and the focus of our last twelve weeks of middle school ELA is "poetry and drama." Many teachers are fearful of this focus because it's new (let's face it- who isn't afraid to try new things??) and because our students typically don't connect with poetry the way they do with say, historical fiction on the Jewish Holocaust. However, I can't wait to introduce my teachers to prose novels such as What My Mother Doesn't Know! There are multiple poems (from Sophie's perspective of course) on appealing topics such as bullying and judging someone based on their looks. Starting with an excerpt or two (or three of four!) from What My Mother Doesn't Know is sure to get the students hooked on learning more about poetry!

References

Hulick, J. M. (2001). [Review of the book, What my mother doesn't know by Sonya Sones]. Bulletin Of The Center For Children's Books, 55(4), 152-153.

Korbeck, S. (2001). [Review of the book, What my mother doesn't know by Sonya Sones]. School Library Journal, 47(10), 171-172.

Sones, S. (2001). What My Mother Doesn’t Know. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.