What My Mother Doesn’t Know

Bibliography:
Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn’t Know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2001. ISBN-10 0689841140

Plot Summary:
What My Mother Doesn’t Know is the story of one teenagers love and experiences, related through poetry and presented privately, as if to a journal. It follows Sophie’s life through a year of school having just broken up with one boyfriend and finding another, Dylan; her realizations about her heritage and her family; her social and school life; and her eventual recognition of a love that makes her feel good about herself. This is all clearly stated in the poem on the front flap which starts with,
“My name is Sophie.
This book is about me.
It tells
the heart-stoppingly riveting story
of my first love.
And also of my second.
And, okay, my third love, too”

Critical Analysis:
This is definitely a book written from a teenage girl’s perspective. The poems switch from topic to topic, usually discussing how distracted she is in class because of a boy, how nice it is to be kissed by said boy, how she likes spending time with the boy, talking to her friends about the boy, breaking up with the boy, and everything in between. Because of the journal entry format, as a reader, you begin to really feel for Sophie and want the best from her. She is honest in her wants and desires and in her hesitations and fears. It is refreshing to see the world through such young eyes, without having to be young again.
The poetry is simplistic in style, something that could be written on the back of a page of notes while avoiding a teacher’s attention, only adding to the reality of the collection.

Review Excerpts:
Publisher’s 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’… 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."

Connections:
Here are other books of teen poetry and more:
Bynoe, Sara, ed. Teen Angst: A Celebration of Really Bad Poetry. ISBN 9780312334741
Meyer, Stephanie H. and John Meyer. Teen Ink: Written in Dirt: A Collection of Short Stories, Poetry, Art and Photography. ISBN 9780757300509