(Book Cover: Sones, Sonya. 2007. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Photo Source: http://www.sonyasones.com, accessed October 6, 2008.)
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sones, Sonya. 2007. What my girlfriend doesn’t know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-689-87602-8
2. PLOT SUMMARY: This is the story of two teenagers, Sophie Stein, popular girl, and Robin Murphy, school outcast. These two began a relationship in Sones’ first verse novel, What my mother doesn’t know (Sones, 2001), which is told from Sophie’s point of view. This story is a continuation, told from Robin’s perspective. It chronicles the events that unfold as they publicly display their relationship at school. Sophie is shunned by her popular friends because she has the school outcast as a boyfriend. Sophie gets a taste of what it is like not to have friends; something that Robin has lived with all his life. In the meantime, Robin is auditing an art class at Harvard where he finds students who are willing to accept him as he is. One of the girls from Harvard is attracted to him and through a twist of fate, Sophie sees Robin kiss this girl. Robin, however, only has feelings for Sophie and through a lot of effort is able to win her back on Valentine’s Day. In the end, Sophie’s true friends come back to her, the couple reunites and Robin gets revenge on those who have tormented him.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: This is the type of book that can help young adults discover the wonder and beauty of poetry. The book is filled with emotions that are well known and understood by teenagers. A boy reading these poems can feel the pain Robin feels from being teased; the excitement he feels at having a girlfriend who is one of the popular girls at school; the lust and confusion he feels over the models he sees naked in a college art class. Poetry like this, that discusses such issues from a teenage boy’s perspective and with such candor, is few and far between. It is regrettable that the jacket art is not different. The cover focuses on a picture of a girl kissing a boy; however, the boy’s face is almost cut off from the book. One could easily believe this is just another young romance story written from girls’ perspective. Most teenage boys are not going to want to be seen reading a book with such a cover.
The poetry making up this verse novel flows like a meandering stream, casually without urgent destination. Ms. Sones brilliantly intertwines the titles of each poem into the story. One can read this novel without ever realizing he or she is reading poetry. The flowing nature of the poetry directs the reader seamlessly through the book with what the reader perceives to be little effort. Ms. Sones’ careful use of the “s” sound throughout her poems helps develop this desired effect. This easy to read style may be of benefit for reluctant poetry readers or struggling readers who have trouble reading other types of novels.
Although it is true that a reader could get lost in this book and not realize it is poetry, the fact that it is poetry should not be overlooked. The poetry should be examined and appreciated. Each poem, standing alone, involves feelings and emotions that are universal. The imagery brought forth by these poems is vivid and can be related to our own personal experiences while growing up. Take for example the poem “Here’s what I’d like to know” where Ms. Sones writes the following: “How come whenever/ I’m watching TV with Sophie,/ and my parents/ happen to walk into the room,/ that’s always the exact moment/ when a commercial for Viagra comes on,/ and some real deep-voiced announcer/ says something like:/ ‘And remember/ contact your doctor/ if your erection lasts longer/ than four hours’?” (Sones 2007, 101). We have all been there in moments like this and the image is easily retrieved.
The language in this book is straightforward, everyday language, making this book attractive for older readers who may struggle with more complicated vocabulary. Readers with limited vocabulary may think they can never write poetry because they can’t come up with complex words or words that rhyme. This book is a good example of how poetry can be interesting and well written without always having to rhyme words. In fact, there is not much rhyming within the poems at all. The first rhyme appears well into the story, around page sixty. This uncomplicated vocabulary and lack of rhyming may be another factor in student’s surprise that they are actually reading and enjoying poetry.
This book captures the reader’s attention. It is a wonderful tool for teaching young adults an appreciation for poetry without it being boring or hard work. It most likely will cause the reader to be interested in poetry when, perhaps, they had never been interested in poetry before. The continuing saga of Robin and Sophie will likely entice readers to read more poetry by Ms. Sones.
4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, 254, no. 25, (June 18, 2007): 55-56: “Concrete poems and comics punctuate the text, adding interest to the form.” (Source: Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
KIRKUS REVIEWS, 75, no. 10 (May 15, 2007) 509: “Robin [a boy] emerges as an appealingly flawed character whose desires--for love, for acceptance, for sex--will be instantly recognized by readers.” (Source: Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
BOOKLIST, 103, no. 15 (04/01/2007) 49: “Many teens will see themselves, and they’ll cheer when Sophie and Robin thwart the bullies and reclaim their social standing. Like Sones’ other titles, this is a great choice for reluctant and avid readers alike.” (Source: Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
• Have a verse novel book club that meets before school, during lunch or after school. To truly appreciate these poems, have students or teachers read them aloud. Some of them are somewhat sexually explicit and might be uncomfortable read aloud. Those poems should be read by an adult, not a student.
• Do a Sonya Sones display in the library and create a “girl section” and a “boy section” to somehow separate the book What my mother doesn’t know from What my girlfriend doesn’t know to entice boys to read What my girlfriend doesn’t know despite its cover art. Librarian could also provide some sort of book cover as well so that boys would be more willing to check out the book.
• Counselors could use this book in discussions with student groups about issues relating to bullying, popularity, friendship and feelings toward opposite sex.
Other Related Items:
• McCafferty, Megan, ed. 2004. Sixteen: stories about that sweet and bitter birthday. New York: Three Rivers Press. (Recommended by Sonya Sones for children at least 16 years of age. http://www.sonyasones.com/sixteen.htm, accessed October 13, 2008.)
• Sones, Sonya. 2001. What my mother doesn’t know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
No comments:
Post a Comment