WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2003. What My Mother Doesn’t Know. New York, NY: Simon Pulse. ISBN 9780689855535

B. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sones delightfully offers an amazing novel with an intriguing title, “What My Mother Doesn’t Know.” Written in the style of free verse poetry, this novel captures the universal voice, thoughts, and emotions of teenage girls. "Sones 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." (Publishers Weekly)
This novel offers universal themes of friendship, heartache, and the desire to be loved. Sones protagonist, Sophie, is a believable character that young adults with be drawn to. Sophie longs for her mother and fathers attention. She wishes with all her heart her mother would show, “half as much interest in my life as she does in Luke and Laura’s.” (p.22) Further into the novel Sophie declares I Hate Her on page 149. The poem affirms what many girls have felt about their mother at one point or another:
I hate her
I hate her
I hate her

But I hate hating her.
I hate it.
This statement wraps up the thoughts of many young teens who know that as much as they hate their mom, they dearly love them as well. As the novel progresses Sophie and her mother’s relationship begins to change.
And I head to my room feeling all mixed-up,
Because there’s a part of me
that resents her for being so nosy,
But another part of me
That’s glad she cares. (p. 199)
As much as young adults resent the nosy part of their moms they do appreciate that they care. Many young adults are seeking that attention. Sophie secretly desires to know that when she steps out of the boundary mom will be there to bring her back, hold her, and let her know it will be alright.

Sophie has two wonderful friends. "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." (Publishers Weekly) Their friendship offers the story a giggly sense of being young and carefree. The girls are there for Sophie as she falls for Dylan, breaks up with him, and then falls for her Cyber Soul Mate. When she accidently falls in love with Murphy, the class dork, she’s not sure how she will tell her friends. “I feel so totally in love and so totally miserable.” (p. 251) Sophie starts the novel with a poem called “Sixth Sense” on how she just “knows” things. The torment of telling her friends that she loves Murphy ends with Sophie declaring: “everything’s going to be all right, sometimes I just know things.” (p. 259)
Sones novel offers young adult girls a perfect opportunity to: “glimpse 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.” (SLJ) Sones is an amazing writer! This book is so addictive it will have you begging for more!

C. REVIEW EXCEPTS
ALA 2002 Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
ALA 2002 Best Book for Young Adults
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
School Library Journal: Sones's book makes these often-difficult years a little more livable by making them real, normal, and OK.
Publishers Weekly: Sophie's honest and earthy story feels destined to captivate a young female audience, avid and reluctant readers alike.

D. CONNECTIONS
*Which poem caught your attention and how did it affect you?
* When Sophie tells Robin, “I knew you but I didn’t know you” what exactly does she mean? Do we tend to do that to those we think we know.
*Choose a song that you believe would represent Sophie. Why did you chose that particular song.

Visit Sonya Sones at her website: http://www.sonyasones.com/

Other novels by Sonya Sones:
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. 2001. ISBN: 9780064462181
What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know. 2008. ISBN: 9780689876035
One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies. 2005. ISBN: 9781416907886


HEART TO HEART: NEW POEMS INSPIRED BY TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN ART

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Greenberg, Jan. 2001. Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth Century American Art. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN: 9780810943865

B. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Heart to Heart is a beautiful compilation of poems inspired by twentieth-Century American Art edited by Jan Greenberg. Included in this collection are 48 wonderful poets such as: Angela Johnson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Janet S. Wong, and Jane Yolen. “The story, poems, and artwork hold something fresh and extraordinary with each rereading. Each piece of art shines with its own brilliance, enhanced by the carefully crafted text.”(Book Report) The book is divided into four categories: Stories, Voices, Impressions, and Expressions.

STORIES include poems that conjure up memories by the poet matched to a piece of art. I particularly loved, “Woman at the Piano” by William Jay Smith. Here’s a small excerpt:
“Everything in you went loose inside
And the world of a sudden became so wide
And open and joyous and free…” (p. 8)

VOICES contain poems in which the poet writes a voice for the painting he or she is writing about. My favorite is titled “From Above” by Angela Johnson.
“—And I am happy in
the coolness
as I am in the warmth,
Because I can fly as
Free as I feel
And watch my people
With love
From
Above.” (p. 25)

IMPRESSIONS offers the poets fresh take of how the art made an impression on them through poetry. I particularly enjoyed “Grant Wood: American Gothic” by Jane Yolen.
“Look behind the eyes,
to see who looks out at you.
We are not what we own.
We own what we would be.” (p.39)

EXPRESSIONS explores art. It depicts how the poet felt the art spoke to them in visual terms. The poem that stood out to me was “The Painting Comes Home” by Stephen Corey.
“So many paintings seem to be
Somewhere else
In space and time: people are lost
In a background
Or nowhere in sight, the buildings
Are like foreign castles.
But here we have home and
Suppertime, the air on that edge between day and evening,
The family gathered as the wall of dark grows hard.” (p. 58)

The book offers biographical notes on the poets and the artists as well as an index to find the author or art work quickly. "Concluding with biographical notes on each poet and artist, this rich resource is an obvious choice for teachers, and the exciting interplay between art and the written word will encourage many readers to return again and again to the book." (Booklist) It is a beautiful poetry book that begs to be read and to be seen. "If a picture book is defined as a marriage of word and art, then Heart to Heart is not only a wonderful poetry collection, but also a picture book of the highest quality." (SLJ)

C.REVIEW EXCEPTS
Michael L. Printz Honor Book
Booklist: the exciting interplay between art and the written word will encourage many readers to return again and again to the book.
Kirkus Review: The color reproduction of the works from museum slides is excellent, and the varied arrangements of text and art on the page lends interest. Some of the works are accessible to young children; others are more sophisticated.
Book Report: A wonderful integration of art, literature, and diversity, it includes biographical notes on the poets and artists.

D. Connections
*Offer various works of art for students to select from. Have students select a piece and write their own poem about it.
*Have students select their favorite poem and create a piece of art or match a piece of art to the poem.
*Discuss art. Discuss poetry. How are the two alike?

*Other related books
Greenberg, Jan. Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World. 2008. ISBN: 9780810994713
Rowden, Justine. 2005. Paint Me a Poem: Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art. ISBN: 9781590782897


MAKE LEMONADE

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Wolfe, Virginia Euwer. 1993. Make Lemonade. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN: 059048141X

B. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Virginia Euwer Wolfe composed a free verse novel that highlights the life of poverty for a fourteen year old girl named LaVaughn. “The tale is told in natural first-person, and in rhythmic prose arranged in open verse. The poetic form emphasizes the flow of the teenager's language and thought.” (SLJ) LaVaughn’s mother so desires that La Vaughn make her way out of poverty that she emphasizes homework, college, and determination or “take hold.” La Vaughn states, “Homework is a completely required thing like a vaccination.” (p. 4) “It’s why I do all the homework all the time. It’s what will get me out of here.” (p. 11) To earn money for college she takes on a babysitting job from seventeen year old mother, Jolly. As she babysits she becomes personally involved in the lives of the children and of Jolly. She describes mixed feelings, emotions, and the rawness of this difficult life. “There's humor as well as anguish in the tableaux she sets before us, with some of the funniest and most stirring scenes revolving around Jolly's children, both fully realized characters.” (Booklist) As the story progresses Jolly learns from LaVaughn. She begins to understand what she must do to move out of her circumstances. LaVaughn on the other hand learns from Jolly as well. Jolly retells a story of a blind woman that was robbed of her orange and given a lemon in place. Although she was victimized she makes the best of this circumstance and makes lemonade. (p. 173) LaVaughn eyes are opened and she finally understands what she herself needs to do. “The four become something akin to a temporary family, and through their relationship each makes progress toward a better life. (Horn Book) The book demonstrates to young adults the importance of making a better life for you. It emphasizes the importance of college while highlighting the importance of reaching out to one another. “That education is the bridge to a better life is the unapologetic, unmistakable theme, symbolized by the sprouting of the lemon seeds.” (Booklist)

C. REVIEW EXCEPTS
Booklist: At once disturbing and uplifting, this finely nuanced, touching portrait proudly affirms our ability to reach beyond ourselves and reach out to one another.
Horn Book: The four become something akin to a temporary family, and through their relationship each makes progress toward a better life.
School Library Journal: The dynamics between the two young women are multidimensional and elastic--absolutely credible. Make Lemonade is a triumphant, outstanding story. --
Publishers Weekly: Radiant with hope, this keenly observed and poignant novel is a stellar addition to YA literature.

D. CONNECTIONS
*LaVaughn’s mother states that “You make a bed you have to lie in it.” What does she mean by this and is it true?
*Recount a time when you were given a lemon and make lemonade.
*Did this story move you? How?

To learn more about Wolff check out the bio at: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=1943

Read a question and answer interview by Publisher’s Weekly at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6634519.html

Other books in the trilogy by Virginia Euwer Wolff:
True Believer. 2002. ISBN: 9780689852886
This Full House. 2009. ISBN: 9780061583049