What My Mother Doesn't Know

A serious poem about a difficult or sensitive subject in children's or teens' lives.

Bibliography:
Sones, Sonya. 2001. what my mother doesn’t know. New York:
Simon & Schuster: Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689841140

Introduction:

Sonya Sones was born in Boston and grew up in a Newton a suburban area near Boston. She was interested in drawing and began her career in film making, working in various areas of film making. She enjoyed reading to her two children and decided to join a poetry class instructed by Myra Cohn Livingston. Myra Livingston inspired her to write her first novel. She did this in free-verse and it was titled Stop Pretending, which was based upon her real life experiences as a 13 year old girl and coping with her older sister’s emotional and mental problems. Sonya now resides in California with her husband and two children.
She has written several books of poetry in free verse centered around growing up with the serious and difficult issues of family life along with trials and tribulations of teen life, heartache, love, disappointment, family issues and more from a teen’s point of view. Many readers can relate to the poems and associate them with instances in their own lives.
http://www.sonyasones.com/bio.htm

What my mother doesn’t know is intended for children ages 12 and over. My opinion is that this book is not suitable for younger children. Sophie is a 15 year old girl who is narrating the poems and she is dealing with teen life experience. She’s in love one moment, crushing on another boy the next, hates her mom, hates hating her mom, sees her parents heading for divorce, has school issues, friend issues and more. Sonya’s works focus on critical issues but she adds a touch of humor to many so one can look beyond the gloom and see something positive about life. I applaud her works and feel that writing from personal experiences of embarrassing or sad moment would be very difficult to do, especially when writing about these experiences with a humorous twist.
The following poem is especially moving to those who have experienced family problems, embarrassment and divorce. This descriptive issue reveals to those who have not experienced similar circumstances, what might go on behind closed doors.

Mom And Dad Used To Be In Love
by Sonya Sones

Way back in the beginning anyhow.
I know because I can see it in their eyes
when I watch the old home videos
of when I was a baby.

They were really in love,
like people in the movies.

But now they have
these hideous battles all the time.
They scream their guts out
at each other about things like
how they should be raising me
or about money or the in-laws
or even just what movie to go see.

Their shrieking whips around inside me
like a tornado.
And no fingers crammed in my ears,
no pillows held over my head,
can block it out.

It makes me want to throw on my coat
and rush over to Rachel’s
or to Grace’s.

But I can’t bring myself
to set foot outside.

What would I do if
I ran into one of the Neighbors?

A neighbor who’s heard
every
single
foul-mouthed word?



From Sonya Sones' what my mother doesn’t know


From The Critics (Barnes & Noble)
Children's Literature
Nearly fifteen years old, Sophie narrates her quest for Mr. Right-and a-half in a novel-length collection of free verse poems. On the way, readers travel through her first and second loves and a secret cyber relationship that she deletes at the first sign of weirdness. The highs and lows of Sophie's life reflect much of the excitement and anguish that mark adolescence¾maintaining and developing new friendships;experiencing first love;despairing of parents in the midst of marital strife and personal transitions;and facing down religious bigotry and collective scape-goating. Sophie negotiates all of these life-events with honesty, openness and humor as she reconstructs her identity and learns to trust her own perspective. 2001, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $17.00. Ages 12 up. Reviewer:Melissa J. Rickey


Sonya Sones’ additional works include:
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy (HarperTeen)
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies (Simon Pulse)

Extension:

In the classroom or the library, have teens discuss these experiences and how her works made them feel. Read the poems aloud and re-read them. Have the students draw pictures to go along with the readings. Choose poems that will not make the class feel uncomfortable and assure each student that everyone has problems and issues that may be the same as their own or they may be different issues. Point out the words or phrases that may help them to see a brighter side to many situations. End with a humorous poem that deals with family or school life such as Booger Love by Brod Bagert or My Dog Ate My Homework by Bruce Lansky.