by Sones, Sonya
Sones, Sonya. 2001. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689841140
PLOT SUMMARY
CRITICAL ANALYSISWHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW, by Sonya Sones, is a very easy and quick read. I think the storyline is something to which most teenage girls would relate. Mostly the poems are written in free verse, except one poem tucked about midway in the book.
"More or Less
If Dylan and I had met
by catting on the Net
in a room in cyberspace
instead of face to face..."
There was also one concrete poem in the book. The author used language that is consistent with a teenager, especially a girl. At times the storyline reminded me of the modern day Cinderella story, with the masked dancer at the party, However, it seemed very believable throughout most of the book. I don't really think boys would enjoy this book has it really seems to target female adolescents.
REVIEW EXCERPT
Publishers Weekly (February 24, 2003)
"Drawing on the recognizable cadence of teenage speech, the author poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy," wrote PW in a starred review. "She weaves separate free verse poems into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending."
listed by the American Library Association as one of the Top 100 Most Banned Books of the Decade (2000–2010)
listed by the American Library Association as one of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books (2004 and 2005)
winner of the Iowa Teen Book Award (2005–2006)
Michigan Thumbs Up Award Honor Book (2002)
unanimously chosen an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2002)
unanimously chosen an American Library Association Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2002)
named an International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice (2003)
named a Booklist Editor's Choice (2001)
voted a VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers (2003)
Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award: YA Recommended Title (2003–2004)
named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age (2002, 2003, and 2004)
named a Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice (2003–2004)
named a Top Ten Editor's Choice by Teenreads.com (2001)
named a Bookreporter.com Best of 2001 for Teens
chosen a Junior Library Guild selection
chosen a Scholastic Teen Age Book Club selection
chosen a Scholastic Trumpet Book Club selection
chosen a Scholastic Book Fair selection
nominated for the following state awards:
Volunteer State Book Award (TN) (2004–2005)
Utah Children's Choice Beehive Award (2003–2004)
Garden State Teen Book Award (NJ) (2003–2004)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2004)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2004)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (2003–2004)
Missouri Gateway Reader's Choice Award for Teens (2003–2004)
Wyoming Library Association Soaring Eagle Book Award (2003–2004)
CONNECTIONS
Other books written in verse for teens:
Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse
A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
By the River by Steven Herrick
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Crash Boom Love by Juan Felipe Herrara
The Geography of Girlhood by Kristen Smith
God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant
Hard Hit by Ann Warren Turner
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
Jinx by Margaret Wild
Keesha's House by Helen Frost
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
One Night by Margaret Wild
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones
Street Love by Walter Dean Myers
Things Left Unsaidn by Stephanie Hemphill
Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?: A Mystery in Poems by Mel Glenn
ACTIVITIES
Write in journals using free verse
COME SUNDAY
by Nikki GrimesPLOT SUMMARY
WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW is a captivating book of poetry, which reads much like a novel, composed of short free verse poems.
It is written from the prospective of a teenage girl, Sophie, who is trying to find herself in a world of family, cyberspace, school, friends and boys. In the end, she befriends the school outcast, and eventually falls in love with him.
It is written from the prospective of a teenage girl, Sophie, who is trying to find herself in a world of family, cyberspace, school, friends and boys. In the end, she befriends the school outcast, and eventually falls in love with him.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
"More or Less
If Dylan and I had met
by catting on the Net
in a room in cyberspace
instead of face to face..."
There was also one concrete poem in the book. The author used language that is consistent with a teenager, especially a girl. At times the storyline reminded me of the modern day Cinderella story, with the masked dancer at the party, However, it seemed very believable throughout most of the book. I don't really think boys would enjoy this book has it really seems to target female adolescents.
REVIEW EXCERPT
Publishers Weekly (February 24, 2003)
"Drawing on the recognizable cadence of teenage speech, the author poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy," wrote PW in a starred review. "She weaves separate free verse poems into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending."
AWARDS
listed by the American Library Association as one of the Top 100 Most Banned Books of the Decade (2000–2010)
listed by the American Library Association as one of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books (2004 and 2005)
winner of the Iowa Teen Book Award (2005–2006)
Michigan Thumbs Up Award Honor Book (2002)
unanimously chosen an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2002)
unanimously chosen an American Library Association Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2002)
named an International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice (2003)
named a Booklist Editor's Choice (2001)
voted a VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers (2003)
Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award: YA Recommended Title (2003–2004)
named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age (2002, 2003, and 2004)
named a Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice (2003–2004)
named a Top Ten Editor's Choice by Teenreads.com (2001)
named a Bookreporter.com Best of 2001 for Teens
chosen a Junior Library Guild selection
chosen a Scholastic Teen Age Book Club selection
chosen a Scholastic Trumpet Book Club selection
chosen a Scholastic Book Fair selection
nominated for the following state awards:
Volunteer State Book Award (TN) (2004–2005)
Utah Children's Choice Beehive Award (2003–2004)
Garden State Teen Book Award (NJ) (2003–2004)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2004)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2004)
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (2003–2004)
Missouri Gateway Reader's Choice Award for Teens (2003–2004)
Wyoming Library Association Soaring Eagle Book Award (2003–2004)
CONNECTIONS
Other books written in verse for teens:
Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse
A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
By the River by Steven Herrick
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Crash Boom Love by Juan Felipe Herrara
The Geography of Girlhood by Kristen Smith
God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant
Hard Hit by Ann Warren Turner
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
Jinx by Margaret Wild
Keesha's House by Helen Frost
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
One Night by Margaret Wild
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones
Street Love by Walter Dean Myers
Things Left Unsaidn by Stephanie Hemphill
Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?: A Mystery in Poems by Mel Glenn
ACTIVITIES
Write in journals using free verse
COME SUNDAY
Illustrated by Michael Bryant
BIBLIOGRAPHYGrimes, Nikki. 1996. COME SUNDAY. Ill. by Michael Bryant. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eardman's Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-5108-8
PLOT SUMMARY
CRITICAL ANALYSISThis book of poetry, by Nikki Grimes, appeals to all the senses. The poems all revolve around an ordinary Sunday. I easily related to the poems, maybe because I am from the south or maybe because I went to church as a little girl. I remember the blue haired women, white gloves on Sunday, women's hats and sneaking peeks during prayers. The words in the poems flow easily, allowing for the reader to paint mental pictures. These poems allowed me to connect to my childhood and warmed my heart.
The watercolor illustrations, by Michael Bryant, are detailed, colorful and vivid. They fully support the text and aid in painting pictures in the mind of readers. The pictures could almost tell the story without the poems.
I love this book and will definitely read it to my students. The one question I have in the back of my mind is whether this book will cause questions to be raised regarding religion in school.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (Vol. 92, No. 19 (June 1, 1996))
Ages 4-8. Grimes and Bryant combine their talents in a book that's bursting with joy. Grimes' short poems, boxed neatly into each ink-and-watercolor double-page spread, capture both the jubilation of a spirit-filled African American congregation and the more solemn moments. Yet both author and illustrator make sure that all this wonder is reflected strictly from the child's point of view.
Horn Book (September, 1996)
In fourteen poems, a young girl named LaTasha describes a typical Sunday of worship at the Paradise Baptist Church. From the joyful rhythms of singing and swaying and the spiritual plunge of baptism to church suppers and visiting preachers, the conversational verse evokes both solemn and joyous moods. Loose-lined watercolors burst with life, aptly conveying a community gathered in worship.
Kirkus Review (1996)
Composed as a suite of pitch-perfect poems, Grimes (Portrait of Mary, 1994, etc.) affectionately portrays a young girl's enjoyment of the spirit and practice of Sunday services in her community's church. While some of Bryant's watercolor paintings are more skilled than others, the overall effect is one of exaltation tempered by serene faith. Whatever their religious background, readers will smile at the jubilation.
Publishers Weekly (April 8, 1996)
In lively and delicious poetry, accompanied by evocative, full-color illustrations, Nikki Grimes recounts LaTasha's Sunday adventures in Paradise--Paradise Baptist Church, that is. From rising in the morning, to greeting the blue-haired ladies at church, to the soft and powerful voice of the visiting lady preacher, the church offering, a baptism, a church supper and finally home to bed, Grimes brings the experience of Sundays at church to life. Reverent, funny and wildly energetic all at the same time, this is a wonderful book for introducing children to church life. Ages 5-9.
PLOT SUMMARY
COME SUNDAY is a picture book of poetry which is compiled of poems, mostly with rhythm and rhyme. The poems take you through a day, a Sunday, through the eyes of a little African American girl. The poetry reveals her feelings, experiences, and thoughts as she progresses through the day.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The watercolor illustrations, by Michael Bryant, are detailed, colorful and vivid. They fully support the text and aid in painting pictures in the mind of readers. The pictures could almost tell the story without the poems.
I love this book and will definitely read it to my students. The one question I have in the back of my mind is whether this book will cause questions to be raised regarding religion in school.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (Vol. 92, No. 19 (June 1, 1996))
Ages 4-8. Grimes and Bryant combine their talents in a book that's bursting with joy. Grimes' short poems, boxed neatly into each ink-and-watercolor double-page spread, capture both the jubilation of a spirit-filled African American congregation and the more solemn moments. Yet both author and illustrator make sure that all this wonder is reflected strictly from the child's point of view.
Horn Book (September, 1996)
In fourteen poems, a young girl named LaTasha describes a typical Sunday of worship at the Paradise Baptist Church. From the joyful rhythms of singing and swaying and the spiritual plunge of baptism to church suppers and visiting preachers, the conversational verse evokes both solemn and joyous moods. Loose-lined watercolors burst with life, aptly conveying a community gathered in worship.
Kirkus Review (1996)
Composed as a suite of pitch-perfect poems, Grimes (Portrait of Mary, 1994, etc.) affectionately portrays a young girl's enjoyment of the spirit and practice of Sunday services in her community's church. While some of Bryant's watercolor paintings are more skilled than others, the overall effect is one of exaltation tempered by serene faith. Whatever their religious background, readers will smile at the jubilation.
Publishers Weekly (April 8, 1996)
In lively and delicious poetry, accompanied by evocative, full-color illustrations, Nikki Grimes recounts LaTasha's Sunday adventures in Paradise--Paradise Baptist Church, that is. From rising in the morning, to greeting the blue-haired ladies at church, to the soft and powerful voice of the visiting lady preacher, the church offering, a baptism, a church supper and finally home to bed, Grimes brings the experience of Sundays at church to life. Reverent, funny and wildly energetic all at the same time, this is a wonderful book for introducing children to church life. Ages 5-9.
School Library Journal (June 1997)
Gr 1-4--Fourteen short poems narrated by an African-American girl that concentrate mostly on preparing for and going to church with family and friends. Bryant's lively watercolors reveal a congregation caught up in its worship. The people are of all ages and are dressed in their most colorful best. Light flows through stained-glass windows, and the minister's Afrocentric-style vestments add another touch of color. Grimes' topical poems are short and down-to-earth enough to engage children and occasionally will sweep them along with a bouncy rhythm or a spark of recognition that brings LaTasha's Sunday to life. Both the text and pictures evoke a celebration of one ethnic and religious group.
AWARDS
2009 Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction
Finalist for The Commonwealth Prize
Finalist for Audie 2010 Award for Literary FictionLonglisted for The Sunday Times Literary Award
CONNECTIONS
Other books that would go along with this book are:
The Lord's Prayer by Tim Ladwig
When Daddy Prays by Nikki Grimes
Psalm Twenty-Three by Tim Ladwig
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson
Baby Dance (Harper Growing Tree) by Ann Taylor
This Little Light of Mine by Public Domain
Tulip Sees America by Cynthia Rylant
ACTIVITIES
Visit places in the community where people go (nursing home, bank, church, park)
Discuss family traditions
Make a circle map that includes important people who have had an influence in your life
THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT
Selected by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston
Illustrated by Barbara Fortin
BIBLIOGRAPHY PLOT SUMMARY
This enlightening collection of poems centers around science and nature. The poems are categorized by themes. A glossary provides definitions for scientific and poetic terms.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This collection a poems, put together by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston, combines both science and art and is inspired by Charles Darwin and his contribution to literature and nature. Some of the poems are serious, while others are fun and quirky. Each section is titled either by a poem included in that section or by a notable line in a poem within the section. Likewise, every section is introduced with a prose piece. Most of the poems can be easily related to something with which children will identify. In the following lines from "Birth" from "Field of Wonder," one can contemplate how each of us fits into the universe.
Oh, fields of wonder
Out of which
Stars are born,
And moon and sun
And me as well,
The tree in the book is a sketch that was in Darwin's notes and is exhibited in a museum. The authors used this tree as their inspiration and thus THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (December 15, 2009 (Vol. 106, No. 8))
Grades 3-7. Even if the organization occasionally feels arbitrary, the well-chosen selections will provoke thought and inspiration. Explanatory notes accompanying many poems, a glossary of both scientific and poetic terms, short biographies of the poets, and an accompanying CD featuring a selection of the poems read aloud make this attractive and unusual hybrid of poetry and science a great choice for classroom sharing.
Horn Book (Spring 2010)
The selections beautifully capture the variety of the world's natural wonders.
Library Media Connection (January/February 2010)
This collection would be a great choice to use as a collaborative tool with Middle School Science and English classes.
Publishers Weekly (November 30, 2009)
Taken in total, the poems encompass nature's multitudinous qualities, from harsher realities ("On my early walk/ I passed the Frog Prince/ dead in a rut of the road," in Virginia Hamilton Adair's Early Walk) to its ability to inspire at its most microscopic, as Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "Atom from atom yawns as far/ As moon from earth,/ as star from star." Ages 7-12
School Library Journal (January 1, 2010)
Gr 5 Up From the playful to the profound, the poems invite reflection and inspire further investigation.
AWARDS
2010 Lee Bennett Hopkins Honor Award
2009 Family Choice Award winner
2009 PW Cuffies Favorite Poetry Book
CONNECTIONS
Other books that would go along with this book are:
ABSOLUTELY WILD: Poems by Dennis Webster
WILD CRITTERS by Tim Jones
Douglas Florian's poetry books, (each with a different theme: insects, birds, beasts)
ACTIVITIES
Decorate rocks to reveal something about you
Take a nature walk
Research the life of a tree
Make salt maps of earth
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