POETRY BLOG #2: one of those hideous books where the mother dies

POETRY BLOG #2: one of those hideous books where the mother dies

Bibliographic data

Sones, Sonya. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHRE THE MOTHER DIES. New York. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-689-85820-8

Plot Summary

In this verse novel fifteen year old Ruby is sent to live with her father in Los Angeles after her mother dies. Ruby is upset to leave her best friend Lizzie, her aunt Duffy and her boyfriend Ray to live with her famous movie star father who she has never met before.

Critical Analysis

I had never read a verse novel before and after reading this one I think I may be hooked. Each poem seems like a condensed chapter of a book, the free verse and rhyming poems are told as poems written by the main character, Ruby. These poems capture the voice of Ruby. The poems are sarcastic, humorous, and sad. In each poem I can feel the pain, the surprise, and the young love and heartache that Ruby is experiencing. Each poem is a part of the novel, but could also serve as a poem to read alone as well. The author also mixes things up by including letters of correspondence from herself to Lizzie, Ray and her late mother in the novel. The author uses a distinctive use of spacing, line breaks and poem formatting in her poems. My favorite poem is on page 208 after Ruby finds out her best friend and boyfriend back home have hooked up at the Halloween party.

I Used to Love the Rain

The way it filled the airU
with the musky smell
of earth,

the way it painted
the streets
with glistening neon light,

the way it turned
the inside of your Mustang
into a snug cocoon

Now
I hate
the rain.

I hate it
for reminding me
of that night last summer

when the rain
licked at my lashes
while your lips covered mine.

I used to love the rain.
You used to love
me.

I also liked the spacing and formatting of the poem, Suddenly There’s Another Tremor where the spacing is shifted right, left and middle to illustrate the earthquake rumbles. When the quaking finally stops the words on the page go back to left alignment illustrating the stillness. I think that book would be very appealing to young readers especially girls. I am not wasnt sure if it would be appealing to boys but after reading a few reviews from kids I did note that a lot of boys who reviewed it really liked it. It is a quick easy read, but also makes you think about the power of few words and the value of poetry to capture a feeling. Young readers will be able to identify with the main characters feelings and writing and humor. I laughed out loud on many occasions. Such as the last 4 lines of the poem, I Didn’t Want to Get on This Plane.

painfully aware that every step I take
is leading me
closer and closer

to the sperm donor himself.

I wish I would have read this when I was young, it would have definitely gotten me more interested in poetry. I loved this book!


Review Excerpt(s)

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10–In one- to two-page breezy poetic prose-style entries, 15-year-old Ruby Milliken describes her flight from Boston to California and her gradual adjustment to life with her estranged movie-star father following her mother's death. E-mails to her best friend, her boyfriend, and her mother ("in heaven") and outpourings of her innermost thoughts display her overwhelming unhappiness and feelings of isolation, loss, and grief ("…most days,/I wander around Lakewood feeling invisible./Like I'm just a speck of dust/floating in the air/that can only be seen/when a shaft of light hits it"). Ruby's affable personality is evident in her humorous quips and clever wordplays. Her depth of character is revealed through her honest admissions, poignant revelations, and sensitive insights, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 7-12. After the death of her mother, high-schooler Ruby is sent from Boston to L.A. to live with the father she has never met: "He's such a scumbag / that he divorced my mother / before I was even born." The "scumbag" is Whip Logan, a famous movie actor, but Ruby is too angry to be impressed; at the airport she wonders whether to "ask him for his autograph, / or kick him in the balls." Sones' latest free-verse novel follows Ruby through her first few months in her new home, a mansion where her every desire is granted--except what she longs for most: her best friend, her boyfriend, and of course, her mother. Sones' novel is an unusual combination of over-the-top Hollywood fairy tale and sharp, honest story about overcoming grief. A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Connections

Other novels in verse by Sonya Sones
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Stop Pretending: What Happened When my Big Sister Went Crazy

Over 60 Novels in verse are listed on Sonya Sones webpage at http://www.sonyasones.com/greatbooks.htm

Activities

Have students choose a novel in verse written by Sonya Sones or from her booklist on her webpage. Her booklist also includes a brief description of each novel in verse, which may help students choose.
Have students try their hand at writing a poem that can be a part of a verse novel. Work in groups and share with class.
Students can discuss their favorite page in a verse novel. Students can share by reading it a loud in the class.