One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

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1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sones, Sonya. 2004. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689858205

2. PLOT SUMMARY
As stated in the title, this novel is “one of those hideous books where the mother dies,” and that leaves fifteen year old Ruby all alone. Ruby Milliken, the main character in this story, describes her thoughts and feelings as her world is turned upside down when her single mother passes away. Having no siblings, Ruby moves across the country by herself to live with a father that she has never known. Her father turns out to be an incredibly famous movie star living in a very affluent neighborhood. The unraveling of Ruby’s transition to this new life is revealed through the many poems.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Written in a free verse poetic style, this story is told from a first-person point of view. Each page is filled with short, easy to read lines containing common modern terminology that would appeal to a teenage audience. Ruby mentions Eminem, Queen Latifah, Ashton Kutcher, and Leonardo DiCaprio. She also makes reference to recent literary works such as Charlotte’s Web, The Lord of the Rings, and “He-who-shall-not-be-mentioned”. Most teens will recognize these famous names and titles, and they’ll recognize the intended sarcasm throughout the book. Metaphors and personification are present from the first verse. An airplane is a “gigantic silver bullet with wings” and a “monstrous steel pterodactyl”. Sonya Sones makes clever use of different fonts that help the reader distinguish between Ruby’s thoughts, Ruby’s emails, her friend’s emails, and snail mail. Author Sonya Sones successfully incorporates a gamut of emotions into the verses. The main character experiences sorrow, anger, guilt, loneliness, betrayal, humor, and eventually happiness. This verse novel may appeal to those readers who are reluctant to read a long chapter book.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
KIRKUS: “a story worthy of Hollywood,”
BOOKLIST: “A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Readers will accept some melodrama because, even with a few contrivances, Ruby's voice conveys genuine emotions.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Despite several predictable particulars of plot, Ruby's story is gripping, enjoyable, and memorable.”

5. CONNECTIONS
• This book could be used in conjunction with other works by Sonya Sones:
Sones, Sonya. WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN’T KNOW. ISBN 9780689876028
Sones, Sonya. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. ISBN 9780689841149
• Other poetry books that address death:
Herrick, Steven. BY THE RIVER. ISBN 9780932425727
Yeomans, Ellen. RUBBER HOUSES. ISBN 031610647X