Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

Title: Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
Author: Sonya Sones

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Copyright: 1999

Sonya Sones found inspiration for this verse novel in the actual events that happened in her life around the age of thirteen when her older sister had a nervous breakdown on Christmas Eve.

Every member of Cookie's family is affected by her sister's mental illness. Cookie finds that her parents ignore her and are unwilling to talk about what has happened to their family. She is afraid to talk to her friends about what is happening because she is afraid of how they will react and what they will say about her and her family.

How do you deal with the emotions your feeling and the changes in your family when you are afraid to talk about it with most people and your family won't talk about it all?

Check out Sonya Sones' website to find out more about this title and other books by the author.

T4: a Novel in Verse

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Title: T4: a novel in verse
Author: Ann Clare LeZotte
Copyright: 2008

You have probably read stories about the killing of Jewish people during World War II, but have you read about the other groups of people who Hitler tried to eliminate.

Paula is deaf. Her mother had rubella while pregnant with Paula. That combined with a high fever at sixteen months old caused Paula to completely lose her hearing. She and her family have come to accept Paula's deafness, but Paula's country has not.

Paula lives in Germany, which, at the time of our story, is being led by Adolph Hitler. The Jewish people were not the only ones targeted by the Nazis. People with mental and physical disabilities were targeted by a Nazi program known as Action T4, which gave doctors permission to kill disabled people in order to eliminate the "pollution in the gene pool" (LeZotte, p.21).

Father Josef, a Catholic priest, learns of the Nazi plan and endeavors to help keep Paula alive. This is no easy task as there are many Germans who will happily inform the Nazis of happenings at their neighbors' homes.

T4 is told in 66 free verse poems, which come together to tell Paula's story of hiding from the Nazis in order to live.

What My Mother Doesn't Know

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Title: What My Mother Doesn't Know
Author: Sonya Sones
Copyright: 2001

Fifteen-year-old Sophie finds love, loses love, and finds love again in the most unlikely of places. All of this emotional trauma takes place while Sophie attempts to navigate the ups and downs associated with a teenager whose body is developing, parents fight, friends leave her alone during the holidays, and school, well school just happens. How is a budding artist supposed to handle all of these changes especially when she finds that she cannot talk to anyone about the most unlikely romance of her life.

This story is written as a verse novel and is a quick read. Readers who enjoy "What My Mother Doesn't Know" should also checkout Sonya Sones verse novel, "What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know." "What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know" continues Sophie's story of an unlikely romance form the point of view of Sophie's new boyfriend.

Check out Sonya Sones' website to find out more about the author, this title, and her other books.

If you enjoy reading novels in written in verse check out my reader's advisory page for additional titles.