Bookanistas: ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES

Plot without spoilers...Her mother's cancer death means that fifteen-year-old Ruby must leave her boyfriend and best friend to live with her movie star dad--the guy who left her mom before she was born--in Los Angeles.  Determined not to be wooed by her dad's wealth and access, Ruby is also blind to a secret that he keeps: one that could help her understand their past and pave the way to a better relationship.

Of literary interest...While artfully using the verse form to highlight Ruby's sense of displacement through her grief, her confusion about her father, and the difficulties of being a teen starting over in a new town, Sones still manages to create a book full of relatable moments, levity and wonderful wit. A must-read for verse novelists.

Finally, just gotta say...Despite Ruby's confession that "...blank books scare me" (a great poem about being afraid to write down her feelingg (p. 114)), her prose emails to her boyfriend, best friend, and even her late mom are sprinkled throughout the novel, lending another layer of literary texture and revealing her raw hurt and loneliness in an amazing way.  Finally, even though I'm not gonna spill it, I really enjoyed the ending of this book!

Two YA verse novelists, Sonya Sones and Ellen Hopkins, are releasing their first ADULT VERSE NOVELS this year.  Triangle by Ellen Hopkins pubs in October.  Sonya's book is out this month.  I can't wait to read it!

TO FIND OUT WHAT THE OTHER BOOKANISTS ARE READING THIS WEEK, CLICK ALONG!

Christine Fonseca Fangirls Cassie Clare


Shannon Messenger Accessorizes with White Cat/Red Glove

Jamie Harrington Praises Posession

Shelli Johannes-Wells Admires Shimmer

Carolina Valdez Miller Wants You To Find Clarity

Megan Miranda Discovers Where She Went

Jessi Kirby Hopefully Doesn't Loath The Liar Society

Shana Silver Seeks Clarity

Rosemary Clement-Moore is Overwhelmed by Wither

Corrine Jackson J'Adores Anna and the French Kiss

Stasia Ward Kehoe Cries Over One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

Sarah Frances Hardy Marvels Over Matched

LiLa Roecker Brags About Bookanistas Giving Back