Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

Sones, Sonya. 1999. Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. New York: HarperCollins.  ISBN 9780064462181

(Photo obtained from sonyasones.com)

   Plot Summary

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy manifests as a sensitively written verse novel which tell the true story of author Sonya Sones’s life after her sister has a mental breakdown which requires hospitalization.  Following the lead of the Kubler-Ross model of five stages of grief, the collection of poetry travels through the emotions of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, peppered with loneliness, confusion and frustration. 

Analysis

Although Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy is lengthy, the poetry is not complex and therefore a quick read.  As a book written to increase awareness of mental illness, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy provides respite for those affected by mental illnesses or those just intrigued.  The content is age-appropriate. 

Sones’s poetry possesses powerful imagery (“My stunned parents stare,/ like witnesses at a car crash”) which allows the reader to instantly feel as if they are part of the story line.  The only downfall of the storyline is that readers will later learn that although the content is based on a true story, the poetry was written when Sones was an adult. Because of this fact, there are some gaps between what is written and what is realistic for the mundane attributes of the story (such as Cookie’s friend’s reactions to finding out her sister was in a mental hospital.  The children passed around a note in class which said “Cookie’s sister is Cuckoo” which does not appear to be an accurate portrayal of 12-14 year olds.)   

The issues within the book are minute and greatly overshadowed by free-verse prose which manages to teach about family and change but more importantly delivers coping skills through a rather unconventional medium. 

Review Excerpts

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “An unpretentious, accessible book that could provide entry points for a discussion about mental illness-its stigma, its realities, and its affect on family members. Based on the journals Sones wrote at the age of 13 when her 19-year-old sister was hospitalized due to manic depression, the simply crafted but deeply felt poems reflect her thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams during that troubling time.”

Awards, Mentions and/or Honors

Christopher Award

IRA/CBC Young Adults’ Choice

ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers in 2000

ALA Best Book for Young Adults in 2000

ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Adult Readers in 2000

ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults in 2000

Enrichment Activities

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy printables, lesson plans and other links --- http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/stop-pretending

Books like Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

I Don’t Want To Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

I Am the Book

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2011. I Am the Book. Ill. by Yayo. New York: Holiday House.  ISBN 978-0823421190

(Photo obtained from holidayhouse.com)

   Plot Summary

Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins, I Am the Book is a topical of poetry which celebrates and pays tribute to reading.  I Am the Book includes thirteen poems from award-winning and well-known poets such as Lee Bennett Hopkins himself, Karla Kuskin, Naomi Shihab Nye and Kristine O’Connell George.

Analysis

Hopkins hit the nail on the head with this compilation of poetry.  The poems selected manage to encapsulate the joy and benefits of reading through metaphor, verse, tone,  scheme and vibrant illustrations.  Considering that each poem is written by another poet, the poetic devices shift between each page yet still present cohesively.  The poetry manages to tell the tale of being enraptured in storylines despite the actual world occurring without standstill around the reader. 

Aside from being a picture book aimed at children (both young beginners and advanced pre-teens), this book also possesses characteristics that make it enjoyable for an adult audience.  The poem Quiet Morning speaks true to many mornings spent “dog, book and me” while This Book mirrors many nights where the promise to only read an hour turns into an eye-rubbing 4am. 

I Am the Book should be found on all primary school shelves as it promotes reading by reading.  Genuis. 

Review Excerpts

BOOKLIST -- The whimsical, light-toned acrylic artwork extends the metaphors with witty, fantastical transformations of books: in one scene, a dark-blue, book cover becomes an ocean, where you can “dive in the sea of words and swim.” Fun for sharing with preschoolers, this will also spark discussion in grade-school writing and art classes.”

Awards, Mentions and/or Honors

2013 Beehive Award Nominee

Books like

Bookspeak!: Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas

The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

Wonderful Words: Poems About Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems

Singer, Marilyn. 2012. Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems. Ill. by Miki Sakamoto. New York: Dial Books for Children.  ISBN 978-0803737150

 (Photo obtained from www.us.penguingroup.com)

   Plot Summary

Every Day’s a Dog’s Day is a collection of poems covering a year’s time but written in a Buddy’s (an adorable dog) perspective.  Poems included cover major holidays (New Year’s Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc), touch on seasonal happenings (first day of spring, first day of school, dog shows and parades) but even more importantly, cover days characteristic to dogs only (“flea day”, “visit the vet day”, “leaf-kicking day”, etc). 

Analysis

Every Day’s a Dog’s Day serves as a clever introduction to poetry for children.  Singer employs a large variety of poetic mechanism and poetic devices within this children’s picture book such as rhyming, imagery, assonance and enjambment.  Most of her poems employ the well-known A,B,A,B,C scheme but Singer is in no way partial to this scheme and strays often. 

The voice of the poetry is clear which also is helpful for younger readers who may struggle with more difficult poetry.  Singer manages to ensure that the overall tone of the poetry matches the playful subject matter (“One year I got into the pantry/ and ate everything I found./ So thanks for another Thanksgiving/ and for not sending me to the pound.”) while encouraging children to read aloud aided by steady rhythm that poetry promotes. 

The storyline is skillfully stitched together so that the poems stand alone or act as a cumulative, chronological journey through the year providing practicality for younger readers who do not consume the book in one sitting.  The illustrations by Miki Sakamoto are fun, comical and cheerful which enhance the imagery provided by the words alone.  Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems would be a great addition to personal and public collections alike. 

Review Excerpts

BOOKLIST --- “The playful rhymes are very simple and filled with physical action, and the rhythm in the words will have young preschoolers joining in (“I must dig a hole / to look for a mole / to bury a bone / to be all alone”). Sakamoto’s unframed illustrations extend the humor and feeling in the scenarios, especially the cuddles and standoffs between pets and their owners.”

Books like Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems

Dog Poems by Dave Crawley

Little Dog Poems by Kristine O’Connell George

Big Dog... Little Dog by P.D. Eastman