What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know

Bibliography:
Sones, Sonya. 2007. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-87602-5

Plot Summary:
A 14-year old boy, Robin Murphy struggles with being the outcast in high school. His name is coined as meaning, "loser" and he is the butt of all jokes. When he begins dating a beautiful, popular girl, Sophie Stein, her reputation deteriorates and she becomes unpopular. The two teens show a united front, calling themselves "the outlaws" and withstand all the ridicule and teasing to reclaim their social place and friends at school. This hormone-raging young adolescent boy finds acceptance in a Harvard art class where he also pursued by a young college girl. Robin is faced with many hard decisions as he finds himself in this story.

Critical Analysis:
This book is written verse form which makes for an easy book to read. The title of each poem on each new page is really the first sentence to that page/paragraph. Sones plays with the words on the page by making them in the form of pictures, such as pinnochio's face when the title of a page is, "Is My Nose Growing?" or the shape of breasts when the title is, "I Do Not Have a One Track Mind". This makes for a comical, interesting, page-turning novel that keeps the reader guessing. The vocabulary Sones uses is typical of a young male, such as "whoa", "dude", "weirding me out", etcetera. The style language and topics discussed within the book portray this further with discussions about women in the nude, viagra, rock and roll, stoners, jell-o shots, overbearing mothers, and falling in love.

This book serves well to get a teenager interested in reading. This story has something that any adolescent, male or female, can relate to. As one reads this book, it's like they are being let in on all the so-called-secrets of the teenager mind and it gives the reader an almost naughty feel reading some of the pages. With the continuous humor and honesty throughout the novel, one cannot help but fall in love with "Murphy" and "Stein" as the two of them discover love together. I would definitly recommend it for 8th grade and up and especially to those who are reluctant readers.

Review Excerpts:
Booklist, starred review: "A fast, funny, touching book...hilarious and irreverent."
Publishers Weekly, starred review: "Honest and earthy...captures the tingle and heartache of being young and in love."
Kirkus Reviews, starred review: "Romantic and sexy."

Connections:
*This book is an excellent tool to get older, reluctant readers interested in reading books.
*This book teaches the value of self-esteem, loyalty, and trust.
*This inspirational story can be used to help a child adapt to a new situation (ex: high school) or give them hope when they feel like an outcast.