Sonya Sones

Last updated
Sonya Sones
Sonya Sones Photo.jpg
Sonya Sones (2011)
Born Boston, Massachusetts
OccupationAuthor
Genre Children's books, Young adult, Women's fiction
Notable works What My Mother Doesn't Know , Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy
Website
www.sonyasones.com

Sonya Sones (born c. 1953) [1] is an American poet and author. She has written seven young adult novels in verse and one novel in verse for adults. The American Library Association (ALA) has named her one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century. [2]

Contents

Biography

She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, was raised in nearby Newton, and lives in Southern California. After graduating from Hampshire College, she taught filmmaking at Harvard University; her other jobs have included baby clothes designer, animator, photographer, and film editor. [3] [1] [4]

Sones is married to screenwriter Bennett Tramer, of Saved by the Bell . They teamed on a picture book, Violet and Winston, in 2009. It is illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka. [5]

Writing career

Her style differs from most contemporary writers in that her novels are told in verse form rather than prose. [4] [1] This means that they are a series of poems which, when read in order, tell a story. [6]

The American Library Association has named several of her novels Best Books for Young Adults, as well as Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Her debut novel, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy , won numerous awards, including a Christopher Award, the Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry, the Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Award, and a nomination for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize. [7] [1] The book was inspired by Sones' teenage experiences having a sister who was mentally ill. [4]

Her third book was One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies (2004). Kirkus Reviews called it "a story worthy of Hollywood". [8] Publishers Weekly said it was a "winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses". [9]

Her fourth book, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know , received a starred review from Booklist. [10]

Her first novel in verse for adults, The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, was published by Harper Collins in April 2011. It is about "a writer way behind on her deadline whose fiftieth birthday is rushing at her like a freight train," and deals with issues related to going through menopause, adjusting to an empty nest, and caring for aging parents. [11] The film rights to The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus were optioned by actress Michelle Pfeiffer. [12] [4]

Sones' fifth novel in verse for young adults, To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story), was published by Simon & Schuster in August 2013. It was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by YALSA. [13]

Sones' sixth novel in verse for young adults, Saving Red, received a starred review from Booklist. [14]

Sones' seventh novel in verse for young adults, The Opposite of Innocent, is a Junior Library Guild selection, [15] and was named one of Barnes & Noble's Most Anticipated Contemporary YA Novels of 2018. [16]

Sones has participated in multiple panel discussions at the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. She was the moderator on the panel "Young Adult Fiction: Teens and Turmoil" with Gayle Forman, Jandy Nelson and Cynthia Kadohata during the 2010 event. [17]

Censorship

In 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2011, the ALA included her novel What My Mother Doesn't Know on their list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books, [18] and it was named 31st on the ALA's list of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books of the 2000s. [19] She regards her inclusion on the lists as "a badge of honor". [3]

List of works

Young adult novels in verse

Adult novels in verse

Short stories in verse

Her short stories in verse are included in numerous anthologies, including:

Picture books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libba Bray</span> American writer

Martha Elizabeth "Libba" Bray is an American writer of young adult novels including the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Going Bovine, and The Diviners.

<i>What My Mother Doesnt Know</i>

What My Mother Doesn't Know (2001) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. The free-verse novel follows ninth-grader Sophie Stein as she struggles through the daily grind of being a freshman in high school, her romantic crushes, and her family life. It has been translated into French, German, Indonesian and Swedish, and published as an audiobook read by Kate Reinders.

<i>One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies</i>

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies (2004) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. It is a young adult novel that tells the story of Ruby Milliken who is forced to go live with her famous movie star father, Whip Logan, in Los Angeles when her mother dies. Ruby is taken away from her friends and family, all of which she loves, and is forced to cope in the fake and artificial world of Hollywood. The novel is told mostly in blank verse with periodic interruptions of emails and letters Ruby exchanges with her friends. She soon finds herself torn between her old life and her new life.

Lynn Joseph is an author of children's books and an American lawyer. Her novella The Color of My Words won an Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature and a Jane Addams Children's Book Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. S. King</span> American writer

Amy Sarig King is an American writer of short fiction and young adult fiction. She is the recipient of the 2022 Margaret A. Edwards Award for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."

Hannah Moskowitz is an American author of young adult and middle grade novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susane Colasanti</span> American writer

Susane Colasanti is an American author of young-adult fiction and a former high-school science teacher. She has published 11 young-adult titles since 2006. She lives in New York City.

<i>The Ghosts of Heaven</i> 2014 book by Marcus Sedgwick

The Ghosts of Heaven is a novel by Marcus Sedgwick, published on 2 October 2014. The book is divided into four brief quarters, with each part telling a different story. The book circles around the idea "Spirals are everywhere". The story begins in the past and ends in the future, essentially the development of mankind. The novel was shortlisted for the 2015 Carnegie Medal and received a Michael L. Printz Honor Award in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Thomas</span> American author (born 1988)

Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was released on February 25, 2019.

Catherine Newman is an American author of books for children and adults.

Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel When the Moon Was Ours, Wild Beauty, and The Weight of Feathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany D. Jackson</span> American YA author and horror filmmaker

Tiffany D. Jackson is a New York Times Bestselling American author of young adult fiction and a horror filmmaker, best known for her NAACP Image Award-nominated debut novel Allegedly.

<i>On the Come Up</i> 2019 young adult novel by Angie Thomas

On the Come Up, published on February 5, 2019, by Balzer + Bray, is a young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It tells the story of Bri, a sixteen-year old rapper hoping to fill the shoes of her father and "make it" as an underground hip-hop legend. Overnight, Bri becomes an internet sensation after posting a rap hit which sparks controversy. As Bri defeats the odds to "make it" she battles controversy to achieve her dreams. It is set in the same universe as Thomas' first book The Hate U Give.

Joy McCullough is an American author of young adult fiction. She is best known for her verse novel Blood Water Paint. She lives in Seattle, Washington. She attended Northwestern University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhonielle Clayton</span> American author and chief operating officer of We Need Diverse Books

Dhonielle Clayton is an American author and chief operating officer of We Need Diverse Books.

<i>Blackout</i> (young adult novel) Young adult novel

Blackout is a young adult novel written by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. The book contains six interlinked stories about Black teen love during a power outage in New York City. The book was released on June 22, 2021.

<i>Sadie</i> (novel) 2018 novel by Courtney Summers

Sadie is a novel written by Courtney Summers. The book was released on September 4, 2018, and is told from two perspectives: some chapters offering Sadie's point of view and some chapters being styled as transcripts from a podcast called "The Girls" hosted by a man named West McCray. The release of the book was accompanied by the release of a mock true-crime podcast titled The Girls: Find Sadie which is available on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

J. Elle is an author of children's and young adult fiction.

Tara Conklin is a New York Times bestselling American author.

Madelyn Rosenberg is an American author of children's books.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sonya Sones." Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors , Gale, 2012. Gale Literature Resource Center. Accessed 12 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues - American Library Association. 26 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 Marcus, Leonard S. (2021). You Can’t Say That! Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell. Candlewick Press. ISBN   9780763690366.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Sonya Sones." Something About the Author, vol. 342, Gale, 2019, pp. 217-221. Gale Literature: Something About the Author. Accessed 12 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Violet and Winston by Sonya Sones, Bennet Tramer". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  6. ↑ Poets, Academy of American. "Verse Novel". Academy of American Poets. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  7. ↑ "1999 Los Angeles Times Book Prize - Young Adult Fiction Winner and Nominees". Awards Archive. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  8. 1 2 One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. Kirkus Reviews.
  9. 1 2 "One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  10. ↑ What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones. Booklist.
  11. ↑ The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus (HarperCollins 2011)
  12. ↑ Michelle Pfeiffer... New Project on the Board? Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ BFYA Nominations. American Library Association. (URL access requires registration)
  14. ↑ Saving Red, by Sonya Sones. Booklist Online.
  15. ↑ "Junior Library Guild : The Opposite of Innocent by Sonya Sones". Junior Library Guild.
  16. ↑ "Our Most Anticipated Contemporary YA Novels of 2018: July to December". The B&N Teen Blog. 26 June 2018.
  17. ↑ Sunday Panels. Archived 2010-08-07 at the Wayback Machine , Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, April 25, 2010
  18. ↑ "Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues - American Library Association. 26 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues - American Library Association. 26 March 2013.
  20. ↑ Stop Pretending!. Kirkus Reviews.
  21. ↑ To Be Perfectly Honest. Kirkus Reviews.
  22. ↑ Saving Red. Kirkus Reviews.
  23. ↑ "Saving Red by Sonya Sones". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  24. ↑ The Opposite of Innocent. Kirkus Reviews.
  25. ↑ "The Opposite of Innocent by Sonya Sones". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  26. ↑ The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus. Kirkus Reviews.
  27. ↑ "The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  28. ↑ "The Night Before College by Sonya Sones, Ava Tramer". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.