What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know

Last updated
What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know.jpg
First edition
Author Sonya Sones
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Young adult
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Publication date
2007
Media typePrint Hardback
Pages320 pp
ISBN 0-689-87603-3
Preceded by What My Mother Doesn't Know  

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know (2007) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. The free verse novel follows ninth-grader Robin as he struggles with being an outsider at his high school and dealing with the joys of having a girlfriend, Sophie, and seeing his artistic talent recognized by his teacher and parents. It is a companion novel to Sones' What My Mother Doesn't Know (2001).

Contents

Plot summary

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know picks up where the previous novel ended, with Robin unable to believe he has a girlfriend. Due to the dynamics of high school social interaction, Sophie is ostracized by her friends because she chose the school loser as her boyfriend. This is familiar territory for Robin, but new to Sophie. To make matters worse Robin is accepted into a special figure drawing class at Harvard University where he is readily accepted by the other art students. He is amazed to realize they do not care that he is “only” a high school student or that he is an outcast in school. Sophie is able to eventually reconcile with her friends once they realize she can only be happy dating Robin. One of the girls in Robin's drawing class, Tessa, falls for him as well, and he is conflicted about being attracted to two girls at once, especially since Tessa is a “college woman” (though when the art class indulges in vodka Jell-O shots she reveals she's a minor genius, only sixteen years old and accepted into Harvard after skipping several grades in school). Sophie discovers Robin and Tessa made out at the party, temporarily dumps him, but relents when he admits his stupidity and that he does not know how to properly operate in social interactions with anyone, especially girls.

Critical reception

Publishers Weekly noted the "raw honesty and authentic voice" of the novel. [1] Kirkus Reviews was less enthusiastic, saying, " If this offering lacks some of the intensity of its predecessor, it nevertheless provides both an opportunity to revisit two likable characters and the advantage of a fresh viewpoint". [2]

Awards

In other languages

It has been translated into French and Swedish. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Summer Sisters</i> 1998 Judy Blume adult novel

Summer Sisters (ISBN 0-385-32405-7) is a 1998 novel by Judy Blume. It focuses on the life of two fictional characters, the girls Victoria Leonard (Vix) and Caitlin Somers.

<i>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</i> 1976 novel by Mildred D. Taylor

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a 1977 Newbery Medal awarded novel by Mildred D. Taylor. It is a part of her Logan family series, a sequel to her 1975 novella Song of the Trees.

<i>Of a Boy</i> 2002 novel by Sonya Hartnett

Of a Boy is a 2002 novel by Sonya Hartnett about a lonely and troubled youth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verse novel</span> Literary genre

A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there is usually a large cast, multiple voices, dialogue, narration, description, and action in a novelistic manner.

<i>ttyl</i> 2004 novel by Lauren Myracle

ttyl is a young adult novel written by Lauren Myracle. It is the first book in the 'Internet Girls' series. In 2004, it gained attention for being the first novel written entirely in the style of instant messaging conversation. The novel was a New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and a Book Sense bestseller. "ttyl" is internet slang for "Talk to you later", usually used in texting.

<i>Teen Idol</i> (novel) Novel by Meg Cabot

Teen Idol was written by Meg Cabot and published in August 2004 in hardcover and in August 2005 in paperback edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonya Sones</span> American poet and author

Sonya Sones 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.

<i>What My Mother Doesnt Know</i> 2001 novel by Sonya Sones

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>Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie</i>

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie is a 2005 young adult novel by David Lubar. It is a story about the high school experiences of a fourteen-year-old boy named Scott Hudson. The book was one of the ALA's book picks for 2006.

<i>Feathers</i> (novel) Novel by Jacqueline Woodson

Feathers is a children's historical novel by Jacqueline Woodson that was first published in 2007. The story is about a sixth-grade girl named Frannie growing up in the '70s. One day an unexpected new student causes much chaos to the class because he is the only white boy in the whole school. Feathers grapples with concepts such as religion, race, hope, and understanding. The book examines what it was like to grow up right after segregation had been outlawed, how all people are equal, and that hope is everywhere. The book was a Newbery Honor winner in 2008.

<i>Wake</i> (McMann novel) 2008 novel by Lisa McMann

Wake is a 2008 novel by Lisa McMann centered on seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagan's involuntary power which thrusts her into others' dreams. The novel follows Janie through parts of her young adulthood, focusing mainly on the events that occur during her senior year, in which she meets an enigmatic elderly woman, and becomes involved with Cabel, a loner and purported drug-dealer at Fieldridge High School. The book is set up in a diary like form, specifying the date and time at which each event occurs. The two books that follow Wake in the trilogy are Fade and Gone. Wake debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's chapter books, and garnered several awards for young adult literature.

<i>One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies</i> 2004 novel in verse by Sonya Sones

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.

<i>Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy</i> 1999 is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy (1999) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. The free-verse novel follows Cookie, a thirteen-year-old girl, whose older sister is hospitalized on Christmas Eve when she has an intense breakdown that is eventually diagnosed as manic depression. The novel is loosely based on Sones’ own journals from her childhood, when her own sister went through the same treatment.

<i>Before I Fall</i> 2010 young adult novel by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall is a 2010 young adult novel written by the American author Lauren Oliver. The novel is written in the first-person perspective of a teenage girl, Samantha Kingston, who is forced to relive the day of her death every day for a week. In an effort to understand why that happens to her, Samantha undertakes new actions each day, some of which are out of character and surprise her family and friends.

<i>Boyfriends with Girlfriends</i> Book by Alex Sánchez

Boyfriends with Girlfriends is a 2011 young adult novel by Alex Sánchez. The book was published by Simon & Schuster and deals with the pressures of teens coming to terms with their sexuality and of coming of age. Sanchez began working on the novel after receiving e-mails from teens who were being criticized by both their straight and homosexual peers for being bisexual. Boyfriends with Girlfriends has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and was a 2012 ALA Rainbow Bridge List novel.

<i>Smart Girls Get What They Want</i> 2012 novel by Sarah Strohmeyer

Smart Girls Get What They Want is a 2012 young adult fiction novel by Sarah Strohmeyer. It was published on June 26, 2012 by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins.

<i>The School for Good and Evil</i> Book series by Soman Chainani

The School for Good and Evil is a series of fairytale books by Soman Chainani. The first novel in the series was published on May 14, 2013. The series is set in a fictional widespread location known as the Endless Woods.

<i>Out of My Mind</i> (novel) 2010 novel by Sharon Draper

Out of My Mind is a 2010 novel by Sharon M. Draper, a New York Times bestselling author. The cover illustration of the fifth edition is by Daniel Chang, and the cover photography is by Cyril Bruneau/Jupiter Images. A reading group guide is enclosed. The book is recommended for ages 10-14 and for grades 5–8. The story was written in first person, featuring Melody Brooks, a girl with cerebral palsy.

<i>Big Nate: Lives It Up</i> Book by Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate Lives It Up is a 2015 book by Lincoln Peirce, and it is the successor to Big Nate: In the Zone. It is the seventh and penultimate book in the Big Nate novel series.

<i>Girl Made of Stars</i> 2018 novel by Ashley Herring Blake

Girl Made of Stars is a 2018 young adult fiction novel by Ashley Herring Blake that was published May 15, 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Girl Made of Stars is Blake's fourth novel. The novel focus on Mara, a student from Pebblebrook high school, who finds herself in a tense situation after her twin brother, Owen, is accused of sexual assault by his girlfriend, Hannah. Consequently, Mara's relationship with her brother deteriorates as she does not know who she should believe in this situation. In addition, Mara is crestfallen after splitting up with her long time girlfriend, Charlie, and attempts to reconcile with her after she broke up with her.

References

  1. "What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  2. "What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know". Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  3. WorldCat. Retrieved 2016-04-09