One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
By Sonya Sones
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2004. 268 pgs. Young Adult

Fifteen-year-old Ruby Milliken leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother's grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star who divorced her mother before Ruby was born.

This book wasn't hideous at all, as a matter of fact. It was written in poems, which somehow connected me more emotionally with this main character than any of the recent books I've read. I felt Ruby's thoughts and responses were very true and honest for what was happening to her, dealing with the loss of her mother and the separation from everything familiar. And while I was worried that the poetic structure would feel gimmicky, I actually found this very meaningful. Plus it was pretty fun seeing how her life changed once she was living with a movie star (what can I say? I eat that stuff up).

BHG