Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

Sones, Sonya, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1999, 149 pgs.

Summary: Based on a real life experience, this novel in verse about what happened to the author when her sister was sent to a mental ward is raw and touches the hearts of anybody with a family secret. The simple text of verse is a veil for the hard material of having somebody you know go through a mental breakdown. The struggles that the main character goes through are at times so real the reader will want to reach through the pages and give her a hug. As the main character struggles to understand what a mental breakdown is and who her sister is now compared to who she use to be the reality of what is happening cannot be avoided. Why not hide from others what is not in view? Nobody needs to know her sister went crazy and as she visits less and less she begins to forget her big sister all together. Why are we all pretending anyways?

Evaluation: I felt this story was right up there with some of the classics and won’t be easily forgotten. Even if you don’t have a sister or haven’t seen someone go through a mental breakdown, the emotions will be those that most any young adult can connect with. How we all react to those things that can be hidden from view and others is a very difficult situation for anybody to deal with.

Annotation: My sister is crazy. I mean real crazy. Mental hospital and locked doors. And nobody knows.

Significance of Book: The use of verse to talk about such a difficult situation is a new way to help readers understand different issues they all encounter. It is always difficult to write about such topics as mental health and Sones does a very good job.

Genre/subject: fiction, mental health, family relationships, verse

Awards:

National:

• ALA Popular Paperbacks: 2002
• Best Fiction for Young Adults: 2000

State:

• New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age: 1999
• Tennessee: Volunteer State Book Award Nominees: 2004
• Texas: Lone Star Reading List: 2002
• Utah: Children's Book Award Nominees: 2002
• Washington: Evergreen Young Adult Book Award Nominees: 2002

Why I selected the book: I love verse books and this author. I was also really intrigued by the title.

Price: $8.99