''So B. It'' is a children's novel by Sarah Weeks, released in 2004. It received awards in Illinois (the

Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (RCYRBA) is an annual award given to the author of the book voted most outstanding by students in grades four through eight in participating Illinois schools and libraries. It is named in honor of child ...

) and Kansas (the

William Allen White Children's Book Award The William Allen White Children's Book Award is a set of two annual awards for books selected by vote of Kansas schoolchildren from lists prepared by committee. As a single award it was established in 1952 by Ruth Garver Gagliardo, a children's l ...

). The book recounts the story of a young girl's relationship with her disabled mother, her quest to learn more about her family, and her desire to discover the truth.

Settings

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

- Heidi's home town *

Liberty, New York Liberty is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 9,885 at the 2010 census. The town contains a village also named Liberty. The village is bisected by New York State Route 52 (NY 52) and NY 55, and is ...

Fernley, Nevada Fernley is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States, and part of the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area CSA. The city was incorporated in 2001. The population of the city was 19,368 at the 2010 census. Fernley was home to the historic and on ...

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Lovelock, Nevada Lovelock is the county seat of Pershing County, Nevada, United States, in which it is the only incorporated city. It is the namesake of a nearby medium-security men's prison and a Cold War-era gunnery range. Formerly a stop for settlers on t ...

Rock Springs, Wyoming Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 23,036 at the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state of Wyoming, and the most populous city in Sweetwater County. Rock Springs is ...

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

* Monticello, New York

Book summary

Heidi is a twelve-year-old girl with a

mentally disabled Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

mother, but who is otherwise extremely lucky. She and her mother are taken care of by their next-door neighbour, Bernadette after the two appeared at her door when Heidi was a newborn. Heidi has no information about her family, other than what her mother says through her 23-word vocabulary, including the word ''soof.'' Heidi sets out to discover her family's history and origins and travels on her own from Reno, Nevada to Liberty, New York to visit the group home in the photographs she discovered in her house.

Characters

Heidi DeMuth (originally known as Heidi It): The main character in the story. A twelve-year-old girl, she is kind, courageous, extremely lucky and determined. Sophia Lynne DeMuth (called Mama by Heidi; Soof by Elliot; Precious Bouquet or just Precious by Bernadette; and So Be It by herself): Heidi's

mother. She is kind and loving, even though she has a very limited vocabulary and little ability to learn. She likes Jujyfruit candies but dislikes buses (see Diane DeMuth). Bernadette "Bernie" (called Dette by Sophia): Heidi's next-door neighbour who acts as mother or guardian to Heidi. She has agoraphobia. Alexander "Zander": An older boy who lives in Heidi's apartment building. Though gruff, Heidi enjoys his company because he tells outlandish stories that she likes to analyze for their truthfulness. Elliot Hill: Heidi's father and Sophia's best friend. He is also mentally disabled. Calls Sophia "soof" because he cannot pronounce "Sophia". Thurman Hill: Heidi's grandfather. He works at Hilltop Home, a place for the mentally disabled, where Heidi's mother lived for a year. Ruby Franklin: A Hilltop Home employee who helps Heidi with her quest and takes care of her for part of her journey. Her husband is Roy Franklin ''(see below)''. Roy Franklin: Ruby's husband, a local sheriff, helps Heidi find the truth about herself, as well as the meaning behind the word "soof". Diane DeMuth: Heidi's grandmother. She, unfortunately, died when Heidi was born, in a bus accident, the reason Sophia is afraid of buses. Alice Wilinsky: The first person Heidi rides with on her way to Liberty. In response to Alice's prolonged discussion of her own extended family, Heidi invents a fantasy family life that includes answers to questions she is seeking to solve, but Alice knows that Heidi is lying and becomes disinterested in a continuing conversation. Georgia Sweet: An 18-year-old bound for college who joins Heidi for the next part of her bus trip. Unlike Alice Wilinsky, Georgia is more interested in Heidi than herself, and Heidi finds herself sharing her true story in detail.

Film adaptation

The book was adapted into a film released in 2016, directed by

Stephen Gyllenhaal Stephen Roark Gyllenhaal (; born October 4, 1949) is an American film director and poet. He is the father of actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Personal life Gyllenhaal was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Virginia Lowrie (née Childs) and ...

, starring

Talitha Bateman Talitha Eliana Bateman (; born September 4, 2001) is an American actress. After making her acting debut in a 2013 episode of the sitcom '' The Middle'', she has starred in the independent drama film '' So B. It'' (2016), the science fiction fil ...

Jessie Collins Jessica Ann Collins (born March 8, 1983) is an American actress. Early life Collins was born in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. She is one of four sisters, all of whom are involved in the arts. For much of her childhood, she and her family r ...

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King ...

, John Heard,

Jacinda Barrett Jacinda Barrett (born 2 August 1972) is an Australian actress and former model. She first became known to audiences as a cast member on '' The Real World: London'' (1995) before appearing in films such as '' The Human Stain'' (2003), '' Bridget ...

Dash Mihok Dashiell Raymond Mihok (; born May 24, 1974) is an American actor and director best known for playing Brendan "Bunchy" Donovan in the Showtime drama '' Ray Donovan''. Early life Mihok was born in New York City, the son of theater actors Andrea ...

, and

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomina ...

References

External links

* {{Metacritic film, so-b-it American children's novels 2004 American novels Novels set in Nevada Novels by Sarah Weeks HarperCollins books 2004 children's books Children's books set in Nevada Children's books set in New York (state)