''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) and Kansas (the William Allen White Children's Book Award). 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 c ...

- 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 ...

* Fernley, Nevada *

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 *

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, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistica ...

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 Moine ...

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Monticello, New York Monticello ( ) is a village located in Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2020 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan Count ...

Book summary

Heidi is a twelve-year-old girl with a mentally disabled 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 mentally disabled 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 Agoraphobia is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no easy way to escape. These situations can in ...

. 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, 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,

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, Dash Mihok, 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 List of awards and nominations received by Cloris Leachman, many accolades, including eight Primetime ...

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)