Sonya Sones (born c. 1953) 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 The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

(ALA) has named her one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century.

Biography

She was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, was raised in nearby

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

, and lives in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. After graduating from

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

, she taught filmmaking at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

; her other jobs have included baby clothes designer, animator, photographer, and film editor."Sonya Sones." ''Gale Literature:

Contemporary Authors ''Contemporary Authors'' is a reference work that has been published by Gale since 1962. The work provides short biographies and bibliographies of contemporary and near-contemporary writers and is a major source of information on over 116,000 liv ...

'', Gale, 2012. ''Gale Literature Resource Center''. Accessed 12 May 2023. Sones is married to screenwriter Bennett Tramer, of ''

Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television teen sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in prime time, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United ...

''. They teamed on a picture book, ''Violet and Winston'', in 2009. It is illustrated by

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

winner

Chris Raschka Chris Raschka is an American illustrator, writer, and violist. He contributed to children's literature as a children's illustrator. Early life and education Raschka was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Though he grew up in suburban Chicago, ...

Writing career

Her style differs from most contemporary writers in that her novels are told in verse form rather than

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

. This means that they are a series of poems which, when read in order, tell a story. The

has named several of her novels Best Books for Young Adults, as well as Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Her debut novel, '' Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy'', won numerous awards, including a Christopher Award, the Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry, the

Myra Cohn Livingston Myra Cohn Livingston (August 17, 1926 – August 23, 1996) was an American poet, writer, and educator who is primarily known for her books of free verse children's poetry. Biography Early life and education Myra Cohn was born in Omaha, Nebra ...

Poetry Award, and a nomination for a

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Since 1980, the ''Los Angeles Times'' has awarded a set of annual book prizes. The ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize currently has nine categories: biography, current interest, fiction, first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award added in 1991), his ...

. The book was inspired by Sones' teenage experiences having a sister who was mentally ill."Sonya Sones." ''Something About the Author'', vol. 342, Gale, 2019, pp. 217-221. ''Gale Literature: Something About the Author''. Accessed 12 May 2023. Her third book was '' One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies'' (2004). ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called it "a story worthy of Hollywood". ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' said it was a "winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses". Her fourth book, '' What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know'', received a

starred review A starred review is a book review marked with a star to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality. A starred review can help to increase media coverage, bookstore placement and sales of a book. Outlets that published starred review ...

from ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

.'' Her first novel in verse for adults, ''The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus'', was published by Harper Collins in April 2011. It is about "a writer way behind on her deadline whose fiftieth birthday is rushing at her like a freight train," and deals with issues related to going through menopause, adjusting to an empty nest, and caring for aging parents. The film rights to ''The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus'' were optioned by actress

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

.Michelle Pfeiffer... New Project on the Board?
Sones' fifth novel in verse for young adults, ''To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an'' Un''true Story''), was published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

in August 2013. It was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by

YALSA The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...

. Sones' sixth novel in verse for young adults, ''Saving Red'', received a starred review from ''Booklist''. Sones' seventh novel in verse for young adults, ''The Opposite of Innocent'', is a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

selection, and was named one of

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

's Most Anticipated Contemporary YA Novels of 2018. Sones has participated in multiple panel discussions at the annual

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books The ''Los Angeles Times'' Festival of Books is a free, public festival celebrating the written word. It is the largest book festival in the United States, drawing approximately 150,000 attendees annually. The festival began in 1996 and is ...

. She was the moderator on the panel "Young Adult Fiction: Teens and Turmoil" with

Gayle Forman Gayle Forman (born June 5, 1970) is an American young adult fiction author, best known for her novel '' If I Stay'', which topped the ''New York Times'' best sellers list of Young Adult Fiction and was made into a film of the same name. Career ...

Jandy Nelson Jandy Nelson (born November 25, 1965) is an American author. Prior to her career as an author, Nelson worked for 13 years as a literary agent at Manus & Associates Literary Agency. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University as well as ...

and

Cynthia Kadohata Cynthia Kadohata (born July 2, 1956) is a Japanese American children's writer best known for her young adult novel '' Kira-Kira'' which won the Newbery Medal in 2005. She won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2013 for ''The ...

during the 2010 event.

Censorship

In 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2011, the ALA included her novel '' What My Mother Doesn't Know'' on their list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books, and it was named 31st on the ALA's list of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books of the 2000s. She regards her inclusion on the lists as "a badge of honor".

List of works

Young adult novels in verse

*'' Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy'' (HarperCollins 1999) *'' What My Mother Doesn't Know'' (Simon & Schuster 2001) *'' One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies'' (Simon & Schuster 2004) *'' What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know'' (Simon & Schuster 2007) *''To Be Perfectly Honest'' (Simon & Schuster 2013) *''Saving Red'' (HarperTeen 2016) *''The Opposite Of Innocent'' (HarperTeen 2018)

Adult novels in verse

*''The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus'' (HarperCollins 2011)

Short stories in verse

Her short stories in verse are included in numerous anthologies, including: *''Love and Sex'' (2001) - a story called ''Secret Shelf'' *''Necessary Noise'' (2003) - a story called ''Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' *''Sixteen: Stories About that Sweet and Bitter Birthday'' (2004) - a story called ''Cat Got Your Tongue''

Picture books

* ''Violet and Winston'' (Dial 2009) - with Bennett Tramer and illustrated by

. * ''The Night before College'' (Grosset & Dunlap, 2014) - with Ava Tramer; illustrated by Max Dalton.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sones, Sonya Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists Writers from Boston American children's writers Hampshire College alumni Harvard University faculty American women poets American young adult novelists American women children's writers American women novelists American women writers of young adult literature Novelists from Massachusetts 20th-century American women writers American women academics 21st-century American women writers 1953 births