One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies is Sonya Sones' third book written in verse. I actually read What My Mother Doesn't Know and What My Boyfriend Doesn't Know before this one, and I loved those two so much that it's hard to judge this one fairly on its own merits.

Although I really liked this book - four stars worth - I found its premise to be a little unbelievable: After Ruby's mom dies she has to go live with her dad, who she's never met, and who (by the way) also happens to be a famous movie star. With that said, I completely went along for the ride as Ruby moved across the country and started her new life in L.A. The book deals with her adjusting to her new dad, school, and potential friends, as well as the best friend and boyfriend she left behind. All without the steadying force of her mom.

In one part of the book, Ruby reminisces about an old tree that she'd sit in (before she moved) and read (the palm trees in L.A. are not too sit-able). She talked about the books she'd read there, which included: The Whipping Boy, Tuck Everlasting, A Wrinkle in Time, To Kill a Mockingbird, "every word Richard Peck ever wrote", Speak, Hard Love, Hope Was Here, and Charlotte's Web.

They sounded to me like book recommendations from Sonya Sones. Thank you! Some will be added to my to-read list. That also inspired me to check out Sonya Sones' web site:

www.sonyasones.com

It has some interesting things on it. She likes to take photographs, and you can see pictures she's taken of other authors that she's friends with (yes, Richard Peck is one of them). She also has a great list of YA book recommendations. It's worth a visit if you're a fan of YA lit and are looking for some new titles to add to your to-read list.

I got a little off-track there. OoTHBWtMD is a great book, and worth reading. I think in a few years, this and Sones' other books will be considered YA classics.