One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

Before becoming a writer,Sonya Soneswas a film editor. Her novels,Stop PretendingandWhat My Mother Doesn't Know,have received numerous honors, including a Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, and aLos Angeles TimesBook Prize nomination. Both books were chosen ALA Best Books for Young Adults and Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.Ms. Sones says: "I grew up near Boston, but moved to L.A. in my twenties to work for a famous film director. The first time I walked through the gates of MGM, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Hollywood seemed so glamorous and exciting. But it was like living on a different planet. So when I was writing Ruby's story, I could draw on memories of myownculture shock -- seeing palm trees everywhere, movie stars standing in line at the drugstore. I even got a ticket for crossing the street...just like Ruby."Sones, Sonya is the author of 'One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies', published 2004 under ISBN 9780689858208 and ISBN 0689858205.