Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones

Book Summary
Stop Pretending tells the story of Cookie, a girl whose older sister has a nervous breakdown and ends up in the psychiatric ward of a hospital. The story, told entirely through poems, expresses Cookies feelings as she watches her sister disappear into a world of crazy people. As a result, her family falls apart and her friends desert her. Cookie feels helpless and hopeless. She struggles with the idea that she too could go crazy. She also learns about love, friendship, and strength.

My Thoughts
Reading a book entirely in verse was not an idea that thrilled me. Overall, it wasn't a bad read but I would rather have read it in a prose format. It was a very interesting story and I wanted to know more details than I was getting.

Library Usage
Stop Pretending would make a good book club read. It's also an excellent book recommendation for a young adult that may be going through a similar situation.

Journal Reviews
School Library Journal
"An unpretentious, accessible book that could provide entry points for a discussion about mental illness-its stigma, its realities, and its affect on family members."

Kirkus Reviews
"In a story based on real events, and told in poems, Sones explores what happened and how she reacted when her adored older sister suddenly began screaming and hearing voices in her head, and was ultimately hospitalized.To a budding genre that includes Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust (1997) and Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade (1993), this book is a welcome addition."