So B. It
Encyclopedia
So B. It is a children's novel by Sarah Weeks
. In 2007 it won book awards in Illinois (the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award
) and Kansas (the William Allen White Children's Book Award
).
with her mentally-disabled mother and their neighbor, Bernadette. Her mother only knows twenty-three words, including one mysterious one, "soof," that no one can define. Meanwhile, Bernadette has a serious condition called agoraphobia
, which causes her to be too afraid to go outside her house. Heidi must take on responsibilities beyond her years to provide for their households.
Heidi knows nothing about her mother's life, nor anything about her father. However, she does know that she has an incredible streak of good luck; everything she tries, she succeeds in, whether it is as simple as playing a memory game or as complex as using the slot machines in the local launder-o-mat, the Sudsy Duds, to make extra money for the family.
When Heidi finds some photos of her mother at a Christmas party in New York, Heidi, anxious to uncover more about her family history and to seek what the word "soof" meant, after hearing her mother mutter it all the time. Although Bernadette is anxious about Heidi leaving, she reluctantly allows her as long as she called every night. During her road trip to Liberty, New York, she meets Georgia Sweet, a kind and curious lady on the bus. When she arrived at Hilltop Home, she was automatically unwelcome by Thurman Hill. Feeling sorrowful, Ruby takes her into her own home where her and her husband, Roy investigates.
When she returns home she knows who she is, and, at her mother's funeral (her mother died when she was away), she talks about her mother, saying that soof was what Elliot (Heidi's dad) called her mother because he could not pronounce Sophia, but it also was her mother's word for love .
MaMa (Sophia Lynne DeMuth, a.k.a Soof a.k.a So B. It): Heidi's mentally disabled mother. She is kind, even though she has a very limited vocabulary.
Bernadette (Bernie): Heidi's neighbor who is like her mother/guardian. She has agoraphobia
.
Elliot: Heidi's father and Sophia's best friend.
Thurman Hill: Heidi's grandfather. He works at Hilltop House, a place for the mentally disabled where Heidi's mother lived for a year.
Zander: Heidi's overweight best friend who lives in her apartment building and gives her Devil Dogs (product of Drake's
).
Roy Franklin: A man who helps Heidi with her quest. His wife is Ruby Franklin (see below). His occupation is a sheriff.
Ruby Franklin: A woman who helps Heidi with her quest and takes care of her for part of her journey. Her husband is Roy Franklin (see above).
Diane DeMuth: Heidi's grandmother. She unfortunately dies before Heidi gets to meet her, by walking in front of a city bus because she did not see it.
Georgia: A woman who Heidi meets on the bus. Enjoys violets.
So B. It: How Mama pronounces her own name.
Dette: Mama's word for Bernadette.
Back Soon: Exactly how it sounds.
Heidi: The stories main character.
Tea: Tea (which Mama can make).
Sarah Weeks
Sarah Weeks is a children's book author, perhaps best known for writing So B. It which in 2007 won the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award and William Allen White Children's Book Award.-Life:...
. In 2007 it won book awards in Illinois (the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award
Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award
The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award is a program sponsored by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English, the Illinois Reading Council, and the Illinois School Library Media Association. The award has been granted annually since 1988...
) and Kansas (the William Allen White Children's Book Award
William Allen White Children's Book Award
The William Allen White Children's Book Award is an annual book award chosen by Kansas students. It was established by Ruth Garver Gagliardo in 1952, in memory of William Allen White and is administered by Emporia State University. It was the first statewide readers' choice book award in the United...
).
Plot summary
Twelve-year-old Heidi lives in the town of Reno, NevadaReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
with her mentally-disabled mother and their neighbor, Bernadette. Her mother only knows twenty-three words, including one mysterious one, "soof," that no one can define. Meanwhile, Bernadette has a serious condition called agoraphobia
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
, which causes her to be too afraid to go outside her house. Heidi must take on responsibilities beyond her years to provide for their households.
Heidi knows nothing about her mother's life, nor anything about her father. However, she does know that she has an incredible streak of good luck; everything she tries, she succeeds in, whether it is as simple as playing a memory game or as complex as using the slot machines in the local launder-o-mat, the Sudsy Duds, to make extra money for the family.
When Heidi finds some photos of her mother at a Christmas party in New York, Heidi, anxious to uncover more about her family history and to seek what the word "soof" meant, after hearing her mother mutter it all the time. Although Bernadette is anxious about Heidi leaving, she reluctantly allows her as long as she called every night. During her road trip to Liberty, New York, she meets Georgia Sweet, a kind and curious lady on the bus. When she arrived at Hilltop Home, she was automatically unwelcome by Thurman Hill. Feeling sorrowful, Ruby takes her into her own home where her and her husband, Roy investigates.
When she returns home she knows who she is, and, at her mother's funeral (her mother died when she was away), she talks about her mother, saying that soof was what Elliot (Heidi's dad) called her mother because he could not pronounce Sophia, but it also was her mother's word for love .
Characters
Heidi DeMuth: The main character in the story. She is kind, courageous, very lucky and determined.MaMa (Sophia Lynne DeMuth, a.k.a Soof a.k.a So B. It): Heidi's mentally disabled mother. She is kind, even though she has a very limited vocabulary.
Bernadette (Bernie): Heidi's neighbor who is like her mother/guardian. She has agoraphobia
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
.
Elliot: Heidi's father and Sophia's best friend.
Thurman Hill: Heidi's grandfather. He works at Hilltop House, a place for the mentally disabled where Heidi's mother lived for a year.
Zander: Heidi's overweight best friend who lives in her apartment building and gives her Devil Dogs (product of Drake's
Drake's
Drake's is a baking company in Wayne, New Jersey, United States, owned by Hostess Brands, which makes snack cakes such as Ring Dings, Yodels, Devil Dogs, Yankee Doodles, Sunny Doodles, Funny Bones, and coffee cake. Their mascot is a smiling duck wearing a chef's hat and neckerchief holding a...
).
Roy Franklin: A man who helps Heidi with her quest. His wife is Ruby Franklin (see below). His occupation is a sheriff.
Ruby Franklin: A woman who helps Heidi with her quest and takes care of her for part of her journey. Her husband is Roy Franklin (see above).
Diane DeMuth: Heidi's grandmother. She unfortunately dies before Heidi gets to meet her, by walking in front of a city bus because she did not see it.
Georgia: A woman who Heidi meets on the bus. Enjoys violets.
Mama's Words
Soof: A mysterious word that Mama and Elliot use to call Mama because Elliot can't pronounce her name(Sophia)Soof=Soph its also mamas word for love.So B. It: How Mama pronounces her own name.
Dette: Mama's word for Bernadette.
Back Soon: Exactly how it sounds.
Heidi: The stories main character.
Tea: Tea (which Mama can make).