| So B. It | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Sarah Weeks |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | realistic fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Pages | 245 |
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[1]) and Kansas (the William Allen White Children's Book Award[2]).
Contents |
Twelve-year-old Heidi lives in the town of Reno, Nevada 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 to go as long as she calls every night. During her road trip to Liberty, New York, Heidi meets Georgia Sweet, a kind and curious lady on the bus. When she arrived at Hilltop Home, she felt unwelcomed by Thurman Hill. Feeling sorrowful, Ruby takes Heidi into her own home where she and her husband, Roy, investigate.
When Heidi 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 .
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.
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.
Soof: A mysterious word that Mama and Elliot use to call Mama because Elliot can't pronounce her name(Sophia)Soof=Soph its also Mama's 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 story's main character.
Tea: Tea (which Mama can make).
Done: When Mama gets frusterated she says something like "Done Heidi!"
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The City of Ember |
Winner of the William Allen White Children's Book Award Grades 6–8 2007 |
Succeeded by Airball: My Life in Briefs |
|}