"Funny, poignant and--most important--hopeful." --New York Times
Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the one starring Simon as a famous survivor of gun violence at school.
Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to the National Quiet Zone--the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who's determined to give the scientists what they're looking for, he'll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell.
Simon Sort of Says, the Newbery Honor-winning novel by Erin Bow, is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.
Alex Brown is a book critic.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow: "a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past."
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"Adroit, sensitive, horrifying, yet hilarious." Out today: SIMON SORT OF SAYS by @erinbowbooks! @DisneyBooks #MiddleGrade #KirkusStar 🌟 https://t.co/OZHba9pB3d
Betsy Bird is a librarian, book critic and author.
This is for the kid who likes their humor to be complicated, their writing to be scintillating, and to never ever know what an author is going to do next. I finally review one of my top reads of the year, SIMON SORT OF SAYS by @erinbowbooks: https://t.co/dykgPAD27c https://t.co/6oryZgC6XI
--Booklist