Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow - OPTIONAL

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow, 305 pages. Disney, 2023. $19. 

Mature Content: PG (some talk of animal sex organs with correct words) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

7th grader Simon has just moved to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska with his parents – a designated National Quiet Zone – no TV, no Internet, no cell phones – because of the large Radio telescopes trying to capture signals from outer space. Which suits Simon just fine, because a couple of years earlier, he was the only survivor in his whole class of a school shooter. Cue a new friend who wants to prank the scientists, an unruly herd of emus, and well-intentioned, but totally out-of-line adults. Let wackiness ensue. The chaos of everything else was secondary to me to watching Simon and his parents try really hard to live “normal” lives – all of grappling with survivor’s guilt and complicated feelings. 

Reasonable, but not gripping; you’ll enjoy it, but it won’t keep you up turning pages all night. Kids will giggle over the animal facts the kids share with each other – they are the kind of facts kids would totally share with each other, but they are anatomically explicit. All of the characters default to white, with some ethnic variety in names. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS