Simon Sort Of Says

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow has been on my to-read list for several months now (and I even started it once but didn't get the chance to finish). But I found out last week that it won the Newbery Honor AND a Schneider Honor (for middle grade), so that was the push I needed to actually get it read! The book description says, "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."

This was a great read. It kept me interested, and there were parts that made me laugh out loud (particularly the part where you first meet Agate's dog). I really liked the main characters (Simon, Agate, Simon's parents), and I thought it was a nice storyline with lots of fun extra things on the side to keep things interesting and entertaining (like the super incapable assistant of Simon's mom, who is an undertaker, and the peacock in their yard). I thought this was a great read and a good introduction for kids to PTSD and how it might affect someone. I found Agate to be a wonderful, supportive friend, and I loved watching that friendship help Simon find some healing. The book is technically middle grade (ages 8-12), but I would definitely consider it more of an upper middle grade read or young young adult due to both the school shooting content but also some little side things throughout.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)