Simon Sort of Says

Simon Sort of Says

Erin Bow

Disney/Hyperion, 2023

320 pages

Grades 4-7

Realistic Fiction

Simon and his parents move to a small midwestern town where there are no cellphones, microwaves, or internet. Scientists have been working on alien communication and anything that could potentially mess with the signal is not allowed. This is a welcome change for Simon and his family. Two years ago he was the sole survivor of a school shooting and the media has been hounding his family ever since. This isolated town is the perfect place to start fresh, where no one knows who he is. At first life as the "new kid" is lonely and awkward, but he slowly makes two new friends. The unlikely trio devise a scheme to contact aliens that sets the town on it's ear and gives Simon new troubles to worry about. Meanwhile, he is trying to combat his PTSD, while realizing that his mortician mother and church leader father are also struggling with the past and trying to move forward in a healthy way. 

This is a terrific middle grade selection that will entertain as it also highlights events that seem to be ripped from the current headlines. I read this book during a week of yet another school shooting and it made the story that much more powerful. Bow does not make light of Simon's family's experiences as they try to heal, yet offers some balance to the story with quirky characters and humor. Simon's two new friends are as different as night and day, but are both developed and interesting. His parent's occupations do not seem funny but after an incident with a disappearing body and a squirrel falling out of the altar, I found myself laughing. An event at the end had me holding my breath and realizing that I was very invested in Simon's story and hoping that this family can have a well-deserved happy ending. Agate, one of Simon's new friends, is on the autistic spectrum and how she and Simon relate to each other's processing of the world is respectful and touching. Bow has a lot to say about gun violence, social media, the press, and obsessive scientists, all within an entertaining and non-preachy tale that readers on all levels will enjoy. A gem of a book!