Simon Sort of Says
$16.99 USD
hardcover
For fans of Kate DiCamillo and Jack Gantos, a hilarious, wrenching, hopeful novel about finding your friends, healing your heart, and speaking your truth.
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.
From award-winning author Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says 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.
Erin Bow was born and raised in Iowa and trained as a physicist, so naturally she now spends her days writing children’s fiction in a tiny (heated) garden shed in Ontario, Canada. Her books have won a fistful of awards. Erin lives with her husband, two teenage kids, a tabby named after a rock, a black cat named after a black hole, and an empty-headed, big-hearted dog named after the moon.
*An uproarious small-town comedy with a devastating tragedy at its core.
—Kirkus, starred review
*Despite the weighty premise, Bow’s storytelling brims with vitality, featuring many hilarious, outlandish scenes, like the antics of a funeral home’s peacock, a dog that retrieves cans of beer, and the life and death of a Jesus Squirrel. The scientific plotline is thematically compelling, and the character-driven narratives thrive in its context, including Simon’s narration of his post-traumatic healing and the development of winsome secondary characters.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review
*Without detracting from Simon’s uplifting emotional arc about making peace with his past and looking toward a brighter future with friends, Bow imbues this sincere story with levity by employing madcap plot points, including several animal-centered shenanigans featuring squirrels, dogs, and emus.
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Please select all options.