This novel delicately handles trauma in a way that is age-appropriate for readers. In a world where bad things are reality for too many kids, this book is a reliable friend for navigating grief, loss, and healing.

I decided to start my year with a middle grade novel! This one was good - the author did a wonderful job of combining humor with a tragic situation. The main characters are in seventh grade, and I’m not sure it would really be appropriate for any children under that age.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

There was no careful consideration about my rating on this one. Sometimes a book is just very clearly 5 solid stars. This is one of them.

This is book is gorgeous. There is nothing about it that I didn't love. It's deep, insightful, sad, funny, joyful, and relatable. There is not a character in the book that didn't make you feel something. Hercules knows who he is, what and he is meant for, and where he belongs. A story with a dog like that could never go wrong. Also, I would like my own personal Agate, please.

This book deals with the trauma of school shootings in a thoughtful, respectful way. It's horrifying that this is a subject that will seem fairly normal to kids this age. It's tragic any child, anywhere should be a victim of gun violence in anyway. But the truth remains what it is.

Frankly, everyone would benefit from reading Simon Sort of Says.

I don't remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud, but also cry. Really tough topic dealt with in a compassionate and hopeful way.

I am broken and healed in equal measure. Gah.

Quite genuinely, I don't know what to say here. This is a book about a school shooting survivor who learns to process his trauma alongside a host of quirky friends. But I don't think I've ever come across a book that balances heavy and light topics so deftly. Erin Bow had me crying one minute and laughing another, and however you spin it, SIMON SORT OF SAYS isn't a story I'll forget easily.

At times the "quirk" did feel a little overwhelming, and the pace did splutter. But overall, this is middle grade at its most powerful: healing, unflinching, fun, and lovely. It deserves all the accolades certainly coming its way.

Given the vast number of glowing reviews already out there for this book, I'm going to keep mine short and sweet. I absolutely loved this book. I've been a fan of Erin Bow for several years now, and her books are always good. Simon takes it to another level. Buy it, promote it, and re-read it. It's that good.

Simon Sort of Says is a wonderful look at how PTSD and trauma can affect a person. Taking a heavy topic, Erin Bow puts heart and laughter into what could be a sad story. I absolutely adored the cast of characters and the way that Simon learns how to live with and manage his trauma in a way that, while he will always deal with it, he can now see a future for himself.

Simon sort of says is well written and would be a great read aloud for a class. It shows how trauma is different for everyone, even within a family. It shares good thoughts on dealing with trauma, ways to make connections and friends. It brings up the idea of thinking about what others have been though before you speak. Very good read

Funny story about traumatic experience and consequences or effects. But trauma isn't funny, is it? Well, no... But I guess with the right attitude or perspective, one can get through anything. And Simon has a different perspective and attitude than many who've been through what he survived. Really cool way of looking at live with more hope. Great writing style. Engaging.

Two words: Jesus. Squirrel. Erin Bow has absolutely knocked it out of the park with this story. Simon will grab your heart and never let go. Agate is such a great kid and just the friend he needs. The weaving of trauma with comedy is so very true to life, especially as a young person, that I'm giving this book to every single person I know and insisting they read it.

Simon Sometimes Says


Twelve-year-old Simon has a big secret that he keeps from everyone he meets in the town where his family recently moved. This is a good place to keep a secret because it is part of a no internet area, due to signals that may or may not come from outer space. So Simon entertains new friends with tales about an incident in which his father’s church was overrun by alpacas during a pet blessing service and the time his father gave a squirrel a holy rite, to distract from the secret. Finally, the secret comes out. Simon is a survivor of a school shooting in which many of his friends were killed while he was left alive more or less by accident.

This is an evocative and interesting story for YA readers.

Middle grade book with the interesting perspective of a child who survives a school shooting and tries to start over in a new town.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
I found myself drawn in by Simon and his friends. The characterizations of various animals had me laughing out loud. And yes, there is a lot of science and math, but if that's not your thing (like me) that is what skimming is for. It aids the crazy quest, one that is just as outlandish as many other children's books.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this middle grade book.

It's unfortunate that we need books around school shootings, but we do, and this one is a great one. It addresses survivor's guilt, and PTSD, and too many things our middle grade readers shouldn't have to relate to, but they do, and this does it in a tasteful and heart felt way.

To say this book packs a punch is an understatement. It is so well-written, clever and funny, to the degree that I wanted to stop and read parts of it out loud to anyone around me (which was not appreciated by the rest of my family). Yet it deals with super powerful and important topics in a way that allows young readers to understand them and/or feel seen. The storytelling will draw the reader in and the story itself will remain with them long after the book is over. I also loved how the author explained at the end which parts of the story were made up and which actually happened or exist. Highly recommended for grade 5 & up.

This is what middle grade should be: warm and witty and unfailingly well-written, a book that treats kids as real people with real problems. Simon’s PTSD is handled sensitively and honesty

When I first heard about this book several months ago, I thought, "Nope, nope, nope. I don't want to read about a school shooting." But I kept hearing about it - and then I snagged an e-ARC (thanks NetGalley and publisher!) and I read glowing reviews... so I read it. And I am so glad I did! It is so, so funny in parts and so terribly tragic in others. But it is very, very hopeful in the sense of Simon's ability to make new friends and begin to rebuild a life.
Simon O'Keeffe is the lone survivor of a school shooting in a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska. His parents homeschool him for a year (6th grade) but the media circus just does not quit. So his family decides to relocate to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska. Which is surrounded by radio telescopes and so internet, anything with Wifi, microwaves - all forbidden. Because they might interfere with the messages from outer space that the scientists are waiting to receive. His mom is an undertaker and his dad is a Catholic deacon. Fortunately, Grin and Bear It needs both of those positions filled. And so Simon begins 7th grade trying to not reveal a past that - of course - refuses to be pushed down. His new teacher immediately recognizes him but does not make a big deal out of it. None of his classmates know his past - so he makes new friends. Agate, who is autistic and lives with her large family on a goat ranch outside of town. And Kevin who is Filipino American and lives with his scientist mom and former scientist now chef dad. The town is split into Team Farm and Team Science.
And they are awesome friends. Agate introduces herself by asking Simon for a disgusting detail - and when your mom is an undertaker, you have a LOT of material to work with. She also gives Simon a puppy to train as a therapy dog - which helps him immensely. And they hatch a plan to pretend to be aliens sending a message to the telescopes to give the scientists hope to keep listening.
Slowly, in bits and pieces throughout the book, Simon explains what happened during the shooting. But in between we learn about how Simon and his family learn to process their trauma - and that, no matter where you go, the past will catch up with you. And that there are dangerous situations everywhere but with supportive friends and family, there is also hope.
And crazy peacocks, escaping emus, stolen microwaves, a Jesus squirrel, and a missing body.
Remember Holes by Sachar? It was such a funny book - but it also dealt with super serious issues. This book is like that - somehow Erin Bow has managed to take the most traumatic experience and find humor in the aftermath.
There are a couple of notes at the end of the book that explain the whys of writing the story -- and also lots of resources for anyone dealing with trauma, PTSD, and other challenges.

I did like this book and its narrator a lot. One of my friends recommended it to me because she knows I like books about grief. But truly, this was more of a "rebuilding after trauma" book than one just about working through grief.
Simon survived a school shooting, the only student in his classroom to survive--truly something life-changing and horrific. The author chose not to have the reader relive this with him, except for a few small mentions. (Just enough, I say.) The reader does get to follow Simon through his first foray back into school, after his parents homeschooled him for a year and then moved to a new town, a town without Internet, TV, microwaves, etc. We get to meet Simon's little troupe of misfit friends and see how they help him in various situations that are anxiety-inducing.
This book would be great for middle schools.

We'd expect this to be a real heavy story but it is surprisingly light hearted. The deep moments, where characters face their trauma or express their needs even though it's hard, are rare. Their scarcity makes them all the more impactful given that the bulk of the book is goat births, rampaging emus, a dog that helps himself to beer, and a plot to fake an alien signal. Tying the whole thing together is a cast of characters who feel real. Sure their interests are weirdly specific and obscure (like playing the sackbut) but their interactions are dynamic and their voices distinct and honest. The details are a bit intense (we are talking about the trauma of surviving a school shooting after all) so exercise caution but know that it's worth the read.

This book is perfect for middle grade children. As a third grade teacher, I would read this book aloud to my class to help teach character traits, setting (show not tell) type of way. It’s also told in first person POV which students may be able to relate to. Loved this book!