Simon Sort of Says

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature

"Funny, poignant and--most important--hopeful." --New York Times

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.

Author: Erin Bow
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: 01/31/2023
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 7.40h x 5.80w x 1.80d
ISBN: 9781368082853
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.2
Point Value: 11
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 518126 / Simon Sort of Says


Award: National Book Awards - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2022
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 01/01/2023 - Book Of Special Distinction
School Library Journal 01/01/2023 pg. 68
Publishers Weekly 01/30/2023
Booklist 02/02/2023
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2023 pg. 63

About the Author
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--which include the Governor General's Award-winning Stand on the Sky, Plain Kate, Sorrow's Knot, and the science fiction duology The Scorpion Rules and The Swan Riders--have won a fistful of awards. Erin lives with her husband (who's also a novelist), 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. Visit her online at ErinBow.com and @ErinBowBooks.