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Publisher's Note:

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD HONOR • FINALIST FOR THE AUDIE AWARD FOR BEST MIDDLE GRADE AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR -- “Funny, poignant and—most important—hopeful.” —New York Times -- 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. Simon Sort of Says, theNewbery Honor-winning novel by Erin Bow, 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.…

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Simon Sort of Says

by Erin Bow

Reviewer: Cindy M
Genre: Fiction
Recommended Age: 12+

Overall Book Review:

Bravely tackling a hard topic in a thoughtful and hopeful way via an eclectic collection of characters, Erin Bow brings middle grade readers Simon Sort of Says. The book’s cover at first might suggest an adventure or even science fiction story, but this is novel is contemporary fiction that explores the trauma of violence. Exactly what has happened to Simon, the protagonist, is revealed at first only through hints, but eventually through flashbacks the reader learns what Simon has experienced.

For such a heavy theme, Erin Bow balances the narrative with quirky characters, parents with unusual professions, and a small town setting that is a bit off the map. These elements all pull the reader in well before the meatier issues. Ms. Bow has a marvelous voice, and it is a pleasure to read the words she puts to paper. One of her

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 3 religious exclamations; 1 mild obscenity; 1 scatological term; 1 offensive hand gesture.

Violence/Gore: Mentioned that an animal thought about sacrificial alters and freaked out; story about an animal killing another animal; multiple references to an elementary school shooting; description of what happened in a school shooting, some details and many deaths; tornado causes destruction; building struck by lightning causing a fire; dead animal from a fire; animal bites human; fall/jump from height results in injury; threats of harm to an animal.

Sex/Nudity: Reference to a sermon on the gift of sexuality; reference to animal breeding and a male dog is kept as a stud; innuendo about celibacy; character wears a t-shirt that references Trans Pride; characters try to gross out each other on a few occassions by telling each other facts about animals genitals, breeding, etc.; reference to undertakers and the use of bras and duct tape on bodies for burial; a joke about a peacock sexually harrassing someone.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death; school shootings; natural disasters; panic and anxiety attacks; being on the spectrum; reference to a “Jesus Squirrel” (which some may find irreverent or slightly sacriligious); hoaxes.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

Said that a person “got stoned”; an animal drinks beer.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
3
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
4
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
2
10

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About the Reviewer

Cindy M
An accountant and CPA by profession, I found myself a book reviewer for Squeaky Clean Reads by happenstance. When the opportunity came to transform that website into Compass Book Ratings, I was excited to seize it and meld my business background with my love of books. As the mother of three teenage sons, I have read a large number of children and young adult books and I believe that there is great value in a content review service. As much as we would love to read everything our children read, there just isn’t enough time. I also appreciate being able to select books for myself that are really worth my precious and limited reading time. I believe there is a book out there for everyone–they just have to find it!

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