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Simon Sort of Says: Newbery Honor Award Winner

by Erin Bow

A new story in a place built for listening

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Newbery Honor

    The book is identified as a Newbery Honor-winning novel.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A new story in a place built for listening

After surviving gun violence at school, twelve-year-old Simon moves with his family to the National Quiet Zone, where internet access is banned and astronomers listen for signs of life in space. The setting links Simon’s struggle with the story others tell about him to a community focused on listening for something beyond Earth. Humor also runs through the premise, from an earlier viral alpaca mishap to Simon’s father’s accidental encounter with a squirrel and a holy sacrament. The novel addresses trauma, grief, memory, and the possibility of moving forward without erasing the past. This edition includes discussion questions and an interview with the author.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Middle-grade readers interested in stories about grief, trauma, and recovery.
  • Readers who enjoy humor alongside serious subject matter.
  • Readers curious about astronomy and the search for life in space.

Themes

Trauma and survivalGrief and memoryHumorFriendshipAstronomy and the search for life beyond Earth

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

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, the Newbery 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.

INCLUDES DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
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