Image: Disney Books
Happy Monday! The steamy, cloudy, buggy, thunderstormy weather continues here in northern NJ. Middle Grade Monday features Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow. This was a rare book for me, in that I went into it knowing very little about the plot. I liked the riff on "Simon Says," and saw the title mentioned in a few childlit discussions as a possible Newbery contender, so I didn't read reviews or anything else about the book. I'm glad, because I didn't already know, since it's front and center on the front flap and in most reviews.
Most kids don't want to move household, let alone way out to the boondocks to a town called, I kid you not, Grin and Bear It, Nebraska. But that's okay with Simon. The town is in the middle of a national quiet zone due to the presence of a team of scientists trying to make contact with aliens through an array of huge telescopes, so all electronics are banned. There's no Internet, no cable and not even a microwave to be found. And, that's okay with Simon. That means no googling the new kid.
He hopes to fly under the radar and try to get his life back to normal. His parents are trying to do everything in their power to help Simon, and he appreciates that. He feels a little guilty about that and other things.
His first impressions of Grin and Bear It, are good. He quickly makes friends with Kevin and Agate. Agate is autistic and her large family has a farm where they raise angora goats and service dogs. Agate seems to intuit that Simon needs one and tasks him with a puppy to raise. She also has a scheme to save the scientists, who funding may be in jeopardy. Settling into this small town is not as easy for his parents, his undertaker mother is stuck with an inept assistant who either loses bodies or takes the wrong one. His deacon father ruffles the feathers of the church ladies when a squirrel gets into the communion wafers.
Hilarity and hijinks distract from the underlying secret that Simon gradually reveals. Simon is an endearing character who is easy to root for. Secondary characters are equally endearing and the sense of community is strong. Ms. Bow deals with a timely topic deftly and age appropriately.
New to me narrator, Will Collyer delivered a measured and thoughtful performance. Readers who love sad books will love Simon Sort of Says. I'm putting this on my reread pile. Highly recommend.
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