Reviews

Simon is the survivor of a school shooting. He and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska to try to find an escape from the notoriety. He becomes best friends with Agate and Kevin. They hatch a plan to fake a message from space. This is a bad review. The book is amazing.

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magicjello's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

sukidookie's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Upon reflection, I have some gripes with this book. Overall, Simon Sort of Says is a good story. The plot was very light-hearted and charismatic. I enjoyed the subtle eclectic small town representation: Grin and Bear It, for example, was the name of the village, and the school was divided into scientists and farmers. I thought some of the scenarios the author cooked up were very cute and fun, like the alpacas getting loose and the astronomers chasing them, or "goat-birthing season." PTSD was depicted exceptionally well through Simon, despite being a little on the nose at times.

Now here's where the gripes come in: Agate did not feel like a real character. I understand that she was supposed to serve as autistic representation, but she fell too hard into the archetype and didn't feel real. She added nothing to the plot, and did nothing for Simon's character, except her representation. I suppose I could say that her literal take on things pushed him to be more comfortable with his trauma, and take it at face value - but it came across as strange to bank Simon's character development on Agate's surface level personality trait instead of having meaningful moral actions between the two characters. (For example, their fight was entirely dependent on Agate not taking context cues, because she's autistic. It wasn't any deeper than that, and it felt inappropriate.) Simon and Kevin's relationship, comparatively, had a lot more dynamics. Still, when they had their resolution, it felt like the author was stepping in and spelling out the moral lesson instead of the characters realizing it on their own. (Simon tells Kevin that doing nothing is worse than anything else).

The prose was also dry. There was a lot of telling, not a lot of showing. There was also something about the author's style that just didn't vibe with me - it's hard to describe, but it was like I was reading a Tumblr post. I could really see the author behind the words instead of getting lost in the story itself. For example, the end was all about stars, and Agate covers Simon in stars … but I don't see the point of this other than there were some astrology themes throughout the book. It's a meaningless symbol that represents nothing.

Something I did like about this book that stuck with me? Near the end, when they're trying to make the microwave radio thing, Simon talks about how he wants to "pull the trigger" and "press the button" that will fake the alien message. Then, once he does this, he says "This time it was me. I pressed the button." Which is obviously another way to say, "This time it was me. I pulled the trigger." What a daring thing to put in a middle grade book. It represents Simon reclaiming ownership of his life and reclaiming his agency. Something horrible happened to him which he had absolutely no control over, and pressing the button on the microwave to imitate an alien message is allowing him to take back some control. I wasn't expecting that, and it hit hard.

Content Warnings

iffer's review

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4.0

Comparisons to Kate DiCamillo and Wendy Mass are apt for this book. It has the same sense of...feeling (?) that those books conjure with slightly whimsical/quirky setups, and kids who are relatably trying to grow up, find their way, and form/hold onto relationships that nurture them. Even though the setting is obviously meant to provide the author an "out," and in a way, write a book set in the past before smartphones, instant communication, streaming entertainment, and video games, I can suspend my disbelief because, it metaphorically removes the "noise" from the story, allowing us to see the characters connect in meaningful ways even in a short period of time. Unfortunately, with the number of school shootings in the US, and other traumatic events far too many children are experiencing, this may be a relatable read for both kids and adults.

brandirecognition's review

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challenging emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

gbl's review

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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