Simon Sort of Says, written by Erin Bow. Scholastic, 2023. $21.99 ages 10 and up

 

"By the time the police walked me out of 
Eagle Crest Elementary that day, it had 
already been forty-seven minutes. 
I know the exact number because the 
Omaha World Herald published a big 
timeline and I memorized it. Every bit 
of it, from the school secretary phoning 
911 at 9:56 to when the police got the 
whole place swept and finished taking 
the kids out at 10:43. 
So, when me and two of the officers 
scuttled out the back door with somebody's
body armor heavy and flapping around me, 
the media was already there." 

This was my book to read while I was riding my stationary bike as part of my recuperation from knee replacement surgery. It was very hard to stop reading when it was time to stop cycling. To that end, it took me a little longer to read than I wanted. It is a compelling story, written with a sense of mystery as the story begins. 

Simon's narrative voice is sarcastic at times, as well as poignant, angry, humorous, empathetic, and fearful. Simon has good reason for every one of those emotions as readers eventually learn his full story. He and his parents have just moved to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska ... a town that is awash with huge radio telescopes. Living in this scientific community means you agree to live without televisions, cell phones, microwaves, and internet. 

Grin and Bear It provides work for both his mother (funeral director) and his father (church deacon), and it is perfect for Simon as he doesn't want anyone knowing what has happened with him over the past year. It takes some time for readers to learn that Simon was the lone survivor of a school shooting in Omaha. It has been a long year in which Simon was homeschooled and attended many therapy sessions to help him deal with the notoriety and the trauma of his experience. 

He just wants to be a normal kid in a new school in a new town. What he does is make new friends, help to train a service puppy, and eventually learn that it's impossible to escape your past, no matter how hard you try. In telling his story, he introduces us to a wonderful, humane cast of characters. The story's core is in the past; its lingering trauma is evident on many levels. Erin Bow's adept and sensitive text allows readers to live with the terrifying feelings that continue to plague Simon in various situations. It also gives such tremendous value to friendship and understanding, empathy and support. 

It is deserving of every accolade it has received since its publication last year.