MG Novel Recommendation: Simon Sort of Says

Humor is a quality in fiction that I regularly gravitate toward. If you also appreciate humor, you may want to read Simon Sort of Says (2023) by Erin Bow. It’s a contemporary, realistic, middle grade novel that provides humor as well as a serious and challenging subject—school shootings.

The story is told by 12-year-old Simon, a white boy from Omaha, Nebraska, who moves with his family to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, nearly two years after Simon survives a school shooting (the info about the school shooting is in the jacket copy, so it’s not a surprise).

In Sarah Ellis’s Horn Book Magazine review of the book, she wrote, “This novel takes a considerable narrative risk and would be an excellent catalyst for discussion.”

It’s also an excellent example for writers.

Distinct, quirky characters

I’ll start with Bow’s characters. She’s created a wonderful cast. In a way it reminds me of the TV show The Gilmore Girls, with the quirky people in the town.

Simon becomes friends with two kids, a boy he meets on his first day at his new school and a girl he meets a few days later.

Here’s how Simon describes Kevin: “The kid with the green hair is Kevin, and he’s just one of those nice guys everyone likes.” Kevin could easily have been just a simple, agreeable kid, but Bow gives him more complexity. He’s into science, enough that he competes in the science fair and wins, but does he really care about the science fair, or is it his scientist mom who cares?

And here’s how Simon describes Agate: “I noticed her in homeroom this morning. Honestly, she was hard to miss: She has bright red hair, she’s fat in a ‘yeah-what-about-it’ kinda way, and she’s wearing a purple hoodie that says Truth AND Dare.”

The first thing Agate asks Simon is “What is the most disgusting thing you know?”

Simon tells her, “Corpses fart. A lot, actually.”

That delights Agate and she decides they can be friends. And then she asks him, “Do you want to help me fake a message from space aliens?”

Simon does not say yes, by the way. But Agate is persistent.

For kid readers, the kid characters are most important. For those of who are 12 at heart but have been passing as grownups for years, the adult characters are also compelling.

Simon’s parents, Kevin’s parents, and Agate’s parents all appear in the story and all are interesting. Bow does a nice job of turning expectations on their ear.

Simon’s mom is an undertaker and gets recruited to the town to operate its one funeral home, Slaughter and Sons. His dad is a Catholic deacon and liturgical director who plays an instrument called a sackbut (it’s similar to a trombone).

Simon likes to tell people, “[W]e left Omaha because we were driven out by alpacas.” The alpacas came to the Feast of Saint Francis, a special Mass where animals are blessed. Simon’s dad forgot to let people know what animals they couldn’t bring. The alpacas caused trouble and his dad was fired.

The novel is about healing and friendship and it’s delightful.