Reviews

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

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pages_and_chaos's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

3.75

I’m torn. I think 3.5 rounded up. It was well written and I enjoyed a lot about the friendships and the quirky anecdotes. I was afraid going into this it would be too hard because I am a teacher and this is scary. I think it was handled well. I do think there was some parts that dragged on and became slow for me. I found myself skimming more than I wanted.

aguanieme's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

rafael_andrade's review against another edition

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5.0

Simon sort of Says starts with a bang: A pet riot in church, a priest's nether regions being scratched, and cute Alpacas wreaking havoc.
After the events mentioned above, twelve-year-old Simon and his family move to National Quiet Zone, the only place in America where the internet is banned, it is the ideal place for a kid who experienced some traumatic events in the past. As Simon navigates the uncharted waters of a new school and people, he will learn that being open to his friends and family is the only path to healing. I highly recommend it.

cynthboard's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Honestly, not normally my style but genuinely one of the best books I've read this year

keegan_rellim_taylor's review against another edition

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4.0

Got this on audiobook from Libby, and it was good timing because The Battle of the Books list just came out and it was on the middle school list.

I love the characters. My students apparently love trauma, so they'll probably like it. It has a good mix of the ridiculous mixed in, with some comical one-liners and silly situations.

My one huh... was one of the mom's behavior just seemed like it didn't fit. She shared the main character's trauma with others, and her motivation for doing so just seemed out of character. But I doubt kids would get hung up on that. Also, sometimes people don't match what you expect. Still, could have been pulled off better, I think.