CB: Simon Sort of Says - Newberry Honor Book
A Newbery Honor Book written by Erin Bow, winner of the Governor General’s and TD Children’s Literature Awards.
Simon O’Keeffe tells a lot of stories: like how his family was driven out of Omaha by alpacas. And how his church-deacon dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. And how his undertaker mom occasionally has to wrangle emus. But the story Simon doesn’t tell is the one he’d do anything to forget: Simon is the only survivor of a school shooting. That story has followed him everywhere — everywhere except his new home in the National Quiet Zone, where the internet is banned so radio astronomers can listen for signs of life in space. Then Simon meets a kid who wants to give the astronomers what they’ve been looking for . . . and he finally gets the chance to tell a new story about himself. This is that story. Hilarious, heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful, this story is about finding your friends, healing your heart and speaking your truth.
This book is a part of Scholastic's Summer Reading Program!
- Schneider Family Book Award, Honor Book 2024, Commended
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature 2023, Long-listed
- OLA Best Bets 2024, Commended IBBY International Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities 2025, Commended
- OLA Red Maple Award, Fiction 2024, Short-listed
- TD Canadian Children's Literature Award 2024, Short-listed
- Snow Willow Award (Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice) 2025, Nominated
- Cybils (Children's and Young Adults Bloggers' Literary Awards), Middle-Grade Fiction 2023, Winner
- Newbery Honor Book 2024, Commended
- Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Starred Selection 2023, Commended
ERIN BOW was born in the Midwest and studied particle physics in college, eventually working at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. She then decided to leave science in order to concentrate on her love of writing. Her debut novel, Plain Kate, won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Erin also received the Governor General’s Award for Young People’s Literature – Text for Stand on the Sky. She lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with her husband James and their two children. Erin Bow can be visited online at www.erinbow.com.