Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow. This realistic fiction book is about Simon O'Keeffe, a twelve-year-old boy who is the only kid in his class to survive a school shooting two years ago. When he moves with his parents to the National Quiet Zone of Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, the only place in America where the internet and cell phones are banned, he befriends Agate, a girl who wants to give astronomers who are listening to signs of life in space what they're looking for. Over the next few months, he adjusts to life in GNB and having Hercules, a service puppy in training from Agate. After his other new friend, Kevin, finds out his secret, Simon has to decide when to tell Agate about what happened to him and cope with his PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

I thought this book was absolutely riveting. Although it deals with the heavy topic of surviving a school shooting, there was plenty of humor throughout the story that made me smile and laugh. I loved the quirkiness of Grin and Bear It and how Simon befriended two other kids in his grade who just seemed to get him. I really appreciated that they never pushed him to tell more about his past than he was ready to share. They just let him be who he was in the now until Kevin accidentally found out about Simon's secret when he had an opportunity to use the internet and was looking for a YouTube video that was recorded when Simon's dad, a Catholic deacon, caused chaos during the Feast of Saint Francis by forgetting to list the pets that can't be brought into church for the animal blessing event. I knew that things would never be the same afterwards and it made me so mad that Kevin's mom couldn't keep the secret, so the whole town found out before Simon was ready for them to know. I definitely felt for him when things started happening that triggered his PTSD. On the other hand, as someone who majored in astronomy in undergrad, I really enjoyed the role that astrophysics played in this story. Both Agate and Kevin are super smart and it was so cool how they, along with Simon, were able to come up with a plan to fake a signal from outer space that the radio telescope in GNB would be able to detect. I also thought Simon's new puppy, Hercules, was the cutest, especially how he always just seemed to know when and how to comfort Simon. Simon Sort of Says is a difficult book to read at times, but I'd recommend it to any kid who is curious about how surviving a mass shooting might affect someone around their age.

Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist

 

Two days ago, I finished reading Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist. This realistic fiction novel in verse is about De'Kari "Flow" Flood and Ebony "Eb" Wilson, two Black seventh grade students who are suspended from school for ten days after they get into a fight in the cafeteria. Although Flow has to do workouts with Uncle Reggie and complete household chores, he finds time to go to the indoor pool at the rec center. Meanwhile, Eb watches over her older sister's young son, Jaren, and begins to question her friendships. Both of them ponder how their actions led to the incident at school and how they can make better decisions in the future.

This book was a relatively quick read and I enjoyed it. I liked learning about the families of Flow and Eb and was intrigued by the parallels in their lives over the ten days they were suspended from school. I thought it was cool that Flow loved swimming because that's one of my favorite activities and could relate to him. As for Eb, I felt bad for her because she has to live with her grandma, instead of her mom and dad, and it was an accident that led to her fight with Flow. She never actually intended to ruin Flow's new shoes. Although she has two younger siblings, I thought her her relationship with Jaren, her nephew, was especially sweet. Most importantly, I had hope that both Flow and Eb would grow from their experience of being suspended. I don't think either of them were bad kids, but they both struggled with feelings of frustration and the idea of apologizing and letting go. As the story was wrapping up, there was a scene that gave me quite the scare regarding the cycle of violence, but the ending felt satisfying and I came to the conclusion that Eb and Flow have more in common than they differ. All in all, Eb & Flow is a great book for any kid who wonders what really happens during out of school suspensions.

Summer Reading 2025

 

Welcome back to school, everyone! Here is an update of the middle grade books I've read over summer break. In the middle of June, I read The Flicker by H.E. Edgmon. In this post-apocalyptic science fiction novel, stepsisters Millie and Rose leave their home with their baby half brother Sammy and loyal dog Corncob to find Millie's grandma a year after a solar flare scorched the Earth. Although Millia's mama and Rose's dad are dead, the foursome join a group of fellow survivors and work together to avoid the Hive, a villainous group that has been hoarding resources and living in luxury. While facing challenges, including a wildfire, Millie and Rose learn to rely on each other more than ever and discover how to rebuild their lives from nothing. I greatly enjoyed reading this story. It was suspenseful and took several twists and turns. I especially liked the world-building because it felt like an organization like the Hive could really exist if the worst came to pass. I also loved the girls' relationship with Sammy and how they had a pet, Corncob, even though I'm not much of a dog person. I'd recommend The Flicker to anyone who likes science fiction, adventure, and stories of found family.

The only other middle grade book I read this summer is Clairboyance by Kristiana Kahakauwila, which I finished before the end of June. This fantasy novel is about Clara, a sixth grade Hawaiian girl who wishes on a family heirloom to hear what boys are thinking and wakes up the next day able to do so. Although she tries to use her newfound abilities to solve all her problems including helping her friends and making up with Leo, she just ends up making a bigger mess of everything. While working towards fixing her mistakes, Clara wonders if she would be better off going to live with her dad in Arizona or if Hawaii is the home she doesn't want to leave. I adored reading this story because it takes place in Hawaii. Clara wanting to know what boys are thinking was definitely relatable because that's an ability I also would have wanted when I was in middle, or even high, school. I also enjoyed her relationship with her tūtū and didn't want Clara to leave her all alone. I also liked how Clara decided to befriend the new girl, Pua. Most of all, though, I wanted her to repair her friendship with Leo because it seemed like the whole situation was a huge misunderstanding. Anyone who like family and friendship stories, with a hint of magic, should read Clairboyance.