Erin Bow

Simon and his parents move to a new town after major trauma, though Simon likes to tell people it was because of the Alpaca Incident. It's Simon's goal to fly under the radar, but Agate, his new best friend, convinces him that what they really need to do is to spoof a message from aliens, directed at the scientists at a nearby research facility. Also, goat birth, a murderous peacock, and a holy squirrel.

As you can sort of tell from that description, this is a wacky story of friendship and PTSD, interspersed with questions of faith and death, and a multitude of disgusting facts. You might not think that this would work, but let me assure you, it does. This book is funny and endearing, and accessible to both kids and adults.… (mais)

Personally, this book felt healing for me, like exposure therapy, because I have intense anxiety around school shootings. I admired the humor, the heart, the complexity of feelings, and the character development. It made me feel hopeful. I loved the puppy. I appreciated the role Catholicism plays in the story. And the science! There's a lot to love about this book.

To put on my literary criticism hat, I'm unsure how well this will stand up to scrutiny when you get past the initial emotional response. The plot hinges on there being no internet in town because of the National Radio Quiet Zone. But if there are landline telephones, couldn't there be wired/Ethernet internet and cable television? Also, it didn't seem realistic to me to blame Kevin's scientist mom for outing Simon as The Boy Who Lived. Simon thinks he's recognized immediately by his homeroom teacher. Couldn't she have been the one to share his full backstory?

It's also tricky to talk about this book because it's clearly set up to slowly reveal that Simon survived a school shooting, but that premise is written right on the book jacket. So it's not a surprise to the reader, but it would be so much better plot-wise if it were. So, yeah, tricky. It's a twist that can't be a twist. A necessary spoiler.

I would put this book in the same category as [b:Fighting Words|48945757|Fighting Words|Kimberly Brubaker Bradley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574716879l/48945757._SY75_.jpg|73825464]. They are both beautifully written books about very difficult subjects. Both books seem to want to show young readers that we are not defined by our trauma.… (mais)