Simon Sort of Says

Erin Bow

Disney Hyperion, 320 pp. ISBN: 978-1-36808-285-3

Grades 6 and up

Simon O’Keefe has moved with his parents to the National Quiet Zone where – due to the scientists managing the Large Radio Telescope – there’s no internet, cell phone service, or TV. The hope is that Simon can finally drop off the national radar and start afresh after the trauma of his past. The book, filled with humor and quirky characters, is a compassionate and gentle story of dealing with tragedy – in this case a school shooting.

Erin Bow

In the beginning, I was a city girl from farm country—born in Des Moines and raised in Omaha—where I was fond of tromping through woodlots and reading books by flashlight. In high school I captained the debate team, founded the math club, and didn’t date much. 

My writing has helped me do cool things, like live with Kazakh nomads for six weeks; play opening act for Margaret Atwood; and ghostwrite for Stephen Hawking.  Apart from my writing I have a very un-cool, low-key life.  I love my garden, especially the pond with the fish in it.  I love to cook for people and believe in the social power of dinner parties.  I keep my activism out of online spaces, but have been known to show up at school board meetings and city hall hearings.  Usually I like being very bad at kickboxing and yoga, but right now I’m struggling with Long Covid and sometimes use a wheelchair. 

I have both American and Canadian citizenships, and I live in Kitchener, Ontario, and I do my writing in a shed in that beloved garden. 

author website