Simon Sort of Says, by Erin Bow

     A multi-award winning book by author Erin Bow. Not her first, although I don't think I've read anything by her yet. Simon Sort of Says was published in 2023, and it's been next to my reading kennel for a long time...I've really been looking forward to it, just waiting for the right time....books are like kibble - sometimes you've got to be in the right mood for a certain flavor!

    Simon lived in Omaha, Nebraska, but moves with his mom and dad to a very small town, a town without cell service or Internet, a town full of scientists who listen and watch day and night for signals from outer space. The "why" of that move isn't clear until about half way through the story, or so that is what was meant to happen. Unfortunately, the publishers describe the story on the back cover and totally and completely give the reason for the move away! I was shocked! A spoiler printed right on the back cover of the book? I have to say this really dampened the impact of the story for me...knowing before I started reading what I wasn't meant to know (according to Bow) until half way into the story! Paws across my heart, I've never had that happen before, and I read a lot of books!

    Overall, the book is really good - it is sad, happy, funny, exciting...Simon's mom works in a mortuary (so there's death, which is usually funny, somehow, in this book), and his dad is a Catholic deacon in the town church, which adds to the complexity of the characters and events. Simon's makes friends with Agate, who is a quirky super-smart neighbor who lives on an emu farm - there is a lot to this story to keep even a dog interested! But the reason behind the move to another town is key to the plot, and knowing why ahead of time was a let down. 

    Simon Sort of Says is a good read, award winner, and at times a page-turner. Knowing the plot twist was like having wet paws...not life changing but still kind of a bummer. Don't read the back cover when you decide to read this book, and I think you'll rate it higher than I can. It's not Simon's or Erin Bow's fault that the plot was divulged before I started reading, so I'll still give this one 4 paws. But it might have been 5...maybe when the book comes out in paperback and gets a new cover?