Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsUnexpectedly beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2023
I picked up this book solely because of the dog on the cover. I’ve never read anything by this author but I figured I’d give it a try, considering the topic was a boy with PTSD from surviving a school shooting and I’m a school librarian. This book surprised me. It was unexpectedly funny, and I belly-laughed at moments, taking screenshots of pages to send to people so they could laugh with me. The actual school shooting is approached with honesty and compassion. I could feel myself tensing with Simon as he recounted the day his entire life changed, but the account wasn’t told in such a way as to cause trauma to readers. Any kid in a public school in the US has done active shooter drills, and will be able to relate to Simon’s fear and anxiety. His PTSD is very accurately portrayed. His best friend has autism, and she, too, I feel was compassionately and accurately depicted.
I cried, which I expected. I laughed multiple times, which I did not expect. The writing was genuine and beautiful. I ended up buying a copy to send to a friend and loaning my own copy out to a coworker. My only regret is that Simon’s story is over, because I fell in love with Simon, Agate, and Pretty Stabby, and would love to read more about them. Also (because I know this is very important to some folks)- the dog on the cover does NOT die in the story.