媒体评论
BookRiot将《西蒙说》评为“2023年1月最好的12本新作童书之一”！
“作者鲍创作了一部喧闹的小镇喜剧，其核心是一场毁灭性的悲剧，书中的动物和人都令人难忘。娴熟、敏感、恐怖，但又搞笑。”
----Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
“虽然暴力事件发生在银幕外，但西蒙对他由此引发的恐慌和焦虑的描述有一种发自内心的紧迫感；然而，更痛苦的是他所经历的‘小变化’——总是注意到人们在房间里的位置，并留意到逃生路线的出口。尽管有着沉重的基调，鲍的故事却充满了活力，并有许多滑稽、古怪的场景，比如殡仪馆鸸鹋的滑稽动作、一只取回啤酒罐的狗，以及一只神松鼠的生与死。科学的故事情节在主题上很有说服力，以人物为导向的叙事在其背景下蓬勃发展，包括西蒙对创伤后康复的叙述和吸引人的配角的发展。作者笔记阐明了写这个话题的动机，并澄清了哪些故事细节是真实的或虚构的。”
----The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, STARRED REVIEW
“在不影响西蒙与过去和解、与朋友展望更光明未来的令人振奋的情感弧线的情况下，鲍通过使用疯狂的情节点，包括以松鼠、狗和鸸鹋为主角的几场以动物为中心的恶作剧，也使得这个真挚的故事有一丝轻松的氛围。”
----Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“面对过去的创伤很困难，但这本书处理得很巧妙……这本书既有趣又发自内心，处理了一些棘手的话题，但幽默让读者保持参与，很容易关心这些角色……它巧妙地处理了作为一名年轻创伤幸存者的敏感话题”
---School Library Journal
“《西蒙说》是一部节奏完美、层次分明的小说，从不对读者说教，以非凡的敏感委婉处理困难的情境。鲍一切都写得恰到好处，讲述了一个有趣、辛酸、更充满希望的故事。”
----《纽约时报》
“如创伤一般直率，而又有治愈的细腻，书中饱含中学时期会有的欢乐和悲伤，《西蒙说》的每一部分都像最令人满意的拼图一样，拼接在一起，将一切都放在一本书中表达出来。”
——Kyle Lukoff，纽伯瑞奖获奖作家
“快节奏且充满古怪的角色，《西蒙说》呈现了一出融合了幽默、敏感和罕见的人性的悲剧。”
——Jack Gantos，纽伯瑞奖获奖作者
“凭借丰富的幽默，充满活力的角色，以及对残酷事实的温和处理，《西蒙说》在趣味性和教育意义之间取得了完美的平衡，是一个了不起的成就。”
——Ali Benjamin，《纽约时报》畅销书和国家图书奖提名作者
Publishers Weekly 长评：
★ Simon Sort of Says
Erin Bow. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-368-08285-3
Centering 12-year-old Simon O’Keefe’s recent move to a completely off-the-grid town and told in his laugh-out-loud first-person perspective, Bow (Stand on the Sky) delivers a compassionate and refreshingly hopeful novel about a tween navigating the aftermath of a school shooting, which takes place before this book’s start. Hoping to escape the anxiety-inducing notoriety they’ve been experiencing after the event, Simon and his family move to Grin and Bear It, Neb., where all electronic devices are banned. The devices, local scientists say, would interfere with their radio telescopes, which are listening for signals of extraterrestrial activity. Since no one can google him, Simon is optimistic that he can fly under the radar and put his past behind him. He makes fast friends with classmates Agate Van der Zwann, who is white and autistic, and half-white, half-Filipino Kevin Matapung; together, they set out to create false messages from aliens, using Kevin’s family’s contraband microwave to attempt to trick the scientists. Without detracting from Simon’suplifting emotional arc about making peace with his past and looking toward a brighter future with friends, Bow imbues this sincere story with levity by employing madcap plot points, including several animal-centered shenanigans featuring squirrels, dogs, and emus. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jane Putch, Eyebait Management. (Feb.)
New York Times 长评：
SIMON SORT OF SAYS (is): a funny book with weighty moments of contemplation. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like it has any business being funny: Simon O’Keeffe is the sole survivor of a school shooting. But Bow demonstrates an ability to tackle difficult topics without being didactic.
Her characters are authentic, multidimensional and complex,
Readers will align themselves easily with Simon, a likable, relatable kid ...The book delivers on laughs, but it also keeps us alert the whole time. We hold our breath, chew a little longer, knowing that Simon will eventually have to face the enormity of what he’s experienced. When he finally confronts the question that’s been weighing on him — “Why didn’t they get saved, instead of me?” — it’s a fully realized journey from denial to recovery.
“Simon Sort of Says” is a perfectly paced, layered novel that never speaks down to its readers and handles difficult situations with remarkable sensitivity. Bow hits all the right chords and delivers a story that is funny, poignant and — most important — hopeful. -- New York Times Books Review