by Becky Albertalli
Release Date: April 7th, 2015
Genre
Young Adult
Appeals of the Book
• Authentic Characters
• Issue Oriented
• Well-Written
Synopsis
Simon Spier is a normal teen who loves to be with friends,
likes to be aware of all the drama happening at his school, and he has a really
cool, funny family. However, he has one major secret. Simon is gay, and he’s
not ashamed of it. He hasn’t told anyone yet, but he has his reasons. One day
he does open up to another gay person he met online, who anonymously goes by
the name of Blue. Simon feels like he can be himself when he emails Blue. But
one day someone from school discovers Simon’s secret correspondences and
blackmails him. Simon must do all he can to make sure his secret is not
released to the world.
Characteristics That Fit Into Young Adult
- Main characters are teens and it is centered on them.
- Contemporary setting and time period. Part of the setting takes place at the main character’s high school. Modern references to video games, technology, and music.
- Teen angst situations.
- Teen lifestyle presented, such as the typical teen party with drinking is mentioned, hanging out after school, dealing with and gossiping about school drama.
- Deals with realistic social issues such as LGTBQ relations.
- Mood ranges from humorous to dark.
Read-A-Likes
Anything Could Happen by Will Walton*
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green*
Read Me Like a Book by Liz Kessler*
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David
Hutchinson**
The Inside of Out by Jenn Marie Thorne**
* Recommended by NoveList
** Recommended by Kirkus Review
