Simon Fitzroy-Hunt and his mother move from London to live in Boston with his new stepfather, Brian, an American architect. Brian was divorced. He has a young daughter, Persie (for Persephone) with Asperger Syndrome. Simon (as did his deceased father) has synaesthesia - seeing letters as colors. The alphabet with letter colors is found at the back of the book.
Simon is focused on his last year of public school before applying to Oxford University, where his maternal grandfather went to school. He must give up his beloved cat. He must leave the word he knows for a new country. Simon is selfish and immature. The story of Simon as he attends a new school in a very different environment and begins to learn and grow in so many new ways is thoroughly enjoyable. The various subplots add depth and interest.
The characters are well drawn. Boston comes alive in new ways to this reviewer who grew up in Philadelphia and often visited that city. One wishes for a sequel to experience Simon's further education.
One of the best and most remarkable books I have read.
There is more to Education Simon by Robin Reardon than a simple surface read. This is a well-crafted novel that deserves and encourages close-reading and re-reading. Educating Simon demands readers’ attention on an entertaining level and lends valuable opportunity for the educational levels. Since falling in love with the outspoken and determined Simon, I have introduced this well-crafted and beautifully written depiction of today’s teens into the curriculum at Antioch University Midwest School of Education. Teacher candidates explore the depth and breadth of Reardon’s richly developed characters to incorporate inclusion, differentiation, and safe learning environments for these characters.
Teens are complicated and are not easily clumped into neat categories. Reardon’s brave, honest, and clearly developed depictions are the closest fictional representations of today’s teens I have read in quite some time. Simon’s angst for perfection and entitlement rings truthful during his constantly challenged journey. Toby/Kay’s mental and physical explorations reveal the voices of many teens today and are forcing educators to listen, adapt, and reflect in order to provide the needed assistance. Persie’s situation is no longer an unrecognized secret in our society, but we are still struggling to determine the best practice for these children. Even the minor characters in Educating Simon portray the internal and external struggles that teens are facing now, with the constant development of technology that is creating new vernaculars and challenges that parents and teachers have never before confronted.
The most remarkable theme throughout Educating Simon is love. Sometimes love seems to be missing in the fast paced technological advanced world teens confront on a daily bases. Reardon reminds readers that love may be the simple solution to bridge the ever widening gap between teens and adults.
Education Simon is a classic and a must read for everyone. This is not only a novel about discovering sexual orientation, it is a novel about discovering and accepting the true person inside.
