80 pages • 2 hours read
Becky AlbertalliA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Simon is a 17-year-old junior at Creekwood High School, the protagonist and central narrator of the novel. He is described as having messy hair, gray eyes, glasses, and as being “cute” (230). Simon is a generally well-adjusted teenager with a strong circle of friends, a loving family, and extracurricular activities and school communities he cares about. At the beginning of the novel, he has a secret email correspondent, Blue, with whom he exchanges anonymous emails about the experience of being a closeted gay teenager at their high school, among other topics. The rest of Simon’s friends and family do not realize he is gay, and he struggles with how to come out to them, even though he thinks in most cases they will be supportive. Over time, his emails with Blue become more romantic and sexual in nature, and Simon’s feelings for Blue become strong, although he has never met him in person.
Because he keeps secrets in the novel, Simon is required to be somewhat guarded about his personal life, often handling his feelings through the music he listens to. However, he also shows a natural tendency to want to be open about his feelings with those he loves.
By Becky Albertalli
Appearance Versus Reality
View Collection
Banned Books Week
View Collection
Brothers & Sisters
View Collection
Children's & Teen Books Made into Movies
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Jewish American Literature
View Collection
LGBTQ Literature
View Collection
Pride Month Reads
View Collection
Realistic Fiction (High School)
View Collection
Romance
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection
Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love
View Collection