Educating Simon
Everything sixteen-year-old Simon Fitzroy-Hunt loves in is in England. There’s his school, his boyfriend, his cat, and especially Oxford University, which Simon intends to attend just as his beloved late father planned. But all of Simon’s certainties come crashing down when his mother remarries and drags him to Boston with her.
Furious and unforgiving, Simon finds plenty to resent in America. His stepsister is overindulged by her father and struggling with Asperger syndrome. And Simon’s school project—coaching a young student for the national Spelling Bee—hits a complication when eleven-year-old Toby makes a confession: there’s a girl trapped inside his body, and her name is Kay.
Helping Kay find her way begins changing Simon, too, presenting different perspectives and revealing a strength that’s gone untapped until now. And as the life he’s known and the future he envisioned slip further away each day, he realizes he can either lose his direction entirely, or forge a new—and perhaps even better—path.
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"I love Simon Fitzroy-Hunt! He's a perfectly-realized character—extreme, but never exaggerated; flawed, but always relatable. An excellent book." (Brent Hartinger, author of Geography Club and The Elephant of Surprise)
“For me, Educating Simon is about differences. Not only is it a great read, but also it helps us open our minds and hearts to aspects of life that others experience. And I love that the work of my father, Clyfford Still, is introduced in a way that supports understanding and compassion.” (Sandra Still Campbell)
"In addition to this being an enjoyable story, I find the characterizations of Simon and Toby/Kay to be realistic and engaging. The issues Kay faces as a transgender teen are very well presented." (Elizabeth Wharff, MSW, PhD.)
