By Gary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge
New York: Clarion Books, 2026. Fiction. 240 pgs.
After dying while trying to defend his village from the Spartans, Simon of Lacadaemon has spent the last 2,451 years in the underworld. The underworld isn't all bad–Simon is a servant to Queen Persephone and he gets to spend his days chatting with Socrates, Shakespeare, Sartre, and Maya Angelou (among others). But that doesn't mean he wants to stay there. In fact, after thousands of attempts to escape, Simon succeeds and finds himself in present-day Minnesota. Specifically, he emerges from a bathroom stall of a middle school where he is discovered by social outcast Zeke Tripp. To call Simon a fish out of water might be putting things lightly, he masquerades as Zeke's cousin from Las Vegas and does his best to adjust to life in the modern day. Still, it doesn't take long for Simon to become popular and to become a true friend to Zeke. If only things were that easy–Hades doesn't like for people to escape the underworld, and he's desperate to get Simon back.
Both Schmidt and Koertge are in top form in this action-packed story with a rich emotional undercurrent. This book manages to grip readers right away and will hold the attention of even reluctant readers with action, humor, and likable characters. Simon especially is shown to improve the lives of those around him with his kindness. For fans of Percy Jackson, or of Gary D. Schmidt books, or of just middle grade in general; this Classical story is a winner.
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