Nick Robinson stars as Simon in Twentieth Century Fox’s LOVE, SIMON. Photo Credit: Ben Rothstein.

Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it’s a little more complicated. He hasn’t told his family or friends that he’s gay, and he doesn’t know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Calista B. comments, “I am not a big fan of love stories. I find them very cliché and not that enjoyable to watch. This movie is an exception! I actually really like the romance in this movie.” See her full review below.

Love, Simon
By Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 14

I’m not the typical 14-year-old girl. I am not a big fan of love stories. I find them very cliché and not that enjoyable to watch. This movie is an exception! I actually really like the romance in this movie.

This film is about a closeted gay teen named Simon (Nick Robinson) who, after learning about another gay kid on a school website, begins to search for him while also figuring out how to come out.

The most important aspect of this movie is, of course, the fact that this is a gay love story. I feel like this movie handles the whole thing very well and very respectfully. It’s a very positive and inspirational film. But it’s also a gay love story in mainstream media. This is not an Indie film. It is a story about LGBT love that is in wide release. I believe this movie makes a very big step in normalizing LGBT characters in mainstream media, made specifically for teens.

But this movie isn’t just amazing for that. I love this story in general. It’s kind of a mystery and comedy with a little touch of love. Who is Blue? You really get into the mystery. I remember tensing up and whispering to myself whenever I was scared for the characters. I became so invested in them and hoped it was the person I wanted it to be. It is also about friendship and how fragile our friendships can be and how we use and treat people.

The characters boil down to one trait as their whole personality, but I still liked them. I would have liked to see more depth in Simon’s friend circle. I like Abby’s (Alexandra Shipp) character the most. She’s Simon’s newest friend who has just moved from D.C. and it seems like every guy is interested in her. But she is not the typical “hot teen, mean girl,” she is kind. Simon, of course, is a total show stealer. Not surprising at all, Simon is a charming character who you wish you were best friends with too. You just want him to find Blue so he can be happy because, as the movie posters say, “Everyone deserves a great Love Story.”

My only issues with this movie come down to how weird the theatre teacher and the vice principal are. They are a little over the top. While I liked Ms. Albright (Natasha Rothwell), she swore at students (which isn’t allowed), even though they deserved it. And, it felt as if the vice principal (Tony Hale) clearly wanted to be seen as cool, but he ends up being way too invested in people’s love lives.

All in all, I love this romantic comedy and give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 18. It comes out March 16, 2018 so be sure to check it out.

Credit: KIDS FIRST!

Love, Simon – Exceptional Love Story About a Closeted Gay Teen.

Looking for books that your little Lego lovers will absolutely love? This children’s activity book series called Play to Learn… With Bricks will be a hit in your house! I really recommend all of them but I think that my favorite is the Zoo Animals!  To date, the authors have three versions of this step-by-step building block book series (Fruits + Vegetables, Zoo Animals and Farm Animals

I like that children can be creative with this book series and have a lot of fun!

Here is more info about the creators:

Mom and female founder Ann Kositchotitana moved to the U.S. from Singapore after she had a difficult time finding adequate care for her daughter Natalie, who was born with Down Syndrome in 2015. Natalie has absolutely flourished with her care in California, and Ann and her family are now fierce advocates for families facing similar challenges.

After noticing that Natalie was excelling at using Legos by using 2D step-by-step directions, Ann had an a-ha moment by realizing she could enable her child to do something on her own by building skills for school such as: problem solving, fine motor skills, understanding of colors, shapes, counting and more… and that’s how she created the concept of the Play-to-Learn series!

Natalie’s sister Sophie is credited as the cover art designer, and close friend and Lego art designer Paul Bacio, Jr. is the engineer for all of the builds. I think there are two wonderful stories here, of a woman recognizing an issue that she could fix and how it benefits children of all abilities. Play to Learn… With Bricks keeps children learning and playing.

Image: Paul and Sofie.

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to facilitate this featured book post. Images were also provided.