Parents need to know that Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, by Val Emmich, Steven Levensen, Ben Pasek, and Justin Paul, expands upon the six-time Tony Award-winning musical of the same name. Disturbing suicide novel examines bullying, indifference. Even better when used in conjunction wi... A great book, if your kid has the maturity for reading it. Awkward silences abound. Told from Krosoczka’s 17-year-old self’s point of view, Hey Kiddo transforms mature themes — including drug use, estrangement, hidden violence, and the unfairness of life — into an entertaining, insightful graphic memoir, appropriate for both adults with (some) perspective and teens just beginning to make sense of the world.
Hello, Dear Evan Hansen was an amazing book! DEAR EVAN HANSEN has struck a remarkable chord … Wondering if Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel is OK for your kids? Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is a new American musical about life and the way we live it. Told mostly from Evan's point of view plus a few key passages from Connor's perspective after his death, this heartbreaking and timely stage-to-page novelization shows how easily social media lets lies spiral out of control and facilitates inauthentic connections. The place the book strays the furthest from the musical is adding narration from Connor, who now reflects on his life and watches the events that follow his suicide from a ghostly periphery. Eventually, his grandparents (affectionately referred to as Joe and Shirl by Krosoczka) take him in, and he matures with only sporadic glimpses of his mother, who bounces between boyfriends, treatment centers, and halfway houses. Val Emmich. —Esme Douglas. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. You're very kind, thank you! Albertalli writes Arthur, a Jewish kid from Georgia who’s interning in New York for the summer; Silvera handles Ben, a New York native of Puerto Rican descent who bides his time in Lower Manhattan’s Alphabet City. Characters repeatedly use variations of "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "Jesus Christ," "d--k," "MILF," "jerking off," and more. There, this story finds its humanity. Dubbed a "Renaissance Man" by the New York Post, Val Emmich is a writer, a singer-songwriter, and an actor. It’s a profoundly personal look at a young person’s confusion and fear of an unsafe world, but it’s imbued with enduring love and, as Krosoczka matures, forgiveness. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. Dry is not just a warning about the dark side of human nature, though; heroes emerge from the crisis as well. And fans of the musical — especially those without proximity or privilege to get to see it on stage — will be happy to hear it’s a faithful adaptation of Evan, engaging and emotional in many of the same ways as its source material. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Who can you turn to? How do you cope with issues? But whether they should be there is something I found myself debating. As the reader progresses through Krosoczka’s coming-of-age, the reasons for such instability unfold as Krosoczka discovers them: small tastes of truth peppered through the years that accumulate over time, filling in his memory’s blanks and revealing the whole story. Dry, written by father-son duo Neal and Jarrod Shusterman, is set in an alternate-reality Southern California where an extreme drought has resulted in the entire state’s water supply being depleted, dubbed “the Tap-Out” by local media.
Required reading, especially for anyone who's ever needed to be found' - Becky Albertalli, author of Love Simon 'Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel is a terrific reinvention of an already brilliant piece of art.' Dear Evan Hansen. But I don't possess her gift of memory, so she's not completely me. A marching band storms in and separates them. Certainly she shares many of my own concerns about life and the world. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. This poignant coming-of-age tale thoughtfully portrays heavy topics including suicide, grief, and mental health issues while powerfully reminding teens that they are never alone. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Sometime later, Evan is called to the office and gets told that Connor has committed suicide and was found holding the letter. Characters make sexual references and jokes such as "jerking off" too much, getting to second base below the bra, "sucking d--k" for meth, sending nude pictures, and more. Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox.

The entire book is colorless save for occasional blotches of burnt orange, producing obscure, dream-like vignettes. Seeing the world through her innocent eyes reignited an innocence and playfulness in me. Readers might find themselves frustrated by the lengths to which Evan will go to find acceptance and a sense of belonging, but Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel will help teens understand the importance of honest communication, empathy, kindness, and finding meaningful IRL relationships. By giving the readers more, it takes something else away. Please check out my first book, The Reminders, and look out for my follow-up YA book next year. The authors' note at the end of book provides statistics about suicide from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and also lists resources including The Child Mind Institute, Crisis Text Line, and The Trevor Project. As the desperation of the situation escalates, and neighbors turn into predators, the consequences of the crisis are amplified.   —   Get this from a library!

Krosoczka, a best-selling author and illustrator, can only tell as much as his memory allows, but the slices we get of his childhood are exceptionally realistic. Hey, Kiddo opens on a 17-year-old Krosoczka, reserved and introspective, driving through a cemetery with his grandfather, discussing love and death and family. Evan goes with the lie and shares fake tales of him and Connor. Val Emmich read 35 books of his goal of 30! How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives, It’s a school year like no other. Take a look at Val’s Year in Books. All I’ll say is that this one feels about perfect — exactly how you’d hope this pair would finish off a novel together.

Teens kiss. Nothing replaces the power of a meaningful IRL relationship. Neither boy can put the few minutes spent together out of mind, even as they’re without each other’s contact information. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. As Evan spends more time with the Murphy family, who desperately want to know more about Connor from his "best friend," the more he realizes how painful it will be once the truth is revealed. But my daughter is not Joan. —David Canfield. The Connor Project becomes a positive online community for others to reach out for help and share their stories. Evan tells Jared what happened. Many of the songs translate well as plot points — after hearing Evan take the Murphy family though his (fictional) memories with their late son, Connor, all I wanted to do was queue up “For Forever” on infinite repeat (and, reader, I did). Is it important for kids to read Evan and Connor's story? The Homo Sapiens Agenda, the basis for the film Love, Simon; Silvera the best-selling name behind, most recently, They Both Die at the End — each take on a character in alternating POV chapters. Check out our new roundup below, and in case you missed October’s, we’ve got you covered. This book… literally left me speechless. I reas the book and even saw the broadway version! With Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett J. Krosoczka delivers an unconventional autobiography, delving into a childhood and adolescence shaped by his mother’s heroin addiction.

What help is out there? My complaints though. self-worth #2 “And I suddenly feel the branch give way concept. The entire story revolves around Connor's suicide. Hey, Kiddo feels at times slightly too individual, bogged down with details that are likely more meaningful to the author than the reader, but such is the plight of taking in someone else’s life story. To kick off October, we’re discussing Pride and Prejudice re-imaginings, decadent French fantasies, and a few more hyped reads from the past month. Toward the end of the book, he reconnects with his father and two half-siblings, and, in a refreshingly well-adjusted move, welcomes the new additions to his blended family as warmly as they welcome him. The book-produced by Melcher Media, the team behind Hamilton, Wicked, Rent, and many more-tells the story of the musical from its conception nearly a decade ago to the Broadway stage. The end? No wonder it’s a finalist for this year’s National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.

Teens process tragic loss in thought-provoking novel. Krosoczka’s first-person perspective evolves as he’s able to articulate more of the effect his mother had on his life. Strong language includes variations of "s--t," "f--k," "bitch," "d--k," and more.

Who's a role model in the story? We see it all from teenagers’ perspectives: Alyssa and Kelton protect themselves as Alyssa’s parents go missing, and though Kelton is more jaded because of his upbringing, they’re often both genuinely stunned by the cruelty which manifests out of dire circumstances. —A. updated May 24, 2010 05:39AM, We’d love your help. Browse titles with similar subject matter.

The inspiration to write part of the book from a child's perspective came, in 2013, from being a new father and spending. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). The book (in development as a big-budget feature at Paramount) shifts perspectives, alternating between 16-year-old Alyssa, who (along with her younger brother Garrett) is left to search for after her parents after they don’t return from a water-retrieving trip, and her strange next-door-neighbor, Kelton, raised by paranoid survivalists in a self-sustainable house. Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel follows the same story line as the musical, and aims to deepen it. See if your friends have read any of Val Emmich's books. Dry works best, however, when documenting how the teenagers must question their own morality: Alyssa, as her pure morals are discarded for survival, and Kelton, as he abandons his father’s isolationist code to protect those he cares about.

From there, the teenager becomes our narrator and traces his family history, beginning with his grandparents’ love story in the 1940s and moving forward chronologically, until Krosoczka himself is a small child, living alone with his young, single mother. As memoirs go, Hey, Kiddo is quick and colorful but still broaches heavy topics with ease — something only a survivor of such adversity can deliver. Teens will learn the importance of honest communication, empathy, and kindness. Amazing. The inspiration to write part of the book from a child's perspective came, in 2013, from being a new father and spending time with my first daughter. The pair of YA superstars — Albertalli the author of Simon vs.