Dear Evan Hansen

• Genre: Fiction; young adult
• Originally Published: 2018
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL590L; grades 9-12
• Structure/Length: 24 chapters, epilogue; approx. 368 pages; approx. 8 hours, 8 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Evan Hansen is finally given the chance to belong, but the only problem is that it’s based on a big lie—that he is the secret best friend of a peer who died. Even though Evan knows what he’s doing is wrong, he feels like he’s helping people, so he keeps the lie going until everything is in danger of falling apart.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Divorce; anxiety; depression; drug abuse; suicide; neglect; abusive homelife; alienation; bullying

Val Emmich, Author

• Bio: Born in 1979; American writer, singer-songwriter, and actor; played soccer in high school; diagnosed with Lyme disease at 15 and had to give up strenuous activity; learned to play guitar after his diagnosis; played in several bands, including Awake Asleep and Ben Trovato; graduated from Rutgers in 2001 with a degree in American Studies; began acting in 1997 to pay for college; debut novel The Reminders published in 2017; adapted the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen written by himself, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul into a YA novel
• Other Works: The Reminders (2017)
• Awards: The Broadway Musical won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor, Best Featured Actress, and Best Orchestrations (2017)