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13: A Novel Hardcover – July 1, 2008
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The novel based on the groundbreaking musical by Jason Robert Brown and Dan Elish, 13, a story about friendship, fitting in, and what it means to turn thirteen. Now a movie-musical streaming on Netflix!
“No one said becoming a man was easy."
Evan didn’t expect relevant life advice from Rabbi Weiner, who looks so old that he must have gone to yeshiva with Moses. But wondering what it means to become a man is the least of Evan’s problems.
After being uprooted right before his thirteen birthday from New York City to Appleton, Indiana, he’s more focused on using this fresh start to find the right friends to invite to his bar mitzvah. Because this is his chance to get in with the popular kids—the cool football players and pretty cheerleaders.
But it’s the weird kids who welcome him, like his nerdy neighbor Patrice and Archie, whose crutches and muscular dystrophy make him an easy target for bullying. Evan doesn’t want to be laughed at for being different. He can pretend to be like the cool kids; he’s sure he can.
But if you spend all your time pretending to be someone else, who do you become?
In this story of acceptance and friendship, Evan prepares for his bar mitzvah, grapples with his father’s affair, and learns from his rabbi, all the while presented with various images of what it means to be a man. While he struggles to fit in with the popular boys at school, he eventually learns that being cool is not as important as being a good friend—and a good person.
With relatable humor and accessible language, and at a consumable length, this book is perfect for all tweens and especially boys looking for a relatable read.
Netflix has announced an adaptation of the Broadway musical that inspired 13: A Novel. Jason Robert Brown will be returning to compose new music for the show, and the cast includes Rhea Perlman, Josh Peck, Debra Messing, and Peter Hermann.
- Reading age8 - 12 years
- Print length208 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level5 - 6
- Lexile measure620L
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.77 x 8.25 inches
- PublisherHarperCollins
- Publication dateJuly 1, 2008
- ISBN-10006078749X
- ISBN-13978-0060787493
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“Accented with humor. Evan realizes the moral edges of both his own and others’ behaviors, and the concept of becoming a man is presented through both his actions and efforts to write his bar mitzvah speech . . . a fine story with characters that [feel] real.” — Booklist
“This tale of middle-school peer culture is . . . handled especially well in this tie-in to the musical. The pace is quick, the humor broad and the life lessons spelled out clearly.” — Kirkus Reviews
From the Back Cover
13 Things to Know About 13
1. This book is about a guy named Evan.
2. Three months before his 13th birthday, he has to move from New York City 3. to Appleton, Indiana,
4. where nobody knows him.
5. He's not very happy about it.
6. His mom is kind of nuts.
7. His dad is kind of nuts too.
8. Evan's not nuts, but he keeps ending up in nutty situations.
9. One of them involves a movie called The Bloodmaster.
10. Another involves a girl named Patrice.
11. But the nuttiest situation of all is his bar mitzvah—
12. which it's possible no one will come to.
13. Unless Evan can make some new friends really fast.
About the Author
Jason Robert Brown is the Tony Award-winning lyricist and composer of Parade, The Last Five Years, and Songs for a New World as well as the musical 13, which he collaborated on with Dan Elish. At his bar mitzvah he sang a song he had written about breaking up with his girlfriend, even though he had not at that time ever had a girlfriend. Jason lives in California with his wife and daughter.
Dan Elish is the insanely gifted author of many novels for both adults and children, including The Attack of the Frozen Woodchucks, 13 (based on the Broadway musical), and The Worldwide Dessert Contest.
When he's not busy typing furiously away on his Lap-Top (not a Gum-Top or a Hat-Top or even a Balloon-Top), you can find Dan in New York City, where he lives with his wife, Andrea, and daughter, Cassie, and son, John.
Product details
- Publisher : HarperCollins; First Edition first Printing (July 1, 2008)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 208 pages
- ISBN-10 : 006078749X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0060787493
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
- Lexile measure : 620L
- Grade level : 5 - 6
- Item Weight : 11.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.77 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,435,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,843 in Children's Jewish Fiction Books
- #3,945 in Children's Books on Bullying
- #5,466 in Children's Books on Boys' & Men's Issues
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This book is absolutely perfect for those reading it casually, or for getting more information on the musical before heading to see the actual play. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in 13 the Musical.
To make matters worse, Evan's mom is now insisting he have a Bar Mitzvah, even though there aren't even any other Jews in Appleton, and the only site available for the ceremony is the basement of the Methodist Church! But at least they found a nearby rabbi on the internet.
Still, things begin to settle, as they will. Evan makes a summer friend, Patrice, and then finds himself in the Dan Quayle Jr. High "cool" crowd headed by local football star, Bret. (Although this does limit his interaction with the outcast Patrice, who eventually stops talking to him.)
Now he's thinking that maybe the Bar Mitzvah won't be so bad, what, with a huge crowd of local, popular kids around him -- even if they aren't sure what a Bar Mitzvah is. But then, a misunderstanding makes him a pariah, and he is left wondering if he will ever fit in anywhere. And whether his mom and the rabbi will be the only people at the Methodist Church in a few days.
Interestingly, this novel is based on a musical. Sadly, it is a little trite. It's not quite so bad as, "Wait, I've seen this before. Wasn't it called Keeping up with the Steins?" (A charming little film, by the way.) But it isn't going anywhere that can't be seen a mile away either. The tension falls a little flat when you don't seriously believe that he'll never get a speech written, his Bar Mitzvah will be empty and Patrice will never talk to him again.
However, this might not be so bad for a twelve year-old audience, most of whom would be sorely disappointed in an ending where, say, nobody does show up to Evan's Bar Mitzvah. The themes are simple, "becoming a man" obviously chief among them, and should appeal strongly to those around Evan's age. Also, these are tween-aged worries. I remember having some of the same myself.
With the whole plot centering around the upcoming Bar Mitzvah, I was afraid that this might be solely a Jewish-niche book, but the themes are surprisingly universal. Replace the religious event with a big birthday bash, for instance, and you have a story that could be about just anyone. Moving, divorce, popularity, friendship, fitting in, growing up, family... this is the stuff YA literature is made of, and it is all here.
One aspect in which 13 really soars is the humor. Evan is a very sharp and witty narrator. The subplot with the terminally-ill Archie is often heartwarming, but more often hilarious. (Not at the expense of Archie, mind.) I'll forgive a book almost anything if it is funny.
I enjoyed 13, for the most part, and think it will serve it's target audience, 11-13 year old boys, very well. I think, as a fairly simple and quick read, it might be an easier sell for reluctant readers, especially those who will see themselves in the text. For adults, like myself, who enjoy reading a lot of children's and YA lit, not so much. It isn't a waste of time, but there are better things out there.
On the other hand, if the musical ever comes into town, I'm totally seeing it.