13: A Novel

Ok, so first of all i seen the musical and i really liked it. The music was catchy and the story plot was good. When i saw this book i was a little hesitant to get it because i don't like books based off of screenplays. But i gotta say, this was very, very good. There was material that was never even touched in the play, and it really showed that growing up is tough and not everything turns out the way you want it to. But i read this in three days and i absolutely loved it. I would recommend all parents to buy this book for their 12 or 13 year old son. It was good!

I love Evan and Patrice, and even Archie is not your run-of-the-mill physically disabled kid. The reader may know that Evan's Bar Mitzvah will turn out okay, that Evan will eventually get back together with Patrice, and that all loose threads will be tied up nicely, but the humor throughout is what makes this book so appealing. All in all, a very enjoyable Read!

13 JASON ROBERT BROWN & DAN ELISH Contemporary Young Adult Rating: 4 Enchantments Twelve-year old Evan Goldman lives with his parents in Manhattan until his father leaves the family for another woman. His mother needs a change of scenery after the divorce, so they move to Appleton, Indiana in the middle of summer. As Evan moves and gets adjusted, he meets a girl named Patrice who he really relates to. But when school starts, he is befriended by Brett, Fudge, Eddie, Lucy and Kendra. These are the cool kids. Patrice and Archie (another friend) are considered geeks. The cool kids and the geeks do not mix because of their personality differences. Evan has to figure out which group contains his real friends, who will attend his Bar Mitzvah, a discovery he makes after a bunch of strange and really humorous events. This story is about a young Jewish boy entering puberty and becoming a man, and moving to a new state and adapting to a new life. It contains many universal themes - friendship, popularity, being true to yourself - to name a few. I thought this was a great book! In fact, I read it in one sitting. It felt very authentic; the situations that Evan gets into are exactly the same situations a preteen would encounter. His reactions were typical, but presented in a way that was funny and made me want to keep reading. When Evan was a jerk to his friends to get in with the `cool' kids, I liked the fact that he humbled himself and made everything right with his true friends when he realized his mistake. This is a great book that most preteens would love. I loved it and would definitely recommend it to readers my age. These are two authors I would read again. They love to hear from their readers. They can be reached through their respective websites at www.jasonrobertbrown.com or www.danelish.com. Karoline ENCHANTING REVIEWS August 2008

13 is an easy read and a reat book for kids 11-14, the tween years. Can't wait to see the show which will premiere on Broadway October 2008.

In three months, Evan will be thirteen. He is already planning his Bar Mitzvah when he learns his mom and dad are splitting up and he's moving to the middle of nowhere -- Appleton, Indiana. On top of leaving NYC and his friends, Evan now has to plan his Bar Mitzvah in Indiana. He knows no one will show up and is horrified to find out that it will take place in the basement of the Methodist Church. Even though Evan expects his life to be miserable, he soon befriends Patrice, a pretty girl who loves old movies and is a little bit of a geek. Evan never has a problem with her until he becomes friends with Bret. Bret is an All-American boy. He's the junior high's quarterback and is loved by all the girls and their parents, too, for that matter. As Evan becomes more involved with Brett and his gang of friends, he starts to lose sight of how friends are really supposed to treat each other. As the weeks go by, Evan gets tangled up with planning his "becoming a man" speech, more drama than he can handle, and a particularly weird situation which involves the movie The Bloodmaster. Evan soon learns that being a man isn't all it's cracked up to be and ends up learning more about himself then he ever thought possible. I was quite pleased with this book. I don't always enjoy middle-grade fiction because I find it hard to relate to, but I can vividly remember being thirteen. The authors made an unforgettable character out of Evan that made me laugh-out-loud and reminisce about days when I was his age. I remember going through similar situations as Evan did and handling them just about as well as Evan did! Just the style of writing and the words that came out of the character's mouths were funny. While middle-grade novels may not be your first choice, I highly suggest you pick this one up and laugh along with the story. This book would also be good for reluctant readers. It's not particularly long, yet it is long enough to be a wholesome story. The message of self discovery and being your own kind of person is also a great part of this book. 13 was an enjoyable read that will keep readers wanting more. Reviewed by: Tasha