Dear Evan Hansen, the smash-hit Broadway musical by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, is being made into a young adult novel. Actor, singer and author Val Emmich (The Reminders, Ugly Betty) is penning the adaptation of the 2017 Tony-winning Best Musical, which will appear on bookshelves as Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel on October 9.
"For us, the most powerful and gratifying part of the journey of making this musical has been seeing the ways in which audiences have connected with these characters and their stories," said Levenson, Pasek and Paul in a joint statement. "We are thrilled that this novel will be able to bring Dear Evan Hansen to even more people, and we hope that it will continue to spark conversation."
Dear Evan Hansen follows the title character, Evan, a high school senior suffering from anxiety who inadvertently becomes part of a family's grieving process after their son's suicide. Emmich's novel expands upon moments that are not as fleshed out in the stage musical.
Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel will be produced by Hachette Books. The publisher also presented the 2017 Dear Evan Hansen behind-the-scenes book Through the Window, written by Levenson, Pasek and Paul.