For fans of musical theater, there’s nothing better than singing along with your favorite cast recording or streaming a beloved movie-musical for the millionth time—nothing, that is, except seeing your favorite show live on stage. And with Broadway finally starting to reopen (with COVID-19 safety precautions in place) and several musical adaptations hitting the big screen lately, there’s no better time to celebrate the love of the theatrical world.
One of the best things about musical theater is the universal themes found in each show—and it turns out, a lot of those tropes show up in books, too. If you’re itching for a read that will fill you with the same warm, fuzzy emotions as your fave Broadway show, look no further. We’ve got the recs for some YA books that align perfectly with 10 popular musicals, from In the Heights to Dear Evan Hansen and more!
Book Recs Based Off Your Favorite Broadway Musical
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
In the Heights
📚 Read Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
A summertime power outage in NYC is the backdrop for this interlinked novel written by six acclaimed authors. Much like the iconic Act I closer from In the Heights, Blackout follows a group of Black teens as their neighborhood is plunged into darkness without any electricity and explores themes of friendship, first loves, heartbreak, and growth. The book contains six interwoven stories that shed light on what life is like when the world slows down.
Hairspray
📚 Read I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee
In another universe, Hairspray’s Tracy Turnblad and I’ll Be the One’s Skye Shin are absolutely BFFs. Lee’s 2020 novel follows Skye as she enters an internationally televised music competition, determined to become the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star. She’s soon plunged into the chaotic world of reality TV—which includes tons of media coverage, public scrutiny, and the ridiculous beauty standards of the K-pop lifestyle. Oh, and there’s also that pesky romantic spark with her rival, Henry Cho. But Skye won’t let any of that get in her way; like Tracy, she’s determined to prove that she belongs in the sparkling world of music and dancing, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get to center stage.
My Fair Lady
📚 Read My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen
Out in 2022, My Fine Fellow is a gender-swapped retelling of the classic musical (originally based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion). In Cohen’s novel, we meet Helena Higgins and Penelope Pickering, two aspiring chefs with different palates but equally huge dreams. They team up after crossing paths with Elijah Little, who works as a vendor on the streets of London. Together, Helena and Penelope decide to “transform” Elijah into a star chef in his own right, but their makeover scheme proves to be far more complicated than they ever imagined.
Six
📚 Read The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
The story of Henry VIII’s six wives is the foundation for both the Broadway musical and Capin’s 2019 YA novel. The Dead Queens Club centers around Cleves, one of the six girls who have dated Lancaster High School’s most popular student, Henry. Cleves meets Henry at summer camp, but when she moves to Lancaster, she learns some ~mysterious~ details about his previous relationships and decides to investigate. Packed with Shakespearean easter eggs and vibrant narration, this is definitely a read for history buffs who like their retellings with a twist.
West Side Story
📚 Read These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
First there was the Montagues and Capulets, then the Sharks and the Jets. Now, in Gong’s debut novel set in 1920s Shanghai, meet the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. Caught in the middle of the deadly blood feud is Juliette Cai, the heir of the Scarlets, and Roma Montagov, who is Juliette’s first love—and also, naturally, the heir of the White Flowers. Amid violence, monstrous chaos, and heartbreaking betrayal, Juliette and Roma must decide whether or not they can work together to find peace—or be a part of their city’s ultimate and inevitable destruction.
Bye Bye Birdie
📚 Read XOXO by Axie Oh
Conrad Birdie, eat your heart out! In XOXO, we meet cello superstar Jenny whose world collides with K-pop icon Jaewoo. After meeting by chance at a karaoke bar, Jenny is shocked to learn of Jaewoo’s star status later on—not to mention the fact that they’re enrolled at the same arts academy. And because of Jaewoo’s spot in one of the world’s biggest K-pop bands, he’s completely forbidden from dating. As things get complicated, Jenny has to decide between keeping her focus on the future she’s planned for herself—or fighting for true love.
Dear Evan Hansen
📚 Read Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
In the Broadway musical, Evan’s life gets turned upside down when a viral video leads to a truly messy IRL misunderstanding. Eliza Mirk, the anonymous creator of a successful webcomic, also has to deal with navigating the online world and the real one when one of the most popular fanfiction writers transfers to her school. Suddenly, she has to work a lot harder to keep her internet persona a secret—and face the consequences when her worlds collide.
Heathers
📚 Read They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
Everything might look rosy on the outside of a popular clique, but as both of these stories show, there’s something darker under the surface. Goodman’s 2020 novel follows high school senior Jill Newman, who is still reeling from the murder of her best friend, three years ago. At the time, her best friend’s boyfriend confessed to killing her, but when Jill starts getting texts insisting that he didn’t do it, she’s forced to dive back into the mystery—and take a closer look at her friends.
Into the Woods
📚 Read Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone
Into the Woods flips fairy tales on their heads, telling us that “witches can be right, giants can be good.” Likewise, Clipstone’s haunting gothic fantasy will have readers rooting for the monster in the woods. Lakesedge centers around Violeta Graceling who finds herself living at Rowan Sylvanan’s estate after her brother agrees to lend him his powers. Rowan’s dark reputation precedes him, but Leta soon learns that there’s more to the boy who’s rumored to be a monster—like the fact that he’s bound to the evil and mysterious Lord Under and cursed by a spell that ties him to the ominous lake behind his mansion. Leta must work with Rowan to help break the curse—while confronting the darkness that lives inside her as well.
Hello Dolly
📚 Read Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth
Like the famed Dolly Levi, Not My Problem’s Aideen is a schemer of epic proportions. After “helping” her rival Meabh dodge her stressful academic schedule (by, um, pushing her down the stairs), she’s suddenly swarmed by classmates who want her assistance with their predicaments, too. But in paying attention to everyone else’s life, Aideen is failing to consider her own—and will have to take a look inward before her own problems catch up with her.