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Everything Together Lib/E
When Jeremiah arrives in Minneapolis to spend the summer with his Dad, everything feels odd. His dad's fianc�, Michael, has buried the apartment in piles of DIY wedding decorations. His best friend Sage now spends all her time with a new girl as quirky and bright as Sage ever was. Everywhere he goes, Jeremiah feels like the odd one out. Eager for something to get him away from all this, he starts volunteering in an English class for refugees. As the summer goes on, Jeremiah finds community in new places and with unexpected friends. Everything Together is about exploring your place in the world and the tangled ways we connect.
Audio CD
First published August 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Klas
3 books10 followersPronouns: ze/zem/zer or he/him/his
Benjamin Klas is a Queer author from Saint Paul, MN. He lives with his partner and son. Second Dad Summer (One Elm, 2020) was his first novel; the sequel, Everything Together, came out 2021.
Benjamin Klas is a Queer author from Saint Paul, MN. He lives with his partner and son. Second Dad Summer (One Elm, 2020) was his first novel; the sequel, Everything Together, came out 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 15, 2021
I wish I had friends with young kids, I'd be buying them this book, and the first in the series, Second Dad Summer, as well- they are both such wonderful stories!
I had no idea there was going to be a sequel to Second Dad Summer so it was a happy surprise when I saw Everything Together up on NetGalley! Like SDS, Everything Together was entertaining, heart-warming, and full of life lessons.
Jeremiah is back with his dad and Michael for another summer, and boy how things have changed. Instead of spending the summer with his best friend Sage like he hoped, he finds himself a little lost. Sage has a new bff she's busy with, which leaves Jeremiah floundering. As much as he doesn't mind helping Michael, there's only so much wedding prep a 13yo boy can handle. Left to his own devices he ends up making a new friend, and finding something that gives his summer purpose. I really enjoyed seeing Jeremiah really grow and expand his horizons over the course of the summer.
I loved how Benjamin Klas hits on relevant topics in such a way that they're understandable for the target demographic. I liked that there was such a diverse cast of characters, which I think could lead to some great dialogue for young readers. There are definitely a lot of teaching moments in this book, without being overly preachy or in your face, and I felt like I was leaning things right along with Jeremiah.
Sap that I am, there might have been a few tears shed as the summer came to a close.
I had no idea there was going to be a sequel to Second Dad Summer so it was a happy surprise when I saw Everything Together up on NetGalley! Like SDS, Everything Together was entertaining, heart-warming, and full of life lessons.
Jeremiah is back with his dad and Michael for another summer, and boy how things have changed. Instead of spending the summer with his best friend Sage like he hoped, he finds himself a little lost. Sage has a new bff she's busy with, which leaves Jeremiah floundering. As much as he doesn't mind helping Michael, there's only so much wedding prep a 13yo boy can handle. Left to his own devices he ends up making a new friend, and finding something that gives his summer purpose. I really enjoyed seeing Jeremiah really grow and expand his horizons over the course of the summer.
I loved how Benjamin Klas hits on relevant topics in such a way that they're understandable for the target demographic. I liked that there was such a diverse cast of characters, which I think could lead to some great dialogue for young readers. There are definitely a lot of teaching moments in this book, without being overly preachy or in your face, and I felt like I was leaning things right along with Jeremiah.
Sap that I am, there might have been a few tears shed as the summer came to a close.
March 4, 2021
It's rare to like a sequel better, but I enjoyed "Everything Together" even more than "Second Dad Summer."
Jeremiah has the uncomfortable realization that nothing that grows can stay the same--including friendships, family, and even himself. Without feeling artificial or didactic, this story introduces Jeremiah (and, perhaps, the reader) to new communities, cultures, and concepts. I sincerely appreciated navigating all the twists and knots of this journey alongside a vivid and believable cast of characters. Ultimately, this book is about much more than a second summer in Minneapolis; it's about the beautiful mess of learning and changing and fostering enduring connections.
Jeremiah has the uncomfortable realization that nothing that grows can stay the same--including friendships, family, and even himself. Without feeling artificial or didactic, this story introduces Jeremiah (and, perhaps, the reader) to new communities, cultures, and concepts. I sincerely appreciated navigating all the twists and knots of this journey alongside a vivid and believable cast of characters. Ultimately, this book is about much more than a second summer in Minneapolis; it's about the beautiful mess of learning and changing and fostering enduring connections.
August 3, 2021
“𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓.”
Second Dad Summer was my very first NetGalley approval and ARC, and I loved it. When I saw that a sequel called Everything Together was ready to be requested, I jumped at the opportunity.
When Jeremiah spends the summer in Minneapolis with his Dad, and his Dad’s fiancé, Michael, everything feels different. There’s the mad dash to prepare for the August wedding, his best friend, Sage, now spends all her time with a new girl, and he doesn’t know where he fits in. As summer goes on, Jeremiah finds community in new places he never expected.
Much like Second Dad Summer, I loved this book. It was great spending time again with characters that I already knew; Benjamin Klaus expertly weaved new characters in and quickly they became new favourites. This book (and hopefully series) continues to spend time looking at the beauty in differences, and how that beauty enriches our lives. Not only acting as a great middle school read about the LGBTQ+ community, it also touches on immigration and different cultures, which fits wonderfully with my Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum. It is the story of connection, with family, chosen family, and friend, along with the surprises life can give us when we lean into relationships and get to know people on a deeper level.
I will be adding this book to my classroom, and will strongly recommend both Second Dad Summer and Everything Together to my students. Benjamin Klaus, I hope that you continue to write this series; I’m not done spending time with Jeremiah, his family, friends, and Minneapolis! Thank you to NetGalley, One Elm Books, and Red Chair Press for the ARC.
“𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅.”
Second Dad Summer was my very first NetGalley approval and ARC, and I loved it. When I saw that a sequel called Everything Together was ready to be requested, I jumped at the opportunity.
When Jeremiah spends the summer in Minneapolis with his Dad, and his Dad’s fiancé, Michael, everything feels different. There’s the mad dash to prepare for the August wedding, his best friend, Sage, now spends all her time with a new girl, and he doesn’t know where he fits in. As summer goes on, Jeremiah finds community in new places he never expected.
Much like Second Dad Summer, I loved this book. It was great spending time again with characters that I already knew; Benjamin Klaus expertly weaved new characters in and quickly they became new favourites. This book (and hopefully series) continues to spend time looking at the beauty in differences, and how that beauty enriches our lives. Not only acting as a great middle school read about the LGBTQ+ community, it also touches on immigration and different cultures, which fits wonderfully with my Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum. It is the story of connection, with family, chosen family, and friend, along with the surprises life can give us when we lean into relationships and get to know people on a deeper level.
I will be adding this book to my classroom, and will strongly recommend both Second Dad Summer and Everything Together to my students. Benjamin Klaus, I hope that you continue to write this series; I’m not done spending time with Jeremiah, his family, friends, and Minneapolis! Thank you to NetGalley, One Elm Books, and Red Chair Press for the ARC.
“𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅.”
March 18, 2021
A sweet queer-themed middle-grade novel about 13-year-old Jeremiah navigating the impending wedding of his father and the father's boyfriend. The wide and diverse cast of characters was great, but at one point it also seemed that the author was trying to shove in too many side plots, leaving some threads unravelled in the end. For example, the friendship between Jeremiah and Sage and their drifting apart was never really addressed fully.
This could be a great book to get young children thinking about diversity and inclusion in their immediate circles. At one level I felt that the book was somewhat didactic; at another, I felt that these kinds of books are so desperately needed.
(Review copy from NetGalley)
This could be a great book to get young children thinking about diversity and inclusion in their immediate circles. At one level I felt that the book was somewhat didactic; at another, I felt that these kinds of books are so desperately needed.
(Review copy from NetGalley)
March 17, 2021
This is an interesting book encouraging equality, diversity and tolerance to others. It is the second book in a series, I haven't read the first book but that did not matter.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.
March 6, 2021
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I did not read the prequel, but you do not really need to in order to understand this book. There is a lot of diversity and tolerance in this book. I wanted to read this book to see how the Muslim and refugee characters are viewed. This isn't something I would get for our school library, with the LGBTQ content and occasional "bad" word. I did appreciate the message that even while not all Christians or Muslims agree with LGBTQ, treat people with respect, because if people do not practice your religion, why expect them to follow your Holy Book, too? It's not a particularly funny or adventurous story, and but the themes of friendship, interpersonal relationships, growing up, identity, etc. really shine through. There is no room for hate against family, queer, refugees, or people from different religions.
July 17, 2021
Well this was a fun diverse read, at least in the beginning.
I really liked the beginning but the middle and end wasn't that great and the writing style was just on and off at a few points.
I haven't actually read the prequel of this book but the story was still understandable.
I feel like 1.5 or 2 stars but I'm gonna stick with 2.5 stars.
I really liked the beginning but the middle and end wasn't that great and the writing style was just on and off at a few points.
I haven't actually read the prequel of this book but the story was still understandable.
I feel like 1.5 or 2 stars but I'm gonna stick with 2.5 stars.
July 12, 2021
I honestly couldn't get through this book. I started reading it but I didn't like the writing so I just skimmed through the rest of it. It had a lot of diverse characters and was big on inclusivity but it wasn't a book that I enjoyed.
*This review is based on an eARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
*This review is based on an eARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
August 11, 2021
Review also be posted on instagram - @mrsandmrsjreadgay --
Everything Together by Benjamin Klas
🏳️🌈 Thanks #NetGalley for the free ebook 🏳️🌈
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Since his parent's divorce, Jeremiah has spent the summers with his dad. He enjoys spending time there, especially as his best friend Sage lives nearby. The two of them have spent the summers riding their bikes and exploring the city.
But things are different this summer. Sage has met a new best friend, Asha. Sage and Asha are inseperable, and Jeremiah feels like he just can't compete for her attention. His dad is marrying his boyfriend Michael in a few weeks time so their attention is focused on wedding prep, rather than on Jeremiah. He begins to feel lonely and left out until Sage's mums suggest he volunteer at Bridge, a charity that supports refugees and he finds a new friend in Asha's twin Asad.
This is a perfect example of an inclusive, diverse kids book (intended for age 8 to 13 I guess; I know nothing about kids sooo...) If I had any friends with kids this age, I would for sure buy them a copy of Everything Together.
Not only is there a wealth of culturally diverse characters, we also have a trans character, a non binary character (awesome way to get kids used to using the singular 'they'), multiple gay and lesbian characters and Jeremiah's dad is bisexual.
Honestly, this was a really cool book that we would highly reccomend for primary age children. It gently teaches about various identities and cultures, and has some beautiful moments were Jeremiah gets something wrong (eg he asks Asha why she "has to" wear a hijab) and he is corrected. He accepts he was wrong, learns, and moves on. It's such an important message: if we want to be good allies in any respect, we have to be open to criticism and change. We have to LISTEN to minority voices, not speak over them.
I didn't realise until the end of the book that this is actually a sequel. It can definitely be read as a stand-alone though!
Everything Together by Benjamin Klas
🏳️🌈 Thanks #NetGalley for the free ebook 🏳️🌈
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Since his parent's divorce, Jeremiah has spent the summers with his dad. He enjoys spending time there, especially as his best friend Sage lives nearby. The two of them have spent the summers riding their bikes and exploring the city.
But things are different this summer. Sage has met a new best friend, Asha. Sage and Asha are inseperable, and Jeremiah feels like he just can't compete for her attention. His dad is marrying his boyfriend Michael in a few weeks time so their attention is focused on wedding prep, rather than on Jeremiah. He begins to feel lonely and left out until Sage's mums suggest he volunteer at Bridge, a charity that supports refugees and he finds a new friend in Asha's twin Asad.
This is a perfect example of an inclusive, diverse kids book (intended for age 8 to 13 I guess; I know nothing about kids sooo...) If I had any friends with kids this age, I would for sure buy them a copy of Everything Together.
Not only is there a wealth of culturally diverse characters, we also have a trans character, a non binary character (awesome way to get kids used to using the singular 'they'), multiple gay and lesbian characters and Jeremiah's dad is bisexual.
Honestly, this was a really cool book that we would highly reccomend for primary age children. It gently teaches about various identities and cultures, and has some beautiful moments were Jeremiah gets something wrong (eg he asks Asha why she "has to" wear a hijab) and he is corrected. He accepts he was wrong, learns, and moves on. It's such an important message: if we want to be good allies in any respect, we have to be open to criticism and change. We have to LISTEN to minority voices, not speak over them.
I didn't realise until the end of the book that this is actually a sequel. It can definitely be read as a stand-alone though!
March 31, 2021
In this series, every summer Jeremiah has to deal with changes to his life, expectations, and the boundaries of his knowledge and world. That's exactly what it means to be an adolescent, and this series handles that so well. The first book dealt with divorce, remarriage, and LGBTQIA issues. To those this book adds dealing with changing friendships, learning about other cultures, and refugees and immigration. Everything is handled beautifully and with such a great relevance for the target age group.
November 20, 2021
It's the next summer after the events of Second Dad Summer and Jer is excited for all of the fun that he is going to have until he learns that his best friend from the previous summer has a new best friend...
A really well-written, beautiful story that dives straight back into the would of Second Dad Summer. I really enjoyed the addition of Muslim characters to the story as well as watching Jer meet some amazing refugees and learn from them.
Fingers crossed there will be more books in this series.
A really well-written, beautiful story that dives straight back into the would of Second Dad Summer. I really enjoyed the addition of Muslim characters to the story as well as watching Jer meet some amazing refugees and learn from them.
Fingers crossed there will be more books in this series.
October 26, 2021
Free copy of the book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A truly wonderful story about family, friendship, love, and community. I loved to meet all the different characters and learn about their stories. And I loved to follow Jeremiah's own story and his growth because I think a lot of us can see parts of ourselves in him and can learn both through and with Jer to be better allies to everyone.
A truly wonderful story about family, friendship, love, and community. I loved to meet all the different characters and learn about their stories. And I loved to follow Jeremiah's own story and his growth because I think a lot of us can see parts of ourselves in him and can learn both through and with Jer to be better allies to everyone.
December 11, 2021
LGBTQ — great realistic fiction story and resource for kids and adults. Sequel to Second Dad Summer.
July 3, 2022
Absolutely see why this middle grade read won awards!
November 25, 2021
Nice try but no.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews