Hazel's Theory of Evolution

Hazel's Theory of Evolution, by Lisa Jenn Bigelow, is a middle grade novel that focuses on friendship and dealing with trauma. In Hazel's last year of middle school, she starts at a new school due to her house being rezoned. She is determined to fly under the radar for the school year and wait it out until she can rejoin her best friend in high school. However, things don't go as planned when Hazel finds her best friend drifting away from her, just when she is most in need of somebody to confide in. Despite her initial hesitation, Hazel starts to develop new friendships with Yosh and Carina and tries to figure out how to deal with some life changing news.

This novel focuses on how children and young people process and deal with trauma after the fact. Prior to the start of the book, one of Hazel's moms had two miscarriages which had a traumatic effect on Hazel. When her mom announces she is pregnant again, Hazel encounters grief about her lost siblings, worry about potentially feeling this loss again and anxiety for her mom's well-being. While Hazel tries to take on these emotions on her own, the toll is obvious and the importance of her old and new friendships in processing the situation is clear.

Another important feature of this book is the strong representation of LGBTQIA+ characters. In the book, Hazel and her older brother live with their two moms in an idyllic farm setting. As well, Hazel's friend Carina is a transgender student who is looking for a new start at her school and who is well-supported by her friends. Finally, Hazel is described by the book's author as asexual, although this term does not show up in the text itself. Hazel discusses how she isn't interested in relationships, but has other visions for her future self, and receives support for expressing these facts about her identity. Relatively few books focus on asexual characters and Hazel's Evolution of Everything is a welcome addition.