Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gripping Jekyll and Hyde retelling has gay romance, racism.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
When MY DEAR HENRY begins, it's 1883, and Gabriel is headed from his family home to study medicine in London. Gabriel's family is Black, and his father warns him that studying medicine may not get him good work. When Gabriel arrives at his boarding house in London, he meets a striking schoolmate named Henry. Henry's father is a professor at the school, but because he, too, is Black, he suffers indignities: His classroom is in the basement, and he has to buy his own supplies. Gabriel and Henry become friends, and soon a romantic attraction blossoms. When rumors of their affair result in their expulsion -- and Henry's father's firing -- Henry withdraws and stops communicating with Gabriel. Gabriel sees a new, vaguely familiar young man arriving at and leaving Henry's house and sets out to unravel the mystery of what really happened.
Is It Any Good?
This is a lovely, very smart take on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In My Dear Henry, Kalynn Bayron maintains the formal language style of the original source material, written in 1886, while directly covering contemporary social issues and introducing modern ideals of empathy and acceptance. There's been a lot of speculation over the years about what Stevenson's original novella meant, including the possibility that it was about homosexuality. Bayron runs with this idea to make a statement about the oppressive forces that lead people to closet themselves. This book would be an excellent choice for teens interested in classical literature and in learning how make creative choices as a writer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of "the generation gap" in My Dear Henry. How do societal pressures affect the relationships and expectations between parents and children in the story?
Integrity in the face of abuses of power is an important theme in My Dear Henry. Have you ever had to deal with an authority figure who was unethical? How did you recognize this? How did you handle the situation? Were you able to stick with what you knew to be right?
Have you read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? If so, why do you think the author made the changes she did? If not, are your interested in reading it now? Why, or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Literary Fiction
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Book Characters , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Curiosity , Empathy , Integrity
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Feiwel & Friends
- Publication date : March 7, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 272
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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