Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

Written by Tim Federle

Narrated by Tim Federle

“The Nate series by Tim Federle is a wonderful evocation of what it’s like to be a theater kid. Highly recommended.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda, star and creator of the musical, Hamilton

Winner of the Lambda Literary Award

Encore! Nate Foster’s Broadway dreams are finally coming true in this sequel to Better Nate Than Ever that Publishers Weekly calls a “funny, tender coming-of-age story.”

Armed with a one-way ticket to New York City, small-town theater geek Nate is off to start rehearsals for E.T.: The Broadway Musical. It’s everything he ever practiced his autograph for! But as thrilling as Broadway is, rehearsals are nothing like Nate expects: full of intimidating child stars, cut-throat understudies, and a director who can’t even remember Nate’s name.

Now, as the countdown to opening night is starting to feel more like a time bomb, Nate is going to need more than his lucky rabbit’s foot if he ever wants to see his name in lights. He may even need a showbiz miracle.

The companion novel to Better Nate Than Ever, which The New York Times called “inspired and inspiring,” Five, Six, Seven, Nate! is full of secret admirers, surprise reunions, and twice the drama of middle school...with a lot more glitter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Apr 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781442374201

Tim Federle

Tim Federle is the showrunner and executive producer of High School Musical: the Musical: the Series, which he created for Disney+. His novels include the New York Times Notable Book Better Nate Than Ever and its Lambda Literature Award–winning sequel—which Lin-Manuel Miranda called “a wonderful evocation of what it’s like to be a theater kid” (New York Times). A film adaptation of Nate, written and directed by Federle, will premiere on Disney+ in spring 2022. The film stars Aria Brooks, Joshua Bassett, Lisa Kudrow, and Rueby Wood as Nate. Tim’s hit series of cocktail recipe books, including Tequila Mockingbird, have sold over half a million copies worldwide. He cowrote the Broadway musical adaptation of Tuck Everlastingand won the Humanitas Prize for cowriting the Golden Globe and Academy Award–nominated Best Animated Feature Ferdinand, starring John Cena and Kate McKinnon. A former Broadway dancer, Tim was born in San Francisco, grew up in Pittsburgh, and now divides his time between Los Angeles and the internet.

Reviews for Five, Six, Seven, Nate!

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by the author. As the understudy for E.T. in the Broadway musical of the movie, Nate is as close to realizing his Broadway dreams as he ever could be. Nate's story is likely Federle's story, and he writes and performs with an intimate awareness of the theater scene and its personalities. I felt the book goes about two chapters too long, but Nate's personal evolution is satisfying to witness.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nate Foster’s dreams of Broadway have paid-off and now he is back in New York as the understudy to E.T.’s understudy in E.T.: The Musical.

There are so many colorful characters in this book, including a few that carry over from Better Nate Than Ever. We get to know these characters a little bit better and see that there’s more to some of them than you might have guessed. My favorite of the new characters is Ansella, the E.T. understudy who takes Nate to the Korean spa.

Nate's friendship with best friend Libby is a still major highlight for me. They are loyal to each other and share an almost encyclopedic knowledge about musicals (and like to use legendary Broadway flops as cursing words: “Holy Dance of the Vampires, no!”). Another extremely important aspect of these books and part of Nate’s developing sense of self is his struggle to fit in with traditional ideas of “masculinity” and his understanding of his own sexuality.

Nate is so funny because the people and situations feel real. The author shows us Nate discovering himself and his adult life with subtlety and sensitivity. If you loved the first book, you'll love this one even more.

[pussreboots · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle is the sequel to Better Nate Than Ever. While it's a satisfying conclusion, I really, really, really hope to see more of Nate's adventures on Broadway.When last we saw our hero, he was called back at the very last minute. Now he's living in Manhattan with his aunt (who reminds me of a modern day Auntie Mame, with less means, but just as much of an off-beat attitude).So Nate, like Peggy Sawyer of 42nd Street, ends up getting more and more important roles to play in the E.T. musical. Also like Peggy, Nate has to work his butt off to keep up. Unlike Peggy, though, Nate's been spending his entire life preparing for this moment.It's wonderful seeing Nate find himself in the madness of this E.T. musical. Nate as an E.T. understudy, makes friends with the woman cast to play the alien. It was nice seeing him grow through the mentorship process. There's also a subplot involving a secret admirer which is charming and cute and delightfully sappy.I really don't know if there are any more Nate books planned. If there are, I will read them. I will pre order them. I will camp out by local bookshop waiting for them to come in. If there aren't, then I am eagerly awaiting whatever the author is working on.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this second book, Nate is an understudy for ET. He’s living in New York with his aunt and rehearsing every day. It’s the life! Of course, he still corresponds with Libby who still tries to get Nate to admit that he is probably gay. He’s thirteen and says he doesn’t know anything except that he loves New York and Broadway. Being backstage and learning what rehearsals are like is insightful. The directors and parents are all caricatures, so they are fun and amusing. The author works on Broadway, so he puts an entertaining spin on what, I’m sure, he witnesses every day!Book two begins with the first rehearsal and ends the night after the first preview. You will laugh and enjoy Nate’s innocence and joy at performing. He cares about people and treats people well. There’s even a small romance as a side story. The other actors treat him well, which surprises Nate because he’s been mercilessly teased and bullied his entire life. Even if he is in the background and being cut from several scenes, Nate is happy to be somewhere where he’s accepted and treated well.I don’t want to say much because I feel like I’m giving too much away, but I thoroughly enjoyed these two books because they were funny and genuine. We also have these books on Overdrive as audiobooks with the author reading them.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nate Foster's Broadway dreams have been realized -- sort of. He's in New York, rehearsing for his role in E.T.: The Musical. And, okay, that role is an understudy part, but still! Nate has a lot to learn about the city, Broadway, and himself as opening night draws near. When an accident threatens to doom the show before it even opens, can Nate save the day?This book is just as charming, funny, and heartwarming as its predecessor. Read that book first, then move right on to this one! I also recommend the audio version, which is read by the author. Federle does a great job of conveying Nate's youthful enthusiasm.

[russianlovemachine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nate Foster is back in Tim Federle's sequel to his debut novel, BETTER NATE THAN EVER. E.T.:THE MUSICAL is beginning rehearsals and preparing for the first preview performance, and Nate has so much to learn about how Broadway really works. This novel is hilarious for theater geeks, younger teens, and anyone looking to read a book that keeps you smiling all the way through.