Jennifer Niven
American novelist
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Jennifer Niven is a New York Times and international best selling American author who is best known for the 2015 young adult book All the Bright Places.
Jennifer Niven | |
|---|---|
| |
| Occupation | Author, Screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Notable works | All the Bright Places |
| Spouse | Justin Conway |
| Website | |
| www | |
Life and career
Jennifer Niven grew up in Richmond, Indiana.[1][2] As well as writing novels, Niven has also worked as a screenwriter, a journalist, and as an associate producer at ABC Television.[3]
Her first two books were non-fiction narratives, called The Ice Master (published in 2000) and Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic (published in 2003).[4][5] In 2010, she published a memoir of her years in high school, called The Aqua Net Diaries: Big Hair, Big Dreams, Small Town.[6]
She began writing a series of historical novels, in 2009. The first, Velva Jean Learns to Drive, was based on a short film of the same name that she had made. It won an Emmy Award and the Colin Higgins Award for Screenwriting.[3] The series also includes, Velva Jean Learns to Fly, Becoming Clementine and American Blonde.[7]
Niven's first young adult novel, All the Bright Places was released in 2015. The narrative follows two teenagers, Violet and Finch, who are struggling with mental health issues.[8] It won a 2015 Goodreads choice award for Best Young Adult Fiction[9] and was longlisted for the 2015 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.[10] It has been adapted into a film by Netflix and stars Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alex Haydon, Keegan-Michael Key, Alexandra Shipp, and Luke Wilson.[11] Production on the film began in October 2018,[12] and it was released on 28 February 2020.[13]
She released another bestselling young adult novel, in 2016, called Holding Up the Universe,[14] and her third young adult novel, Breathless, was released in September, 2020.[15] The author’s most recent novel, When We Were Monsters, was released in September 2025.
Bibliography
Young Adult
- All the Bright Places (2015) ISBN 0385755880
- Holding Up the Universe (2016) ISBN 0385755929
- Breathless (2020)
- Take Me With You When You Go with David Levithan (2021)
Velva Jean Series
- Velva Jean Learns to Drive (2009) ISBN 0452289459
- Velva Jean Learns to Fly (2011) ISBN 0452297400
- Becoming Clementine (2012) ISBN 0452298105
- American Blonde (2014) ISBN 0452298210
Non-fiction
- The Ice Master (2000) ISBN 0786884460
- Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic (2003) ISBN 0786868635
- The Aqua Net Diaries: Big Hair, Big Dreams, Small Town (2010) ISBN 1416954295