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 ''All the Bright Places'' is a young adult fiction novel by Jennifer Niven which is based on the author's personal story. The novel was first published on January 6, 2015 through Knopf Publishing Group and is Niven's first young adult book. A ...

''.

Life and career

Niven grew up in

Richmond, Indiana Richmond () is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana, United States. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,720. It is the principal c ...

. As well as writing novels, Niven has also worked as a screenwriter, journalist and an associate producer at

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

. Her first two books were non-fiction narratives called ''The Ice Master'' (published in 2000) and ''

Ada Blackjack Ada Blackjack (''née'' Delutuk; May 10, 1898 – May 29, 1983) was an Iñupiaq woman who accompanied an Arctic expedition to the uninhabited Wrangel Island, north of Siberia, eventually living alone on the island for eight months after the o ...

: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic'' (published in 2003). In 2010, she published a memoir of her years in high school called ''The Aqua Net Diaries: Big Hair, Big Dreams, Small Town''. 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 The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

and the Colin Higgins Award for Screenwriting. The series also includes, ''Velva Jean Learns to Fly'', ''Becoming Clementine'' and ''American Blonde''. Niven's first young adult novel, ''

'' was released in 2015. The narrative follows two teenagers, Violet and Finch who are struggling with mental health issues. It won a 2015

Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...

choice award for Best Young Adult Fiction and was longlisted for the 2015

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annually recognised one fiction book written for Children's literature, children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conf ...

. It has been adapted into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

by Netflix and stars

Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and ...

Justice Smith Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'' (2018), '' Detective Pikachu'' (2019), '' All the Bright Places'' (2020), '' Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Th ...

, Keegan-Michael Key, Alexandra Shipp, and Luke Wilson. Production on the film began in October 2018 and it was released on 28 February 2020. She released another bestselling young adult novel in 2016 called ''Holding Up the Universe'', and her third young adult novel, ''Breathless'', was released in September, 2020.

Banning

In 2024 the book ''Breathless'' was banned in Texas by the Katy Independent School District on the basis that the novel is "adopting, supporting, or promoting gender fluidity" despite also pronouncing a bullying policy that protects infringements on the rights of the student. https://www.katyisd.org/Page/4123

Bibliography

Young Adult *''

'' (2015) *''Holding Up the Universe'' (2016) *''Breathless'' (2020) *''Take Me With You When You Go'' with

David Levithan David Levithan (born September 7, 1972) is an American young adult fiction author and editor."David Levithan". October 30, 2008. Gale Database. ''Contemporary Authors Online''. UWM Golda Meir Library, Milwaukee. July 1, 2009. He has written numer ...

(2021) Velva Jean Series *''Velva Jean Learns to Drive'' (2009) *''Velva Jean Learns to Fly'' (2011) *''Becoming Clementine'' (2012) *''American Blonde'' (2014) Non-fiction *''The Ice Master'' (2000) *''Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic'' (2003) *''The Aqua Net Diaries: Big Hair, Big Dreams, Small Town'' (2010) * ''Ada Blackjack, survivante de l'Arctique'', éditions Paulsen, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niven, Jennifer Living people American women novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Indiana American young adult novelists American women writers of young adult literature American women screenwriters Screenwriters from Indiana 21st-century American screenwriters Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Richmond, Indiana