Author guide

Jandy Nelson Books in Order

Jandy Nelson is an American author of young adult fiction. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked for many years as a literary agent at Manus & Associates Literary Agency. She holds a BA from Cornell University, an MFA in poetry from Brown University, and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her published novels are The Sky Is Everywhere, I’ll Give You the Sun, and When the World Tips Over.

young adult fictioncontemporary fictionmagical realism

Catalog record updated August 25, 2026.

Jandy Nelson's Newest Book

When the World Tips Over

novel · First published 2024

The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head. Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Now Dizzy Fall, age twelve, bakes cakes, sees spirits, and wishes she were a heroine of a romance novel. Miles Fall, seventeen, brainiac, athlete, and dog-whisperer, is a raving beauty, but also lost, and desperate to meet the kind of guy he dreams of. And Wynton Fall, nineteen, who raises the temperature of a room just by entering it, is a virtuoso violinist set on a crash course for fame . . . or self-destruction. Then an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, tipping the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole. With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

The Sky Is Everywhere

Nelson’s debut novel and earliest published book.

Outside the series

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Novels (3)

The Sky Is Everywhere
novel · 2010

Seventeen-year old Leannie spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies suddenly, Leannie is catapaulted to centre stage of her own life. A vibrant, deeply romantic and…
I’ll Give You the Sun
novel · 2014

“We were all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.” At first, Jude and her twin brother are NoahandJude; inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling…
When the World Tips Over
novel · 2024

The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head. Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared,…

Frequently asked questions about Jandy Nelson

Who is Jandy Nelson?

Jandy Nelson is an American author of young adult fiction, known for emotionally intense, lyrical novels. She lives and writes in San Francisco, California.

Source: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)

Where did Jandy Nelson study?

Nelson earned a BA from Cornell University, an MFA in poetry from Brown University, and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Sources: as.cornell.edu (opens in a new tab)ala.org (opens in a new tab)

What did Jandy Nelson do before becoming an author?

Before writing full time, Nelson worked for many years as a literary agent in San Francisco, including at Manus & Associates Literary Agency.

Sources: as.cornell.edu (opens in a new tab)publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)

What influences Jandy Nelson’s writing?

Her writing is shaped by poetry, visual art, and her interest in the immediacy, rawness, and emotional intimacy of young adult storytelling. She has also described art as a central influence on her creative work.

Sources: as.cornell.edu (opens in a new tab)writermag.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Jandy Nelson won?

Nelson won the 2015 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature for I’ll Give You the Sun. The book was also named a Stonewall Book Award honor book.

Sources: ala.org (opens in a new tab)ala.org (opens in a new tab)