Most Popular Books by Jeff Zentner

“Gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything. Perfect for fans of Turtles All the Way Down,Thirteen Reasons Why, and Zentner''s own The Serpent King, one of the most highly acclaimed YA novels of 2016, Goodbye Days asks what you would do if you could spend one last day with someone you lost. Where are you guys? Text me back. That''s the last message Carver Briggs will ever send his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. He never thought that it would lead to their death. Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, a powerful judge is pressuring the district attorney to open up a criminal investigation. Luckily, Carver has some unexpected allies: Eli’s girlfriend, the only person to stand by him at school; Dr. Mendez, his new therapist; and Blake’s grandmother, who asks Carver to spend a “goodbye day” together to share their memories and say a proper farewell. Soon the other families are asking for their own goodbye day with Carver—but he’s unsure of their motives. Will they all be able to make peace with their losses, or will these goodbye days bring Carver one step closer to a complete breakdown or—even worse—prison? "Jeff Zentner, you perfectly fill the John-Green-sized hole in our heart." —Justine Magazine “Evocative, heartbreaking, and beautifully written." —Buzzfeed "Masterful." —TeenVogue.com “Hold on to your heart: this book will wreck you, fix you, and most definitely change you.” —Becky Albertalli, Morris Award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Named to ten BEST OF THE YEAR lists and selected as a William C. Morris Award Winner,The Serpent King is the critically acclaimed, much-beloved story of three teens who find themselves--and each other--while on the cusp of graduating from high school with hopes of leaving their small-town behind. Perfect for fans of John Green''s Turtles All the Way Down. "Move over, John Green; Zentner is coming for you." —The New York Public Library “Will fill the infinite space that was left in your chest after you finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” —BookRiot.com Dill isn''t the most popular kid at his rural Tennessee high school. After his father fell from grace in a public scandal that reverberated throughout their small town, Dill became a target. Fortunately, his two fellow misfits and best friends, Travis and Lydia, have his back. But as they begin their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. His only escapes are music and his secret feelings for Lydia--neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending--one that will rock his life to the core. Debut novelist Jeff Zentner provides an unblinking and at times comic view of the hard realities of growing up in the Bible belt, and an intimate look at the struggles to find one’s true self in the wreckage of the past. “A story about friendship, family and forgiveness, it’s as funny and witty as it is utterly heartbreaking.” —PasteMagazine.com “A brutally honest portrayal of teen life . . . [and] a love letter to the South from a man who really understands it.” —Mashable.com “I adored all three of these characters and the way they talked to and loved one another.”—New York Times

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • Buzzfeed • Kirkus Reviews • Publishers Weekly • Chicago Public Library “Redefines friendship as something that must be protected, sacrificed for, and tended to with wisdom, patience, and love.” —Ocean Vuong, New York Times bestselling author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous A poignant coming-of-age novel about two best friends whose friendship is tested when they get the opportunity to leave their impoverished small town for an elite prep school. For fans of Looking for Alaska. Life in a small Appalachian town is not easy. Cash lost his mother to an opioid addiction and his Papaw is dying slowly from emphysema. Dodging drug dealers and watching out for his best friend, Delaney, is second nature. He''s been spending his summer mowing lawns while she works at Dairy Queen. But when Delaney manages to secure both of them full rides to an elite prep school in Connecticut, Cash will have to grapple with his need to protect and love Delaney, and his love for the grandparents who saved him and the town he has to leave behind. Jeff Zentner''s new novel is a beautiful examination of grief, found family, and young love.

For readers of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Kristin Hannah, the lyrical, deeply felt story of an artist and the great love that defined his life, set against the electric, delirious backdrop of 1970s New York City and the tumultuous years prior. Growing up motherless and under the cruel eye of his alcoholic, emotionally distant father, Tiller Loomis seemed destined for a hardscrabble life. In the 1960s, the small Appalachian town of Sawyer, Tennessee offered few opportunities outside of working arduous hours on his family’s apple orchard. The one ray of light was his older brother Smith, a compassionate and gentle boy who salvages what might have otherwise been a brutal childhood. Kindness, he teaches Tiller, is a choice. But when Smith is drafted into the Vietnam War, Tiller’s world collapses. Directionless and grief-stricken, he stumbles into a children’s puppet show at his church and ultimately finds purpose and joy through the strange, tender art of puppetry. Chasing his dream of puppeteering full time, Tiller lands in the gritty, graffitied, bohemian hothouse of 1977 New York City, where experimental artists and misfit idealists are using puppets to try to reach teens with a message of hope on a PBS show called Imagine Nation. In Imagine Nation’s cast, Tiller finds a chosen family of dreamers and creators who will change his life forever, chief among whom is the beautiful Julie DiFrancesca, a fiercely vivacious woman who offers Tiller a chance at a life he never thought possible. Narratively framed as a present-day documentary production about Imagine Nation, LOVE, LIKE APPLES takes us from the 1970s into the modern era, tracing how the ripples from one controversial but forgotten TV show and a complicated love affair continue outward over decades, while also exploring the indelible power of radical empathy and the lives of the artists who carry its flame in their hearts.

From an award-winning author, a down on his luck country musician moves back home and rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart in this moving novel that''s "not to be missed" (Emily Henry, author of Beach Read and Book Lovers). Colton Gentry''s music career is riding high, but he''s hurting after his best friend is killed by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Colton retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown to hide out,resigned to being a has-been. A chance encounter gives him a second shot at life: a job working at a restaurant with Luann, his first love. Colton Gentry''s Third Act is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.

"Anyone can break your heart--Jeff Zentner can also make you laugh out loud!" --RAINBOW ROWELL, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Carry On and Eleanor & Park From the award winning author of The Serpent King comes a contemporary novel about two best friends who must make tough decisions about their futures--and the TV show they host--in their senior year of high school. And don''t miss the author''s highly anticipated new book, In the Wild Light! Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six. But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. Josie has been dreading graduation, as she tries to decide whether to leave for a big university and chase her dream career in mainstream TV. And Lawson, one of the show''s guest performers, a talented MMA fighter with weaknesses for pancakes, fantasy novels, and Josie, is making her tough decision even harder. Scary movies are the last connection Delia has to her dad, who abandoned the family years ago. If Midnite Matinee becomes a hit, maybe he''ll see it and want to be a part of her life again. And maybe Josie will stay with the show instead of leaving her behind, too. As the tug-of-war between growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, Josie and Delia start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous...and momentous. "I laughed, cried, and fell over-the-moon in love with Rayne & Delilah''s Midnite Matinee." --JENNIFER NIVEN, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe

Two young artists have a chance meeting on the last night of summer arts camp in this YA novel in verse and dialogue cowritten by acclaimed authors Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro. Jude loves photography, and he’s good at it, too. Between his parents’ divorce and his anxiety, being behind a camera is the only time his mind is quiet. Florence is confronting the premature end of her dance career as a degenerative eye disease begins to steal her balance. She’s having a hard time letting go. The two meet at Sunrise Night, their sleepaway art camp’s dusk-to-dawn closing celebration, and decide to take a chance on each other. Their one rule: No contact for a year after the sun has risen. Over the course of three Sunrise Nights, will Florence and Jude find a deeper connection and learn who they are—and who they could be together?

A must-read for fans of Morgan Matson and Kasie West, this YA novel in verse and conversation—cowritten by bestselling authors Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro—follows a girl trying to outrun her problems and a boy just discovering the outside world as they embark on a life-changing road trip. What do you do when there’s nothing in this world you want more than to spend two more hours with someone and nothing in the world you want less than to only spend two more hours with someone? Sylvie said she wanted to live the van life after high school, but all she really wanted was to escape. With unlimited resources and an escape-artist golden retriever by her side, she keeps her eyes on the road to distract her from everything she left behind. Knox grew up on the edge of society, without a phone, a school, or a real name. He’s never felt like he had a firm place to stand, but he’s done writing his story in vanishing ink. On one of the worst days of Sylvie’s life, Knox helps rescue her dog and breaks his arm in the process. To apologize, Sylvie offers him a ride. But Knox is keeping some big secrets, and so is Sylvie. They must decide: If the other person knew the whole story, would they take a chance on—and maybe even fall for—a wayfaring stranger?

A collection of 16 remarkable short stories for aspiring teen activists centered on the climate crisis, highlighting how small actions can make Earth sustainable against climate change. Young adult powerhouse authors such as Erin Entrada Kelly and Jeff Zentner come together in this anthology of speculative, dystopian, and contemporary realistic fiction. This inspiring collection of sixteen short stories is packed with fascinating characters and settings that illuminate current and possible changes to our planet and how humanity responds. Included here is prose, verse, and personal essays from a wide range of authors diverse in ethnic background, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. A few tales: Shayta cares for a tiny green plant in a futuristic world where Earth has become a barren, over-farmed landscape fraught with dirt storms. Hana and her father travel by catamaran to the farthest place from land in the entire world—only to discover a giant, floating carcass of trash and a few other surprises. William and his family want to protect an endangered fish from a potential dam on a river that’s flowed through their land for generations . . . There’s also a section where readers can find concrete and practical steps to help curtail the global climate crisis, including resources specific for every story. There’s even a section specifically “For the Severely Overwhelmed.” This young adult anthology cultivates deep hope and stunning resilience—what we all need in order to make life on Earth more sustainable for us all. "Whether you are feeling hopeful or frustrated about the climate crisis (or somewhere in-between), Onward: 16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope is a captivating example of how the power of story can build resilience, activate hope, uncover blind spots and unstick us from our complacency. The fear and anger many of us feel right now is matched with equal humor, insight and beauty in this diverse collection of stories." —Naisa Beaumont, environmental scientist and children’s writer

Jeff Zentner volta a emocionar seus leitores com uma história sobre enfrentar as mágoas do passado, lidar com as incertezas do futuro, redescobrir o poder da amizade e das maravilhas que a poesia e a escrita podem proporcionar na vida de seus personagens. Cash não esperava que uma parede mofada pudesse mudar sua vida. Mas foi o que aconteceu quando sua amiga Delaney fez uma grande descoberta científica em uma caverna nos arredores de onde moravam. Agora, graças ao tal fungo, os dois ganharam bolsas para estudar em uma das melhores escolas particulares do país, numa cidade grande a quilômetros de casa. Mas essa oportunidade maravilhosa vem acompanhada de vários desafios. Para começar, Cash precisa deixar para trás a pessoa mais importante de sua vida: seu avô, que estámuito doente. Além disso, o garoto teráque se acostumar com a nova rotina numa escola bem rigorosa e repleta de alunos ricos que não podiam ser mais diferentes dele. Com o tempo, porém, Cash vai descobrir, através da poesia e de novas amizades, como as palavras podem ajudá-lo a lidar com suas angústias, seus ressentimentos, seus amores e todo o futuro que estápor vir...

Uma história tocante sobre luto, amizade e superação, que mostra que os pequenos momentos com as pessoas que amamos são o que realmente importa – e o que as torna inesquecíveis. Cadê vocês? Me respondam. Essa foi a última mensagem que Carver mandou para seus melhores amigos, Mars, Eli e Blake. Logo em seguida os três sofreram um acidente de carro fatal. Agora, o garoto não consegue parar de se culpar pelo que aconteceu e, para piorar, um juiz poderoso está empenhado em abrir uma investigação criminal contra ele. Mas Carver tem alguns aliados: a namorada de Eli, sua única amiga na escola; o dr. Mendez, seu terapeuta; e a avó de Blake, que pede a sua ajuda para organizar um "dia de despedida" para compartilharem lembranças do neto. Quando as outras famílias decidem que também querem um dia de despedida, Carver não tem certeza de suas intenções. Será que eles serão capazes de ficar em paz com suas perdas? Ou esses dias de despedida só vão deixar Carver mais perto de um colapso — ou, pior, da prisão? "Sensível, honesto, tocante e lírico. Zentner é o que há." — Benjamin Alire Sáenz, autor de Aristóteles e Dante descobrem os segredos do Universo e A lógica inexplicável da minha vida "Maravilhoso, de partir o coração e, principalmente, uma celebração da vida." — Nicola Yoon, autora de Tudo e todas as coisas e O sol também é uma estrela "Prepare o seu coração: este livro vai te destruir, te recompor, e definitivamente te transformar." — Becky Albertalli, autora de Simon vs. a agenda Homo Sapiens

Una novela esperanzadora sobre la relación entre adolescentes y sus dificultades para iniciar una nueva vida. Aclamada por la crítica, nominada en las diez mejores listas del año y ganadora del Premio William C. Morris, El rey serpiente es la historia de tres adolescentes que se encuentran a sí mismos, y entre ellos, mientras esperan graduarse de la escuela secundaria con la esperanza de dejar atrás un pequeño pueblo de Tennessee. Dill no es el niño más popular en su escuela secundaria rural de Tennessee. Después de que su padre cayó en desgracia en un escándalo público que resonó en toda su pequeña ciudad, Dill se convirtió en objetivo de bullying. Afortunadamente, sus dos compañeros inadaptados y mejores amigos, Travis y Lydia, le cubren las espaldas. Pero a medida que comienzan su último año, Dill siente que su futuro se acerca amenazante. Sus únicos escapes son la música y sus sentimientos secretos hacia Lydia, ninguno de los cuales es lo suficientemente valiente para compartir. La graduación se siente más como un final para Dill que un comienzo. Pero incluso antes de eso, debe lidiar con otro final, uno que sacudirá su vida hasta la médula. El novelista de primer nivel Jeff Zentner brinda una visión cómica y sin parpadear de las dura realidad de crecer en una región donde el cristianismo evangélico tiene un profundo arraigo social, y una mirada íntima a las luchas por encontrar el verdadero yo en los restos del pasado.

Dillard ”Dill” Early bor i Forrestville (sydstatsby i Tennessee, opkaldt efter en medstifter af Ku Klux Klan). Hans to venner, Lydia og Travis, er det eneste, der gør hans tilværelse nogenlunde værd at leve. Alle vegne må han bekæmpe giftslanger: Derhjemme tvinger hans præstefar ham til at tage sig af de dødbringende klapperslanger, og i skolen må han slås mod de skolekammerater, der har udset sig ham som et nemt offer på grund af hans fars ekstremt stærke tro og hykleriske fald fra tinderne. Faren var med i en religøs sekt og blev fængslet for besiddelse af børneporno. Alle i en lille by husker, og Dill har ingen steder at flygte hen. Men nu er det sidste skoleår.

UM ENCONTRO INESPERADO. DOIS ADOLESCENTES SOLITÁRIOS. TRÊS CHANCES PARA FAZER DAR CERTO. Dos aclamados autores Jeff Zentner e Brittany Cavallaro, Noites de Aurora é um romance inesquecível contado entre versos e diálogos — uma ode às noites de verão brilhantes, ao caminhar e conversar até o sol nascer com a pessoa certa e ao contar as horas para vê-la novamente. JUDE ama fotografia, e ele é muito bom nisso. Com o divórcio dos pais e uma ansiedade que o persegue, o único momento em que consegue sentir paz é quando está por trás das lentes de uma câmera — sem isso, seus pensamentos se tornam caos. FLORENCE é apaixonada por dança, mas a doença degenerativa que tem nos olhos enfim começou a afetar seu equilíbrio. Ela sabe que seus dias como bailarina estão contados, e a incerteza de quando isso vai acontecer torna tudo ainda mais difícil. Em uma Noite de Aurora — celebração de encerramento do acampamento de artes que atravessa a madrugada —, os dois se encontram em sua solidão e decidem passar o tempo que lhes resta ali juntos. Só há uma regra: sem contato depois que o sol nascer. Pelo menos até o próximo verão... Ao longo de três anos, acompanhamos a conexão entre os dois se desenvolver conforme eles crescem e se redescobrem, ao mesmo tempo que se perguntam se há espaço neste relacionamento tão singular para algo mais florescer.

Carver je obyčajný tínedžer, má kamošov, robotu, v škole sa mu celkom darí a na hodinách tvorivého písania exceluje. A potom pošle jednu esemesku. A jeho najlepší kamoši skončia pod kolesami kamióna. Vyrovnať sa s náhlou stratou sa dá len ťažko, keď máte vinníka priamo pod nosom. Carverov život nie je príbeh o vine a treste. Ale o žiali a o bolesti, o rozlúčkach a o odchodoch, no najmä o nových začiatkoch. O nádeji na lepšie zajtrajšky, ktoré sú doslova na dosah, ale zároveň sa nám zdajú nedosiahnuteľné.

Jeff Zentner, autor de Dias de despedida, traz outra história comovente sobre família, amizade e amor, com uma visão emocionante e ao mesmo tempo bem-humorada sobre a dura realidade de crescer em um ambiente conservador. Dill não é um garoto popular na escola — e não é culpa dele. Depois de seu pai se envolver em um escândalo, o garoto se tornou alvo de piadas dos colegas e passou a ser evitado pela maioria das pessoas na cidadezinha onde mora. Felizmente, ele pode contar com seus melhores amigos, Travis e Lydia, que se sentem tão excluídos ali quanto ele. Assim que os três começam o último ano do ensino médio, mudar de vida parece um sonho cada vez mais distante para Dill. Enquanto Travis está feliz em continuar no interior e Lydia pretende fazer faculdade em uma cidade grande, Dill carrega o peso das dívidas que seu pai deixou para trás. Só que o futuro nem sempre segue nossos planos — e a vida de Dill, Travis e Lydia está prestes a mudar para sempre. " Juntos somos eternos me fez continuar virando as páginas até tarde da noite. Uma obra triunfal sobre amor e dignidade." — Stephanie Perkins, autora de Anna e o beijo francês

" Quitte à vivre, autant accomplir des choses douloureuses, courageuses et belles ?". Dill ne nourrit aucun espoir quant à sa vie future : après la fin du lycée, il travaillera - c''est sûr - à temps plein dans le supermarché du coin pour subvenir aux besoins des siens. Lydia, sa meilleure amie, s''envolera pour New York et l''oubliera vite. Il s''interdit de s''imaginer un avenir meilleur, car le sort semble s''acharner sur sa famille, où deuils et scandales se succèdent. Dill cherche même à étouffer la petite étincelle d''espoir allumée par Lydia. Mais, petit à petit, la vie reprend ses droits et le jeune homme se laisse tenter par le rêve d''une vie plus belle, ailleurs. Son destin sinueux lui prouvera que les nouveaux départs sont possibles et qu''ils sont aussi synonymes de fin. Car, pour muer et enfin se trouver, il faut accepter bien des sacrifices...