Everything Sad Is Untrue: (A True Story) -- Daniel Nayeri, Hardcover

Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award
Christopher Award Winner
Middle East Book Award Winner
National Indie Bestseller
NPR Best Book of the Year
New York Times Best of the Year
Amazon Best of the Year
Booklist Editors' Choice
BookPage Best of the Year
NECBA Windows & Mirrors Selection
Publishers Weekly Best of the Year
Wall Street Journal Best of the Year
Today.com Best of the Year
Walter Awards Honor Book

A modern masterpiece.--The New York Times Book Review

Supple, sparkling and original.--The Wall Street Journal

Mesmerizing.--TODAY.com

This book could change the world.--BookPage

Like nothing else you've read or ever will read.--Linda Sue Park

It hooks you right from the opening line.--NPR

SEVEN STARRED REVIEWS

* A modern epic.--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* A rare treasure of a book.--Publishers Weekly, starred review

* A story that soars.--The Bulletin, starred review

* At once beautiful and painful.--School Library Journal, starred review

* Raises the literary bar in children's lit.--Booklist, starred review

* Poignant and powerful.--Foreword Reviews, starred review

* One of the most extraordinary books of the year.--BookPage, starred review

A sprawling, evocative, and groundbreaking autobiographical novel told in the unforgettable and hilarious voice of a young Iranian refugee. It is a powerfully layered novel that poses the questions: Who owns the truth? Who speaks it? Who believes it?

A patchwork story is the shame of the refugee, Nayeri writes early in the novel. In an Oklahoman middle school, Khosrou (whom everyone calls Daniel) stands in front of a skeptical audience of classmates, telling the tales of his family's history, stretching back years, decades, and centuries. At the core is Daniel's story of how they became refugees--starting with his mother's vocal embrace of Christianity in a country that made such a thing a capital offense, and continuing through their midnight flight from the secret police, bribing their way onto a plane-to-anywhere. Anywhere becomes the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy, and then finally asylum in the U.S. Implementing a distinct literary style and challenging western narrative structures, Nayeri deftly weaves through stories of the long and beautiful history of his family in Iran, adding a richness of ancient tales and Persian folklore.

Like Scheherazade of One Thousand and One Nights in a hostile classroom, Daniel spins a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth. EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE (a true story) is a tale of heartbreak and resilience and urges readers to speak their truth and be heard.

Author: Daniel Nayeri
Publisher: Levine Querido
Published: 08/25/2020
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781646140008
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.3
Point Value: 13
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 509792 / Everything Sad Is Untrue: (A True Story)

Award: Michael L. Printz Award - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2020
Publishers Weekly 06/15/2020
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2020 - Book Of Special Distinction
School Library Journal 07/01/2020 pg. 60
Foreword 06/26/2020
Booklist 07/01/2020 pg. 62
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2020 pg. 57
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2020 pg. 107
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2020 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and spent a couple of years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age eight with his family. He is the publisher of Odd Dot, an imprint of Macmillan, making him one of the youngest publishers in the industry. He has served on the CBC diversity committee and the CBC panel committee.