Jennifer Castle Books In Order

Publication Order of Butterfly Wishes Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Teen & Young Adult Books

Publication Order of American Girl: Girl of the Year 2019 Books

Publication Order of Friends and Frenemies Books

Publication Order of The Aristokittens Books

Jennifer Castle
Jennifer Castle was born October 9, 1967 in New York City and even though her family moved away when she was just three years old, she still considers it to be home.

She got her BA in Creative Writing at Brown University. She has worked as an advertising copywriter, a celebrity publicist’s assistant, and a struggling screenwriter (shocker that this is an actual job) before she fell into this niche of producing websites for teens and kids.

“The Beginning of After” was a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection and a Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best” book.

Jennifer has always wondered what happens to reality TV and documentary film subjects after the cameras have gone away. Do they live their lives differently, like somebody is always watching them? Does the way they’re depicted on screen change the way they see themselves in real life? The possibilities for story and character just seemed so juicy that she could not resist.

Then she began thinking about how the rise of blogging and social media has allowed pretty much everybody to make themselves the “stars” of their own documentary. Each time we post a photo, a status, check in at some location, we are building a narrative of our own lives. Jennifer believes that it is scary easy to share so very much of ourselves, to think so obsessively about what we put out there for the rest of the world to see, that we lose track of who we truly are.

She’s also a huge fan of documentary films, possibly for the same reason why she loves writing contemporary YA fiction: sometimes there is nothing more fascinating than real life. One of her favorite documentaries is the “Up” series of films from director Michael Apted. He began by interviewing this group of 7 year olds in England in 1964, and checked in on their lives every 7 years, with “56 Up” being the most recent. It seemed like such a good premise for a novel, and Jennifer just could not resist. And “You Look Different In Real Life” was born.

Along with writing, Jennifer loves geeking out on science fiction and theater, beach combing, and animal rescue work.

“The Beginning of After” is the first stand alone novel and was released in 2011. Anybody that has had something truly horrible happen to them will tell you: it is all about Before and After. The ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic sort of horrible.

Sixteen year old Laurel gets her whole world changed in an instant when her brother and her parents get killed in this horrible car accident. Behind the wheel is dad of David Kaufman (confirmed bad boy neighbor), whose mom is also killed. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Laurel navigates this new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, boys might or might not be approaching her out of pity, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose yet still very much alive.

Through all of it is David, who swoops right in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself being attracted to against her own better judgment. She’ll be forever connected to him by their mutual loss, which is a connection that will change both of them in unexpected ways.

This debut is a heart wrenching and surprisingly witty testament to how drastically life can change in just the span of a single instant.

“You Look Different in Real Life” is the second stand alone novel and was released in 2013. For the rest of the world, movies are just entertainment. For Justine, they are real life.

The premise was pretty simple: five kids, only living their lives. There would be a new movie about them every five years, beginning during kindergarten. But nobody could have ever predicted what the cameras would capture. And nobody could have predicted that Justine would wind up the star.

Now that Justine is 16, she doesn’t feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film “Five at Sixteen”, she just feels dread. The kids that shared the same table in kindergarten have become teens that barely know each other. And Justine, who was so edgy and funny in those first two movies, feels more like a disappointment now.

However these teenagers have this bond which goes much deeper than what is on film. They have all shared the painful details of their lives with numerous viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when the latest film gives them the shot to reunite, Justine and her costars will take it. Because sometimes, the one way to see yourself is through somebody else’s eyes.

This is a frequently funny, smart, and fresh novel about life in an age where the lines between what is public and what is personal are not always so clear.

“What Happens Now” is the third stand alone novel and was released in 2016. Ari Logan is battling to win her personal war against her depression and that dark night where she hurt herself on purpose. It is not easy. Her mom has checked out emotionally, her best friend is drifting away, and she spends her days playing caregiver to Danielle, her handful of a half-sister. However it is the summer, and anything is possible. That is exactly when Camden Armstrong steps onto the beach of Ari’s local swimming lake.

Initially, Ari silently longs for Camden from afar, seeing in this guy everything that she wants to be. The two find a real connection in the next summer, Ari allows herself to fall not just for the self assured and quirky Camden, but his friends too, tumbling into their world of shared sci-fi fandom, independence, and adventure. While her romantic dreams begin coming true, she has to unlock the mysteries of the incredibly real and troubled boy behind her infatuation, as she also struggles with her own loyalties, demons, and obligations.

This is an insightful and touching novel about learning to love, learning to heal, and what happens when fantasy becomes reality.