Biography

Jennifer Mathieu is the author of seven novels for young readers, with her most recent, Down Came the Rain, tackling the topic of climate change. Her 2017 novel Moxie was made into a movie for Netflix directed by Amy Poehler. Mathieu's first novel for adults, The Faculty Lounge, will be out in 2024 from Dutton/Penguin Random House. She is a full-time high school English teacher who lives in Houston with her family.

Schedule

10:30 am to 11:15 am
State Library, Fifth Floor Serials
Our Changing World: Social Justice and Activism in Young Adult Fiction
(Ages 12 and up)
with Jennifer Mathieu and Kelly McWilliams

11:30 am to 12:15 pm
Cavalier House Books Tent
Book Signing

Down Came the Rain

From Jennifer Mathieu, the acclaimed author of Moxie - now a Netflix film - and Bad Girls Never Say Die, comes a bold novel about two young activists who find love and themselves as they tackle the threat of climate change.

After Eliza’s home in Houston is destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, she is forced to transfer to Southwest High School. Traumatized by the floods and anxious in her new surroundings, Eliza throws herself into environmental activism, even if it's against the wishes of her Big Oil dad.

But when she meets Javi – a boy who has experienced climate-related trauma of his own – she's finally able to connect with someone over the devastating mental effects of ecological disaster.

Filled with nuanced themes of mental health, classism, and eco-anxiety, Down Came the Rain is a riveting and moving tale of friendship, first love, and what it means to grow up in an ever-changing world.