Jenny Han facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenny Han
Han at BookCon in June 2019
Born	(1980-09-03) September 3, 1980 (age 44) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Author
Education	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BFA) The New School (MFA)
Genre	Young adult fiction
Years active	2006–present
Notable works	The Summer I Turned Pretty series To All the Boys series

Jenny Han (born September 3, 1980) is an American author, screenwriter, and producer. She is famous for writing popular books for young adults. Many of her books have been turned into successful TV shows and movies.

Jenny Han is best known for her book series The Summer I Turned Pretty. She helped turn this series into a TV show for Prime Video. She also wrote the To All the Boys book series, which became a hit movie series on Netflix.

Early Life and Education

Jenny Han grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Her parents are Korean-American. She finished high school in 1998.

After high school, she went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Later, in 2006, she earned a special degree in creative writing from The New School.

Her Career

Jenny Han has had a very successful career writing books and creating TV shows.

As an Author

Jenny Han wrote her first book, a children's novel called Shug, while she was still in college. It was published in 2006. The story is about a twelve-year-old girl named Annemarie Wilcox. She is trying to figure out junior high school.

Her next big project was a series of three books for young adults. These books are about a girl growing up during her summer breaks. The books are The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, and We'll Always Have Summer. They were published between 2009 and 2011. All three quickly became New York Times Best Sellers. The story follows a girl named Belly Conklin. She has to choose between two brothers she has known her whole life.

Jenny Han also wrote another young adult series with Siobhan Vivian. This series started with Burn for Burn in 2012. These books are about three high school girls who seek revenge. The series also includes Fire with Fire (2013) and Ashes to Ashes (2014).

In 2014, Han released a popular young adult romance novel called To All the Boys I've Loved Before. It's about a high school student named Lara Jean Song Covey. Her life gets crazy when secret letters she wrote to her crushes are mailed out. This book was so popular that it was chosen to be a movie very quickly. The next book, P.S. I Still Love You, came out in 2015. It won an award for Asian/Pacific American literature. The third book, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, was released in 2017.

In TV and Film

Jenny Han has been very involved in bringing her books to the screen.

To All the Boys Movies

She was an executive producer for the Netflix movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before. The movie started filming in 2017 and was released in August 2018. It received great reviews. Jenny Han even had a small appearance in the movie. She also helped produce the sequel movies, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) and To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021).

The Summer I Turned Pretty TV Series

In June 2022, The Summer I Turned Pretty TV series came out on Amazon Prime. Jenny Han created this show, which is based on her book series. She is also the showrunner and an executive producer. This means she helps make all the big decisions for the show. Jenny Han has also made small appearances in the first and second seasons.

The TV show made some changes to the story to include more diverse characters. For example, in the books, the main character, Belly, seemed to be of European descent. But in the TV series, Belly is biracial, meaning she has both White and Korean-American parents. The show was so popular that it was renewed for a second season even before the first one was fully released. It has also been renewed for a third season.

Jenny Kissed Me Production Company

In 2022, Jenny Han started her own production company called Jenny Kissed Me. She signed a big deal with Amazon Prime Video. This deal means she will create more shows and movies for them. Jennifer Salke, who leads Amazon Studios, said that Jenny Han is a beloved author who connects with her fans. She added that Amazon is excited to be the home for Jenny's future work. In 2023, Jenny Han was recognized as one of the top TV producers by Variety magazine.

XO, Kitty Spin-off

In May 2023, a new TV series called XO, Kitty was released on Netflix. This show is a spin-off from the To All the Boys film series. Jenny Han created this series and is a writer, executive producer, and showrunner for the first season. The show follows Lara Jean's younger sister, Kitty Covey. Kitty goes on her own adventure to a boarding school in Seoul, South Korea. The first season was nominated for an Emmy award for best teen series. In June 2023, Netflix announced that XO, Kitty was renewed for a second season. The second season was released on January 16, 2025.

Her Books

Here is a list of the books Jenny Han has written:

Standalone Novels:

• Shug (2006)
• Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream (2011)
• My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories (2014)

The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy:

• The Summer I Turned Pretty (2009)
• It's Not Summer Without You (2010)
• We'll Always Have Summer (2011)

Burn for Burn Trilogy:

• Burn for Burn (2012)
• Fire with Fire (2013)
• Ashes to Ashes (2014)

To All The Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy:

• To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2014)
• P.S. I Still Love You (2015)
• Always and Forever, Lara Jean (2017)

Filmography

Jenny Han has worked on these TV shows and movies:

See also

In Spanish: Jenny Han para niños