Daniel Nayeri

Daniel Nayeri is an Iranian-American author. His 2020 autobiographical novel, Everything Sad Is Untrue, received a Michael L. Printz Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award, a Christopher Award, and a Newbery Honor.

Daniel Nayeri
Born	Iran
Alma mater	New York University
Notable works	Everything Sad Is Untrue
Notable awards	Michael L. Printz Award (2020) Walter Dean Myers Award (2020) Christopher Award (2021) Newbery Honor (2024)
Relatives	Dina Nayeri
Website
www.danielnayeri.com

Biography

Nayeri was born in Iran and fled the country with his sister Dina, and their mother, a doctor, after a fatwa had been issued against her.^[1][2][3] They lived for three years in refugee camps in Dubai and Rome before settling in 1990—when Nayeri was eight years old—in Edmond, Oklahoma.^[1][2] Nayeri attended Edmond Memorial High School, and New York University, where he studied writing.^[2]

Nayeri was publisher of Odd Dot, a children's publishing group at Macmillan Publishers, before leaving in 2020 to pursue full-time writing.^[4]

Nayeri lives with his wife and son in New Jersey.^[2]

Works

Daniel Nayeri at the 2025 National Book Awards

Nayeri's printed works include:^[5]

• The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story, 2025
• Mirror Town, 2023
• The Many Assassinations Of Samir, The Seller Of Dreams, 2023
• Everything Sad Is Untrue, 2020
• Sasha And Puck And The Brew For Brainwash, 2020
• Sasha And Puck And The Potion Of Luck, 2021
• Sasha And Puck And The Cure For Courage, 2019
• Sasha And Puck And The Cordial Cordial, 2019
• The Most Dangerous Book : An Illustrated Introduction To Archery, 2017
• How To Tell A Story, 2015
• Another Jekyll, Another Hyde, 2013
• Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow, 2011
• Another Pan, 2010
• Another Faust, 2009

Awards

In 2020, Everything Sad Is Untrue received a Michael L. Printz Award for best book written for teens,^[6] and was one of two honorees in the younger readers category for a Walter Dean Myers Award.^[7] In 2021, the book received a Christopher Award in the young adult category,^[8] and was a finalist for an Audie Award for Young Adult Title.^[9] In 2023, the book was nominated for a Young Reader's Choice Award.^[10]

Everything Sad Is Untrue was listed as one of the best children's books of 2020 by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Today, and Booklist Editors' Choice.^{[11][12][13][14]}

In 2024, The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams was selected as a Newbery Honor book.^[15]

In 2025, The Teacher of Nomad Land won the National Book Award in the category Young People's Literature. ^[16]