Jenny Torres Sanchez

{{Lead too short|date=December 2023}} '''Jenny Torres Sanchez''' is an American writer of [[young adult fiction]].

== Biography == Sanchez was born in [[Brooklyn]], New York.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Goddu |first=Krystyna Poray |date=2020-05-05 |title=Q & A with Jenny Torres Sanchez |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/83237-q-a-with-jenny-torres-sanchez.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812224043/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/83237-q-a-with-jenny-torres-sanchez.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Her mother is from [[Puerto Barrios]], [[Guatemala]], and her father is from [[El Salvador]].<ref name=":0" /> Around age three, Sanchez and her family moved to [[Uniondale, New York|Uniondale]] on [[Long Island]], where they lived for seven years before moving to [[Orlando, Florida]]."<ref name=":0" /> Sanchez currently lives in Orlando with her husband and children.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Henry |first=Racquel |date=2017-01-16 |title=An Interview with Jenny Torres Sanchez - Racquel Henry |url=https://burrowpress.com/jenny-torres-sanchez-interview/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Burrow Press |language=en-US |archive-date=2020-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020053328/https://burrowpress.com/jenny-torres-sanchez-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

She received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in English Literature from the [[University of Central Florida]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Alumna Jenny Torres Sanchez awarded Kirkus Star |url=https://cah.ucf.edu/news/alumna-jenny-torres-sanchez/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=College of Arts and Humanities {{!}} [[University of Central Florida]] |language=en-us |archive-date=2022-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812224044/https://cah.ucf.edu/news/alumna-jenny-torres-sanchez/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and attempted to receive a [[Master of Arts]] in Creative Writing, but she was rejected four times.<ref name=":0" />

Sanchez initially taught [[English language arts]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jenny Torres Sanchez |url=https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/jenny-torres-sanchez.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=LAS MUSAS BOOKS |language=en |archive-date=2022-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004134151/https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/jenny-torres-sanchez.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but left her job to help care for her second son, who showed developmental delays at 15 months old.<ref name=":0" /> During this time, she began focusing on her writing her first novel, ''The Downside of Being Charlie'', which was published in 2012.<ref name=":0" />

Much of Sanchez's writing discusses difficult topics. She has stated that she hopes her books allow people going through troubling times to "help them know that the human condition is one made up of so many things: love, pain, elation, tragedy. And no matter what your situation, there are others out there who probably understand, or empathize, with what someone is going through."<ref name=":1" /> Even for readers who cannot relate to the material, Sanchez hopes to "foster sympathy among other readers—who might not have serious difficulties to deal with—for those teens who do."<ref name=":0" />

== Awards and honors == Sanchez's books have received multiple awards and honors.

''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' included the following books on their year-end lists of the best young adult fiction: ''Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia'' (2013);<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best of 2013 |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2013/young-adult/books/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812224047/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2013/young-adult/books/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Fall of Innocence'' (2018);<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best of 2018 |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2018/young-adult/books/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en |archive-date=2022-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812224053/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2018/young-adult/books/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[We Are Not from Here]]'' (2020).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-26 |title=We Are Not from Here |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jenny-torres-sanchez/we-are-not-from-here/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Kirkus Reviews |archive-date=2022-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812231048/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jenny-torres-sanchez/we-are-not-from-here/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Best of 2020 |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2020/young-adult/books/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Kirkus Reviews |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413213118/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2020/young-adult/books/ |url-status=live }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+Awards for Sanchez's writing !Year !Title !Award !Result !Ref. |- |2017 |''Because of the Sun'' |[[Florida Book Award|Florida Book Award for Young Adult Literature]] |Gold |<ref name=":2" /> |- | rowspan="2" |2021 | rowspan="2" |''We Are Not From Here'' |[[Pura Belpré Award]] for Author |Finalist |''<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2021 |title=We Are Not from Here {{!}} Awards & Grants |url=https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/we-are-not-here |access-date=2021-09-18 |website=American Library Association |archive-date=2021-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918023842/https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/we-are-not-here |url-status=live }}</ref>'' |- |[[American Library Association]]'s [[ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults|Best Fiction for Young Adults]] |Top 10 |<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-01-14 |title=2021 Top Ten Best Fiction |url=https://www.ala.org/yalsa/2021-top-ten-best-fiction |access-date=2021-09-18 |website=Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) |language=en |archive-date=2021-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114224418/http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2021-top-ten-best-fiction |url-status=live }}</ref> |- |2024 |''The Collectors: Stories'' |[[Michael L. Printz Award]] |Winner |<ref>{{Cite web |title='The Collectors: Stories' wins 2024 Printz Award {{!}} ALA |url=https://www.ala.org/news/2011/11/collectors-stories-wins-2024-printz-award |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.ala.org |language=en}}</ref> |}

== Publications ==

=== Books ===

* ''The Downside of Being Charlie'' (2012) * ''Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia'' (2013) * ''Because of the Sun'' (2017) * ''The Fall of Innocence'' (2018) * ''[[We Are Not from Here|We Are Not From Here]]'' (2020) * ''With Lots of Love'', illustrated by Andres Ceolin (2022)

=== Short stories and essays ===

* "In the Past" in ''Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration'', edited by Rose Brock (2018) * "Is Something Bothering You?" in ''[[Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America]],'' edited by Amy Reed (2018) * "A Small Light" in ''Battle of the Bands'', edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith (2021) * "¿Dónde Está el Duende?" in ''Our Shadows Have Claws'', edited by [[Yamile Saied Mendez|Yamile Saied Méndez]] and Amparo Ortiz (2022) * "Ring of Fire" in ''The Collectors'', edited by A.S. King (2023)

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://jennytorressanchez.com/ Official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Jenny Torres}} {{authority control}} [[Category:University of Central Florida alumni]] [[Category:21st-century American women writers]] [[Category:Writers from Orlando, Florida]] [[Category:Writers from Brooklyn]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Michael L. Printz Award winners]] [[Category:American people of Guatemalan descent]] [[Category:American people of Salvadoran descent]] [[Category:Teachers of English]] [[Category:Schoolteachers from Florida]]