When the World Tips Over

By Author / Illustrator

Jandy Nelson

Genre

Family & Home

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Walker Books

ISBN

9781406363098

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

24-09-2024

Synopsis

An explosive new novel brimming with love, secrets, and enchantment by Jandy Nelson, the New York Times bestselling author of I'll Give You the Sun.

Welcome to Paradise Springs, Northern California - a hot, dusty, half-magical, wine-country town where there are so many grapes fermenting at one time, you get drunk from breathing the air; where devil winds blow so hard they whip your sense away. A town where every fairy tale you've ever read could be set ... and "home" to the family Falls.

When a strange, enigmatic, rainbow-haired girl shows up in their fantastical hometown, it sends the lives of Fall brothers Wynton and Miles and their sister Dizzy into tumult. With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family's complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.

"I am fervently in love with this brave, funny, tender, exuberant beating heart of a book." - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

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Reviews

Ruth

Superfans have waited a long time for a new novel from author, Jandy Nelson, and it does not disappoint. When The World Tips Over is a beautifully crafted story, full of magical realism. It is written from different perspectives and uses alternative formats, including excerpts from letters, notes, emails and reports. It is an intense read requiring concentration and at over 500 pages, it is long; you can lose yourself in the intricate prose. But the almost poetic quality of the narrative drives the reader on through a tale based on the Fall family, for whom the arrival of a stranger forces them to consider both the past and their present and how it could impact on the three sibling's future.

The characters, whilst quirky, are appealing and the story addresses many relatable issues like relationships, love, and identity; perfect for its target audience. At the start of the book, Jandy Nelson includes a definition of the word 'fantasia' and the second option sums up this work for me; 'a work in which fancy roves unrestricted' - making this a wonderfully immersive read for students new to this author and established fans alike.

Recommended for older teens, years 11 and above, due to the inclusion of mature themes and the use of profanities.

528 pages / Reviewed by Ruth Cornish, school librarian