Jenny Downham is a British novelist and an ex-actor. She has published two books, Before I Die, the fictional account of the last few months of a sixteen-year-old girl who has been dying of leukeamia for four years. The book is told in the first person

First-person narrative

First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...

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The book was short listed for the 2007 Guardian Award

Guardian Award

The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award is a prominent award for works of children's literature by British or Commonwealth authors, published in the United Kingdom during the preceding year. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the...

 and the 2008 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year

Lancashire Children's Book of the Year

The Lancashire Children's Book of the Year is an award given to works of children's literature, voted for by a panel of young judges. It was established in 1986 with the first award presented the following year...

, nominated for the 2008 Carnegie Medal

Carnegie Medal

The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...

 and the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize

Booktrust Teenage Prize

The Booktrust Teenage Prize is an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize is administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading.-List of Prize Winners:...

, and won the 2008 Branford Boase Award

Branford Boase Award

The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding novel for young people by a first-time writer.Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books and Henrietta Branford worked together previously to produce a great number of books. Both Wendy Boase and...

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The book follows the story of Tessa as it becomes apparent she will die. She has a list of things she wants to complete before her death, including drugs and crime, for example. It also follows the ups and downs of Tessa's parents' relationship and her friend Zoey. Furthermore Tessa falls in love with her neighbour Adam. As the book goes on, Tessa's thoughts are used to explore the nature of life.

Downham's second novel, You Against Me, was published in December 2010. The book is powerful novel about family, loyalty, and the choices which we have to make.

In 1998, Downham played Anna, the Ralph's Wife in Basil

Basil (film)

Basil is a 1998 British historical drama film directed by Radha Bharadwaj and starring Jared Leto, Derek Jacobi, Claire Forlani, and Christian Slater. It was based on the 1852 novel of the same name by Wilkie Collins. The adaptation was by Bharadwaj.-Plot:...

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External links

• http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n2007-39040 Works by or about Jenny Downham in libraries (Worldcat catalogue)
• Guardian Review
• New York Times Review
• The Times Feature
• Meet the Author Video