Jennette McCurdy knows a thing or two about punchy book titles.
The Nickelodeon alum and bestselling author of memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” will return in January with her debut novel “Half His Age,” which follows a 17-year-old navigating an affair with her teacher.
“Half His Age” will publish from Ballantine at Penguin Random House on Jan. 20, 2026. According to a press release from the publisher, the novel promises a “startingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant” story.
“Writing ‘Half His Age’ has been the most creatively fulfilling experience of my life,” McCurdy said in a press release. “Through a 17-year-old girl named Waldo I got to explore the complexities of desire, consumerism, class, loneliness, the internet, rage, addiction, and the (oftentimes misguided) lengths we’ll go to in order to get what we want. Waldo’s story is ultimately about finding yourself in a world designed to make you lose yourself, and that felt profoundly meaningful for me to write. I can’t wait for people to read this novel.”
From actor to memoirist to novelist: Jennette McCurdy has big plans
McCurdy entered the Hollywood machine as a child, skyrocketing to mainstream fame after starring as Sam Puckett in Nickelodeon’s hit “iCarly” alongside Miranda Cosgrove. Her memoir, published by Simon & Schuster in August 2022, details her mother’s narcissism and abuse amid that rising child stardom. Before her mother died of breast cancer in 2013, McCurdy writes that she steered her into eating disorders and administered breast and genital examinations – allegedly checking for cancerous lumps – until she was 16.
“I love a bold title, and I never would have titled it that if I didn’t feel like I earned (it) in the writing of the book,” McCurdy told USA TODAY in 2022. “I definitely would not have been able to confront or face my experience of eating disorders had my mother not passed away… because my eating disorders were so endorsed and supported and encouraged by her.”
In “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” McCurdy also describes a toxic and unhealthy workplace perpetuated by Nickelodeon management, sharing that she turned down a $300,000 “hush money” deal.
The memoir dominated bestseller lists and cultural conversation for much of 2022 and 2023, praised for its balance of dark humor and vulnerability.
“Half His Age” isn’t the only writing project McCurdy has up her sleeve. McCurdy is creating, writing and acting as showrunner for an adaptation of “I’m Glad My Mom Died” for Apple TV+. Jennifer Aniston is set to star as the titular mother.
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
Contributing: Jenna Ryu, Jay Stahl