Brandy Colbert
Brandy Colbert | |
---|---|
Born | Springfield, Missouri |
Genre | young adult fiction, non-fiction |
Notable works | Little & Lion |
Notable awards | 2018 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award |
Website | |
brandycolbert |
Brandy Colbert is an American author of young adult fiction and non-fiction, best known for her Stonewall Children's Award-winning novel Little & Lion.
Personal life
Colbert was born and raised in the Ozarks, in Springfield, Missouri, where she attended Glendale High School.[1] The works of Dorothy West, Barthe DeClements, Jesmyn Ward, Colson Whitehead, and Zadie Smith were impactful to her writing career.[2] She began working on what would be her debut novel, Pointe, in 2009, inspired by reports of long-term kidnapping cases.[3]
Works
Her debut young adult Pointe, following a teen dancer in suburban Chicago who has to come to terms with her dark past, was published in 2014 by Putnam.[4] A Chicago Tribune reviewer described the novel as "searing",[5] and considered the main character "achingly believable",[4] writing that she "inspires that level of connection" where "you long to reach into the pages ... and tell her, "No, you've got it all wrong".[4] The book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.[6]
Her next young adult novel, Little & Lion, about a sixteen-year-old bisexual teen dealing with her brother's recent bipolar disorder diagnosis and her own sexuality, was published by Little, Brown in 2017.[7][8][9][10] It received a starred review from Booklist,[11] and School Library Journal.[12] It was named a Best Teen Romance of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews.[13] Little & Lion also won the 2018 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.[14]
Her third novel, Finding Yvonne, about a privileged teenager deciding what to do with her future when she inexpectedly becomes pregnant, was published by Little, Brown in 2018.[15]
In 2019, her fourth novel, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, a coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old girl, was published by Little, Brown.[16]
Colbert's first Middle grade novel, The Only Black Girls in Town, about two black girls who find a mysterious journal in their attic, was published by Little, Brown in March 2020. It received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews[17] and Publishers Weekly.[18]
Colbert also contributed short stories to anthologies published by St. Martin's Griffin in 2016,[19][20] Algonquin Books in 2017,[21] Simon Pulse in 2017[22] and 2018,[23] HarperCollins in 2017,[24] Harlequin Teen in 2018, and Balzer + Bray in 2019.[25][26]
Awards
- Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award for Little & Lion (Little, Brown, 2017)
References
- ^ Wicken, Tamlya (11 July 1993). "Finding a cure for the baby-sitter blues". The Springfield News-Leader. Springfield, Missouri. p. 4G. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Brandy Colbert: The Transformative Experience Of Reading | The Reading Lists". The Reading Lists. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Spring 2014 Flying Starts: Brandy Colbert". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ a b c Heppermann, Christine. "No easy answers when experiencing life, love". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 13. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ Heppermann, Christine (30 November 2014). "Why a Y.A.?". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 18. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Pointe by Brandy Colbert. Putnam, $17.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-399-16034-9". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Heppermann, Christine (3 August 2017). "Young adult roundup". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 4-4. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ Vane, Sharyn (19 August 2017). "Expand the mind this school year with these new books". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. E10. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert. Little, Brown, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-316-34900-0". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Bircher, Katie (September–October 2017). "Reviews: Little & Lion". Horn Book Magazine. 93 (5): 88. ISSN 0018-5078.
- ^ "Little & Lion, by Brandy Colbert | Booklist Online". www.booklistonline.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Best Teen Romances of 2017 (pg. 2) | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Morales, Macey (2018-02-12). "'Little & Lion' and 'The 57 Bus' win 2018 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award". American Library Association. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Beyond The Bio: Brandy Colbert | pickmyya". pickmyya. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Q&A: Brandy Colbert, Author of 'The Revolution of Birdie Randolph'". The Nerd Daily. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- ^ THE ONLY BLACK GIRLS IN TOWN | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert. Little, Brown, $16.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-316-45638-8". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories. Edited by Stephanie Perkins. St. Martin's Griffin, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-250-07912-1". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Heppermann, Christine (17 July 2016). "Roundup: Young Adult. Summer Days and Summer Nights". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 18. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World. Edited by Kelly Jensen. Algonquin Young Readers, $16.95 trade paper (240p) ISBN 978-1-61620-586-7". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Feral Youth by Shaun David Hutchinson, et al. Simon Pulse, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4814-9111-2". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America. Edited by Amy Reed. Simon Pulse, $18.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-5344-0899-9". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Three Sides of a Heart by Natalie C. Parker | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America. Edited by Ibi Zoboi. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-06-269872-8". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Quattlebaum, Mary (January 10, 2019). "How does it feel to be young and black in America? A new book offers a glimpse". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2019.