Rodman Philbrick

Rodman Philbrick is an author of novels for adults and children. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1951, and currently lives in Maine and Florida. Since 1980 he has been married to Lynn Harnett, who sometimes co-writes with him. They have no children. He has also written using the pen names William R. Dantz and Chris Jordan.

Two of his most popular children's books are Freak the Mighty and its sequel, Max the Mighty. Freak the Mighty was the basis of a Golden Globe-nominated movie titled simply The Mighty, released in 1998.

Philbrick has also written the cyberpunk dystopian novel The Last Book in the Universe and the science fantasy REM World. Other works for young readers include The Young Man and the Sea which is dedicated to his nieces Annie and Molly, and The Fire Pony, about two brothers on the run in the American West. His latest book for young readers, 'The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P.Figg', set in the American Civil War, was named a Newbery Honor Book in 2010. A stage version of 'Homer Figg' will be presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2012.

Philbrick has also written many mysteries and thrillers for adults, including Brothers & Sinners , Coffins , and the T.D.Stash detective series, set in Key West, Florida, as well as a number of mysteries under the pen name William R. Dantz. Writing as Chris Jordan, Philbrick has published novels in the thriller genre: Taken,Trapped, and Torn, featuring former FBI special agent Randall Shane, who investigates the disappearance of missing children.

In the Spring of 2010, Philbrick completed work work on a mystery titled Measure of Darkness, set in Boston, to be published in December 2011. According to the author, Randall Shane enters the story in the first chapter, when he is accused of murdering a client.

Before Philbrick began writing full-time he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder.

Awards

List of awards:

• [George Lopez Honor Book] 1993

Shamus, PWA Best Detective Novel 1993 iv

• California Young Reader Medal Winner 1995

• [Arizona Young Readers] Medal Winner 1996

• [Nebraska Golden Sower Award] 1997

• [ALA Best Books] for Young Adults

• [ALA Recommended Books] for Reluctant Readers

• Wyoming '[Soaring Eagle Book Award]' 1998

• New York [Charlotte's Web Award|. 1998

Maine Lupine Honor 2000

• Maryland Middle School Book Award 2001

Maryland Keystone Award 2002

Isinglass Teen read Award 2002

Maine Lupine Award 2009

Newbery Honor 2010

Books for Young Readers by Rodman Philbrick

• Freak the Mighty

• Max the Mighty

• The Last Book in the Universe

• The Young Man and the Sea

• The Fire Pony

• Lobster Boy (UK title for 'The Young Man and the Sea)

• Rem World

• The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (Newbery Honor Book, 2010)

• The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition 1846

References

ALAN Review, winter, 1999; winter, 2001, Rodman Philbrick, "Listening to Kids in America," pp. 13-16. Booklist, December 15, 1993, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Freak the Mighty, p. 748; June 1, 1998, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Max the Mighty, pp. 1749-1750; December 15, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of Freak the Mighty, p. 751; May 1, 2000, review of REM World: Where Nothing Is Real and Everything Is about to Disappear, p. 1670; November 15, 2000, Debbie Carton, review of The Last Book in the Universe, p. 636; August, 2001, Anna Rich, review of The Last Book in the Universe, p. 2142; January 1, 2002, Kay Weisman, review of The Journal of Douglas Alan Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition, p. 859; March 15, 2005, Patricia Austin, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 1313. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January, 1994, Deborah Stevenson, review of Freak the Mighty, p. 165; July-August, 1996, p. 383; April, 1998, Deborah Stevenson, review of Max the Mighty, p. 291; March, 2004, Elizabeth Bush, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 291. Childhood Education, winter, 2000, Barbara F. Backer, review of REM World, p. 109. Horn Book, January-February, 1994, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Freak the Mighty, p. 74; July-August, 1996, Martha V. Parravano, review of The Fire Pony, p. 464; July-August, 1998, Nancy Vasilakis, review of Max the Mighty, p. 495. review of Freak the Mighty, p. 165; March-April, 2004, Peter D. Sieruta, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 187. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, March, 2004, James Blasingame, interview with Philbrick, p. 518. Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 1998, review of Max the Mighty, p. 272; January 15, 2004, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 87. Kliatt, March, 1999, review of Abduction, p. 26; May, 2002, Paula Rohrlick, review of The Last Book in the Universe, p. 29; January, 2004, Claire Rosser, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 12. New Yorker, December 13, 1993, pp. 115-116. Publishers Weekly, January 26, 1998, review of Max the Mighty, p. 91; March 27, 2000, review of REM World, p. 81; November 27, 2000, review of The Last Book in the Universe, p. 77; January 14, 2002, review of Coffins, p. 46; February 16, 2004, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 173. School Library Journal, December, 1993, Libby K. White, review of Freak the Mighty, p. 137; September, 1996, Christina Linz, review of The Fire Pony, p. 206; April, 1998, Marilyn Payne Phillips, review of Max the Mighty, p. 136; July, 1998, Brian E. Wilson, review of Freak the Mighty, p. 56; May, 2000, Nina Lindsay, review of REM World, p. 175; November, 2000, Susan L. Rogers, review of The Last Book in the Universe, p. 160; July, 2001, Louise L. Sherman, review of The Last Book in the Universe, p. 60; December, 2001, Lana Miles, review of The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds, p. 142; February, 2004, Jeffrey Hastings, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 152; October, 2004, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 54; April, 2005, Larry Cooperman, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 76. Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 1994, p. 30; October, 1996, p. 212; June, 1998, p. 124.

Read more: (W.) Rodman Philbrick (1951-) Biography - Personal, Career, Honors Awards, Writings, Adaptations, Work in Progress, Sidelights - Review, York, Mighty, Book, Max, and Freak http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1818/Philbrick-W-Rodman-1951.html#ixzz1KMVlCyj1

External links

• Philbrick's site
• Young Man and the Sea

http://www.astal-ric.org/rodmanphilbrick.htm http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0679917/ http://www.randomhouse.com/author/23848/rodman-philbrick http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/rodman-philbrick/

Read more: (W.) Rodman Philbrick (1951-) Biography - Personal, Career, Honors Awards, Writings, Adaptations, Work in Progress, Sidelights - Review, York, Mighty, Book, Max, and Freak http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1818/Philbrick-W-Rodman-1951.html#ixzz1KMVlCyj1