Brandy Colbert

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.

Brandy Colbert
BornSpringfield, Missouri
Genreyoung adult fiction, non-fiction
Notable worksLittle & Lion
Notable awards2018 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award
Website
brandycolbert.com

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] Colbert also teaches at the Hamline University’s MFA Program in Writing for Children.[4]

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.[5] A Chicago Tribune reviewer described the novel as "searing",[6] and considered the main character "achingly believable",[5] 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".[5] The book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.[7]

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.[8][9][10][11] It received a starred review from Booklist,[12] and School Library Journal.[13] It was named a Best Teen Romance of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews.[14] Little & Lion also won the 2018 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.[15]

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.[16]

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.[17]

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. Colbert says she found writing Middle Grade books intimidating, because she perceived writing for a younger audience as harder, and says that she wanted to write something that would've spoken to her as a kid. The initial idea for the novel came to her as she thought about what would happen if a character thought they were the only Black girl in town, but then another one moved in across the street. She cites Judy Blume and Beverly Clearly's books as influences for the novel. [4]

The Only Black Girls in Town received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews[18] and Publishers Weekly.[19]

This was followed in 2020 by The Voting Booth, about two 18-year-olds on their first election day as registered voters, published by Disney Hyperion in 2020.[20][21]

Colbert also contributed short stories to anthologies published by St. Martin's Griffin in 2016,[22][23] Algonquin Books in 2017,[24] Simon Pulse in 2017[25] and 2018,[26] HarperCollins in 2017,[27] Harlequin Teen in 2018, and Balzer + Bray in 2019.[28][29]

    Awards
    • Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award for Little & Lion (Little, Brown, 2017)

    References
    1. 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.
    2. "Brandy Colbert: The Transformative Experience Of Reading | The Reading Lists". The Reading Lists. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    3. "Spring 2014 Flying Starts: Brandy Colbert". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    4. "Four Questions for Brandy Colbert". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
    5. Heppermann, Christine. "No easy answers when experiencing life, love". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 13. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
    6. Heppermann, Christine (30 November 2014). "Why a Y.A.?". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 18. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
    7. "Children's Book Review: Pointe by Brandy Colbert. Putnam, $17.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-399-16034-9". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    8. Heppermann, Christine (3 August 2017). "Young adult roundup". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 4-4. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
    9. 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.
    10. "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.
    11. Bircher, Katie (September–October 2017). "Reviews: Little & Lion". Horn Book Magazine. 93 (5): 88. ISSN 0018-5078.
    12. "Little & Lion, by Brandy Colbert | Booklist Online". www.booklistonline.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    13. "Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    14. "Best Teen Romances of 2017 (pg. 2) | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    15. 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.
    16. "Beyond The Bio: Brandy Colbert | pickmyya". pickmyya. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    17. "Q&A: Brandy Colbert, Author of 'The Revolution of Birdie Randolph'". The Nerd Daily. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
    18. THE ONLY BLACK GIRLS IN TOWN | Kirkus Reviews.
    19. "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.
    20. Yoon, Nicola (2020-08-01). "For Two Teenagers on Election Day, the Political Gets Personal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
    21. "Brandy Colbert explains how 'The Voting Booth' takes two teens on an election day adventure". Orange County Register. 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
    22. "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.
    23. Heppermann, Christine (17 July 2016). "Roundup: Young Adult. Summer Days and Summer Nights". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 18. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
    24. "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.
    25. "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.
    26. "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.
    27. "Three Sides of a Heart by Natalie C. Parker | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
    28. "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.
    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.
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