Rodman Philbrick (born January 22, 1951) is an American writer of novels for adults and children. He has written popular children's books such as ''
Freak the Mighty
''Freak the Mighty'' is a young adult novel by Rodman Philbrick. Published in 1993, it was followed by the novel '' Max the Mighty'' in 1998. The primary characters are friends Maxwell Kane, a large, developmentally disabled, but kind-hearted b ...
'', Max the Mighty, The Last Book on Earth and has written other mysteries and thrillers for adults.
Early life
He was born in
Boston, Massachusetts, and currently lives in both
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. He attended
Portsmouth High School and he also attended University of New Hampshire for a few semesters.
Career
Rodman Philbrick has written many mysteries and thrillers for adults, including ''Brothers & Sinners'', ''Coffins'', and the ''T. D. Stash'' detective series, set in
Key West, Florida
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
, 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.
Two of his most popular children's books are ''
Freak the Mighty
''Freak the Mighty'' is a young adult novel by Rodman Philbrick. Published in 1993, it was followed by the novel '' Max the Mighty'' in 1998. The primary characters are friends Maxwell Kane, a large, developmentally disabled, but kind-hearted b ...
'' and its sequel, ''
Max the Mighty''. ''Freak the Mighty'' was later adapted into a movie titled ''
The Mighty
''The Mighty'' is a 1998 American coming of age buddy comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chelsom and written by Charles Leavitt. Based on the book ''Freak the Mighty'' by Rodman Philbrick, the film stars Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Gillian And ...
''. He wrote the
cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...
,
dystopian novel
Utopian and dystopian fiction are genres of speculative fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal to ...
''
The Last Book in the Universe'' and the
science fantasy
Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...
novel ''
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. ''The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg'', set in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, was named a
Newbery Honor Book
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...
in 2010. A stage version of ''The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg '' debuted at the
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
in Washington, D.C., in 2012. He and Lynn Harnett collaborated on scary books for young readers, including ''The House on Cherry Street'', ''The Werewolf Chronicles'', and ''Visitors'', three trilogies published by Scholastic, Inc.
In December 2011, writing as Chris Jordan, Philbrick published ''Measure of Darkness'', set in Boston. According to the author, Randall Shane enters the story in the first chapter, when he is accused of murdering a client. ''Zane and The Hurricane: A Story of Katrina'', an adventure set in
, was published in February 2014. ''The Big Dark'' was released in print and audio versions in January 2016. A mystery for young readers, ''Who Killed Darius Drake?'' was published in 2017. ''Wildfire'', a thrilling survival tale, was published in 2019.
Philbrick has also written using the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
s W. R. Philbrick, William R. Dantz, and Chris Jordan.
Personal life
Philbrick and Lynn Harnett were married from 1980 until her death, in 2012. Before Philbrick began writing full-time, he worked as a
longshoreman
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
and boat builder.
Awards
Maine Katahdin Award 2020
South Carolina Junior Book Award 2021-2022
'Wildfire', William Allen White Award 2022 (Kansas)
Bibliography
''Freak The Mighty''
*''
Freak the Mighty
''Freak the Mighty'' is a young adult novel by Rodman Philbrick. Published in 1993, it was followed by the novel '' Max the Mighty'' in 1998. The primary characters are friends Maxwell Kane, a large, developmentally disabled, but kind-hearted b ...
''
*''
Max the Mighty''
Other works
*
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
*
Visitors (Novel Series) (With Lynn Harnett, 1997)
*
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (
Newbery Honor Book
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...
, 2010)
*
The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition 1846
*
Zane and the Hurricane (2014)
*
The Big Dark (2016)
*
Who Killed Darius Drake? (2017)
*Wildfire (2019)
*Wild River (2021)
Books by alias Chris Jordan
*Taken (2007)
*Trapped (2007)
* Torn' (2009), (NL: 'Verscheurd')
* Measure of Darkness (2011), (NL: 'In duisternis gehuld')
References
Other sources
* 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, 2019, Debbie Farton, 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 Bonner Farty TYpAR, p. 859;
* March 15, 2005, Fatricia Austin, review of The Young Man and the Sea, p. 1313.
* Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, JGAYanuary, 1994
* Deborah Stevenson, review of Freak the SHighty, 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
''Voice of Youth Advocates'' (''VOYA'') is a bimonthly magazine that provides book reviews and information for librarians with a focus on young adult materials.
History and profile
''VOYA'' was established in 1978. The founders are Dorothy Brode ...
, April, 1994, p. 30; October, 1996, p. 212; June, 1998, p. 124.
https://rodmanphilbrick.com/
External links
*
*
* http://www.astal-ric.org/rodmanphilbrick.htm
* https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0679917/
* http://www.randomhouse.com/author/23848/rodman-philbrick
* http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/rodman-philbrick/
Rodman Philbrickat
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
Authorities — with 29 catalog records
William R. Dantzat LC Authorities
Chris Jordanat LC Authorities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philbrick, Rodman
1951 births
Living people
Newbery Honor winners
Shamus Award winners
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
Philbrick family