Rodman Philbrick


Rodman Philbrick is an American writer of novels for adults and children.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and lives in Maine and Florida. He went to school at Portsmouth High School and he also went to The University of New Hampshire. He and Lynn Harnett were married from 1980 until her death, in 2012. They collaborated on scary books for young readers, including The House on Cherry Street, The Werewolf Chronicles, and Visitors, three trilogies published by Scholastic, Inc. Philbrick has also written using the pen names W. R. Philbrick, 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 The Mighty. He wrote the cyberpunk, dystopian novel The Last Book in the Universe and the science fantasy 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, was named a Newbery Honor Book in 2010. A stage version of The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg debuted at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2012. Zane and The Hurricane: A Story of Katrina, an adventure set in New Orleans, 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.
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, 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 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.
Before Philbrick began writing full-time, he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder.

Awards

Awardnotes
Judy Lopez Honor Book1994
Shamus Award, Best P. I. Novel, Paperback Original 1993
California Young Reader MedalWinner 1995
Arizona Young ReadersMedal Winner 1996
Nebraska Golden Gate Award1997
ALA Best Booksfor Young Adults
ALA Recommended Booksfor Reluctant Readers
Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award1998
New York Charlotte's Web Award1998
Maryland Middle School Book Award
1998
Maine Lupine Honor2000
Maryland Middle School Book Award2001
Keystone State Book Award2002
Isinglass Teen Read Award2002
Maine Lupine Award2009
Newbery Honor2010
Maine Lupine Award2014
Texas Bluebonnet List2015-2016
Maine Lupine Honor, 2017

Books for young readers by Rodman Philbrick