 First edition cover | |
| Author | Brandy Colbert |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Little, Brown & Company |
Publication date | August 8, 2017 |
| Awards | Stonewall Book Award (2018) |
| ISBN | 9780316349000 |
Little & Lion is a 2017 young adult novel by Brandy Colbert. The novel is about a sixteen-year-old bisexual teen dealing with her brother's recent bipolar disorder diagnosis and her own sexuality.
Little & Lion won the 2018 Stonewall Book Award.
Little & Lion was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist , [1] Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, [2] Kirkus Reviews , [3] and School Library Journal . [4]
On behalf of Booklist, Sarah Hunter said the novel was "superbly written" and highlighted how, "as the plot bounces back and forth in time, Colbert juggles all the moving parts expertly, handily untangling Suzette’s complicated feelings about herself and her relationships and gradually illuminating pithy moments of discovery". [1]
Kirkus similarly highlighted how the novel's "engrossing present-tense narration intertwines with sporadic—but pertinent—flashback chapters", as well as how "Colbert [...] sensitively confronts misconceptions about mental illness, bisexuality, and intersectional identity". [3]
The Bulletin's Melanie Kirkwood also discussed Colbert's writing skill, highlighting how she "weaves the intricacies of adolescence with the sensitivities of family and friends adjusting to loved ones’ mental health diagnoses". [5]
In a review for the Chicago Tribune , Christine Heppermann wrote, "Brandy Colbert has the ability to convey the experiences of modern teen life with sensitivity, candy and grace." [6]
Writing for the Austin American-Statesman, Sharyn Vane called Little & Lion a "keenly observed coming-of-age tale". [7]
Publishers Weekly noted that "although love and sexuality are important to the story, its core is Suzette’s feelings of responsibility for Lionel and uncertainty about how to help him. Colbert [...] powerfully depicts the difficulties that mental illness presents not just for those diagnosed but for the people around them." They critically added, "While the characters occasionally feel slightly idealized", Little & Lion is "a moving and well-realized examination of secrecy, trust, and intimacy". [8]
Shelf Awareness's Sarah Hannah Gómez called Colbert's depiction of bipolar disorder "realistic" and "nuanced" and highlighting how "Suzette's coming to terms with her bisexuality and Lionel's bipolar disorder are given the gravity and time they deserve without pat outcomes". [9]
The Horn Book Magazine's Katie Bircher also reviewed the novel. [10]
Little & Lion is a Junior Library Guild book. [11]
BuzzFeed, Kirkus Reviews , [3] and Tablet named it one of the best young adult novels of 2017. [11] Booklist also included it on their 2017 Editors' Choice: Books for Youth list. [12]
In 2018, the American Library Association included it on their Best Fiction for Young Adults list and Rainbow List. [11] [13]
Little & Lion won the 2018 Stonewall Book Award for Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature. [3] [14]
Martha Elizabeth "Libba" Bray is an American writer of young adult novels including the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Going Bovine, and The Diviners.
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina is an autobiography by Misty Copeland, written with Charisse Jones, published March 4, 2014 by Aladdin. In the book, Copeland discusses her history toward becoming the only African-American soloist with the American Ballet Theatre following a life in which she and her family lived in poverty.
Amy Sarig King is an American writer of short fiction and young adult fiction. She is the recipient of the 2022 Margaret Edwards Award for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."
Kwame Alexander is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.
Amie Kaufman is an Australian author. She has authored New York Times bestselling and internationally bestselling science fiction and fantasy for young adults. She is known for the Starbound Trilogy and Unearthed, which she co-authored with Meagan Spooner; for her series The Illuminae Files, co-authored with Jay Kristoff; and for her solo series, Elementals. Her books have been published in over 35 countries.
The Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African-American girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting.
Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was released on February 25, 2019.
Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel When the Moon Was Ours, Wild Beauty, and The Weight of Feathers.
Brandy Colbert is an American author of young adult fiction and nonfiction.
The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog is a young adult novel written by Adam Gidwitz and illuminated by Hatem Aly, published by Dutton Children's Books in 2016. It is set in medieval France and describes how three magical children meet each other and become outlaws. It was named a Newbery Honor book in 2017.
Kekla Magoon is an American author, best known for her NAACP Image Award-nominated young adult novel The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, The Season of Styx Malone, and X. In 2021, she received the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her body of work. Her works also include middle grade novels, short stories, and historical, socio-political, and economy-related non-fiction.
The Belles is a dystopian young adult novel series by Dhonielle Clayton, consisting of three books: The Belles (2018), The Everlasting Rose (2019) and The Beauty Trials (2023). The first two books are Junior Library Guild selections.
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America is a 2019 young adult anthology edited by Ibi Zoboi. The fictional stories are all written by Black authors and "explor[e] black interconnectedness, traditions, and identity in terms of how they apply to black teens". Common themes include Black identity, sexual awakening, and teenage worries.
Pointe is a 2014 young adult novel by Brandy Colbert. It follows a teen dancer in suburban Chicago who has to come to terms with her dark past.
Finding Yvonne is a 2018 young adult novel by Brandy Colbert. The novel is about a privileged teenager deciding what to do with her future as she chooses between various life paths in her future career, family, and romantic relationships.
Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is a 2021 non-fiction book by Brandy Colbert aimed at middle-grade and young adult readers that explores the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, as well as the historical context leading up to the event.
The Only Black Girls in Town is a 2020 middle grade novel by Brandy Colbert about two Black middle schoolers who bond over their racial identity and find a mysterious journal in their attic.
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph is a 2019 young adult novel by Brandy Colbert about a teenage girl who must learn to be her authentic self beyond her family's expectations.
The Voting Booth is a 2020 young adult novel by Brandy Colbert about two 18-year-olds on their first election day as registered voters.
The Blackwoods is a 2023 young adult novel by Brandy Colbert. The novel is told through three alternative perspectives, starting in 1942 with the rise of Hollywood film star Blossom Blackwood to the present day, following Blackwood's death and her family's subsequent grieving process and their relationship with Blossom's success, especially after a decades-long secret is revealed.