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.
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Brandy Colbert |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Little, Brown & Company |
Publication date | August 8, 2017 |
| Awards | Stonewall Book Award (2018) |
| ISBN | 9780316349000 |
Little & Lion won the 2018 Stonewall Book Award.
Reception
editLittle & 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]
Awards and honors
editLittle & 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]
References
edit- ^ a b Hunter, Sarah (May 15, 2017). "Little & Lion, by Brandy Colbert". Booklist. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ "September 2017 Stars". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Little & Lion". Kirkus Reviews. April 30, 2017. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ "Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Kirkwood, Melanie (2017). "Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 71 (1): 9. doi:10.1353/bcc.2017.0581. ISSN 1558-6766. Archived from the original on 2018-06-03. Retrieved 2023-12-12 – via Project MUSE.
- ^ Heppermann, Christine (3 August 2017). "Young adult roundup". Chicago Tribune. p. 4. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Vane, Sharyn (19 August 2017). "Expand the mind this school year with these new books". Austin American-Statesman. p. E10. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Children's Book Review: Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert. Little, Brown, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-316-34900-0". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ Gómez, Sarah Hannah (August 11, 2017). "Little & Lion". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ Bircher, Katie (September–October 2017). "Reviews: Little & Lion". Horn Book Magazine. 93 (5): 88. ISSN 0018-5078.
- ^ a b c "Little & Lion". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2017". Booklist. January 1, 2018. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ Gonzales, Naomi (2018-02-11). "2018 Rainbow List". Rainbow Book List. Archived from the original on 2021-05-17. Retrieved December 12, 2023 – via American Library Association.
- ^ Roback, Diane (February 12, 2018). "Kelly, Cordell, LaCour Win Newbery, Caldecott, Printz". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
Further reading
edit- Durand, E. Sybil (2022). "Multimodal Analysis of Characters ansd Settings in Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert". In Greathouse, Paula; Miller, Henry "Cody" (eds.). Queer Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the English Language Arts Curriculum. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 209–224. ISBN 978-1-4758-6188-4.
- Lin, Cammie Kim (2019-02-18). "Multiethnic/Multicultural/Multiracial Alloys: Reading the "Mixed" Experience in Little & Lion". In Ginsberg, Ricki; Glenn, Wendy J. (eds.). Engaging with Multicultural YA Literature in the Secondary Classroom: Critical Approaches for Critical Educators. Routledge. pp. 53–62. ISBN 978-0-429-62955-6.
- Benchimol, Judith Chriqui (2023-04-17). Grayson, Mara Lee; Benchimol, Judith Chriqui (eds.). Challenging Antisemitism: Lessons from Literacy Classrooms. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 129–136. ISBN 978-1-4758-6484-7.
- Escobar, Kristie L. (February 2020). ""It's Okay to Be Confused": LGBTQAI+ Teen Novels as Sexuality and Sexual Health Information Resources". Journal of Research on Libraries & Young Adults. 11 (1): 1–31.