Rodman Philbrick

Rodman Philbrick was raised in New England — he was born in Boston in 1951 and grew up in a small town on the coast of New Hampshire, where his grandmother rented out cottages to summer visitors.

Philbrick started writing short stories in the 6th grade, but never told anyone in school that he was a writer because it didn’t seem like something that would make him popular. He wrote lots of stories, all of which were rejected; the novel he wrote in the 11th grade. was also rejected. In fact, he wrote eight or ten novels before one was finally accepted.

Philbrick worked as a longshoreman and boat builder, while writing mystery and detective novels for adults. That all changed in 1992, when he stumbled on a story idea in his neighborhood. This idea became the award-winning young adult novel, Freak The Mighty. Philbrick’s other young-adult books include The Young Man and the Sea, The Journal of Douglas Deeds, and The Last Book in the Universe. Whether futuristic or historical, all his stories include lots of action and adventures.

Philbrick — an avid fisherman — and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys. When they’re in Maine, Philbrick fishes for striped bass and bluefish. When he’s in the Florida Keys, he fishes for a variety of species, including the giant tarpon.