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Libba Bray
American writer

Martha Elizabeth "Libba" Bray (March 11, 1964) is an American writer of young adult novels including the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Going Bovine, Beauty Queens, The Diviners series, and Under the Same Stars.

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Early life

Martha Elizabeth Bray was born in Montgomery, Alabama.2 Her father was a gay3 Presbyterian minister, and her mother was an English teacher.4

She and her family moved to West Virginia for a brief period, then to Corpus Christi, Texas and finally to Denton, Texas, where Bray attended high school.5 At the age of eighteen, three weeks after graduating high school, Bray was involved in a serious car accident. She had to undergo thirteen surgeries over six years to reconstruct her face, and has an artificial left eye because of the accident.6

Bray graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 19887 as a Theatre major. As a budding playwright, she felt it important to be in New York City. When her childhood best friend, already living in Manhattan, called saying she was looking for a roommate, Bray moved to New York.

Bray is married to Barry Goldblatt, a children's book agent, and the couple have a son, Josh.89

Career

Bray's first job was in the publicity department of Penguin Putnam, followed by three years at Spier, an advertising agency specializing in book advertising.

Bray was encouraged to write a young adult novel by her husband, Barry Goldblatt, a children's book agent and Ginee Seo, an editor at Simon & Schuster. Before this, using a pseudonym, she had written three books for 17th Street Press (a publisher of romances).

Her first novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty became a New York Times bestseller. In November 2006, a video promoting the book was a part of The Book Standard's Teen Book Video Awards.10 She wrote two more books to finish the trilogy she had started with A Great and Terrible Beauty: Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing.

Bray is friends with many young adult authors such as John Green and Maureen Johnson, and with fellow YA fantasy authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. Her blog can be read on https://web.archive.org/web/20101023044746/http://libba-bray.livejournal.com/.

Going Bovine was published by Delacorte in 2009 and won the annual Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association recognizing literary excellence in young adult literature.11 It is a dark comedy about a 16-year-old boy named Cameron who has mad cow disease and a 16-year-old dwarf named Gonzo whom he met in the hospital. Gonzo is a video gamer who thinks that everything is trying to kill him. Cameron has visitation from a punkish angel named Dulcie who has a propensity for spray-painting her wings. They are all on a mission to cure Cameron's mad cow disease.

Beauty Queens, about a group of beauty pageant contestants whose plane crashes on an island, was published by Scholastic Press on May 24, 2011.

Bray's novel, The Diviners, was published on September 18, 2012. It centers around Evie O'Neill, a seventeen-year-old with a special power who has been sent to live with her uncle in New York City in 1926. The sequel, Lair of Dreams, was released in August 201512 and the third book, Before The Devil Breaks You, was released in October 2017.13 The fourth and final book in the series, The King of Crows, was released in February 2020.

Awards and honors

Awards

YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2010Going BovineMichael L. Printz AwardWinner1415
Audie Award for Young Adult TitleFinalist16
2012Beauty QueensAmazing Audiobooks for Young AdultsTop 101718
Audie Award for Narration by the AuthorWinner1920
Audie Award for Young Adult TitleFinalist2122
2013The DivinersAudie Award for Young Adult TitleFinalist23
2016Lair of DreamsAudie Award for Narration by the AuthorFinalist24
Audie Award for Young Adult TitleWinner25
Before the Devil Breaks YouAudie Award for Young Adult TitleFinalist2627

Honors

A Great and Terrible Beauty,28 The Sweet Far Thing,29 received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. Going Bovine received starred reviews from Booklist30 and Publishers Weekly.31 Before the Devil Breaks You32 and the audiobook renditions of Beauty Queens33 and The King of Crows34 received starred reviews from Booklist. The Diviners received starred reviews from Booklist,35 Kirkus Reviews,36 and Publishers Weekly.37 Lair of Dreams received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews38 and Publishers Weekly.39

A Great and Terrible Beauty,40 Rebel Angels,41 The Sweet Far Thing42 were national best sellers for children's fiction.

YearTitleHonorRef.
2006Rebel AngelsALA Best Books for Young Adults43
2011Beauty QueensBooklist Editors' Choice: Media44
2012Beauty QueensALA Amelia Bloomer List45
2012Beauty QueensALA Rainbow Book List46
2012Going BovinePopular Paperbacks for Young Adults47
2013The DivinersAmazing Audiobooks for Young Adults48
2013The DivinersBest Fiction for Young Adults49
2016Lair of DreamsALA Rainbow Book List50

Publications

Gemma Doyle trilogy

  1. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Delacorte (2003)
  2. Rebel Angels, Delacorte (2005)
  3. The Sweet Far Thing, Delacorte (2007)

The Diviners series

  1. The Diviners, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2012)
  2. Lair of Dreams, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2015)
  3. Before the Devil Breaks You, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2017)
  4. The King of Crows, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2020)

Standalone novels

Anthologized short stories

  • 21 Proms, Scholastic Paperbacks (2007)
  • The Restless Dead, Candlewick Press (2007)
  • Up All Night, HarperTeen (2008)
  • Vacations from Hell, HarperTeen (2009)
  • "The Thirteenth Step", a short story in The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire, ed. Trisha Telep, Running Press (2009)
  • "The Last Ride of the Glory Girls," Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories (2015)

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Libba Bray. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Libba Bray.

References

  1. "Libba Bray - Official Website of author Libba Bray - About Libba". libbabray.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222024322/http://libbabray.com/about-libba ↩

  2. "About Libba". Libba Bray. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://libbabray.com/about/ ↩

  3. "About Libba". Libba Bray. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://libbabray.com/about/ ↩

  4. "Bray, Libba (Martha E. Bray)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/bray-libba-martha-e-bray ↩

  5. "Libba Bray - Official Website of author Libba Bray - About Libba". libbabray.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222024322/http://libbabray.com/about-libba ↩

  6. "Libba Bray's Accident at 18". Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20070509095114/http://www.libbabray.com/LBAutobiography.html ↩

  7. "Bray, Libba (Martha E. Bray)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/bray-libba-martha-e-bray ↩

  8. "Bray, Libba (Martha E. Bray)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/bray-libba-martha-e-bray ↩

  9. Corbett, Sue (2007-11-29). "PW Talks with Libba Bray". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/3894-children-s-bookshelf-talks-with-libba-bray.html ↩

  10. Teen Book Video Awards Debut Tonight Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003439349 ↩

  11. "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books" Archived March 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. YALSA. American Library Association. Retrieved 2013-03-08. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/printzaward/previouswinners/winners ↩

  12. "Lair of Dreams (The Diviners, #2)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2019-02-19. https://www.goodreads.com/work/best_book/21848181-lair-of-dreams ↩

  13. "Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners, #3)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2019-02-19. https://www.goodreads.com/work/best_book/45897241-before-the-devil-breaks-you ↩

  14. "2010 Michael L. Printz Award". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/yalsa/2010-michael-l-printz-award ↩

  15. Morales, Macey; Petersen, Jennifer (2010-01-18). ""Going Bovine" Wins 2010 Printz Award". American Library Association. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/news/news/pressreleases2010/january2010/2010printz_pio ↩

  16. "2010 Audie Awards®". www.audiopub.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2010-audies ↩

  17. "2012 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Top Ten". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2012-01-24. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/yalsa/audiobooks/2012/topten ↩

  18. "Best Fiction for Young Adults: 2012". Booklist. 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/Best-Fiction-for-Young-Adults/pid=5313983 ↩

  19. Boretz, Adam (May 29, 2014). "Billy Crystal Takes Top Honors at 2014 Audie Awards". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/audio-books/article/62580-billy-crystal-takes-top-honors-at-audie-awards.html ↩

  20. "2012 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)". www.audiopub.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2012 ↩

  21. Seattle_Quick_Picks. "Audie Award Winners: Best Audio Books 2012". Seattle Public Library. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/list/share/86922331/113123884 ↩

  22. "2012 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)". www.audiopub.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2012 ↩

  23. "2013 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)". www.audiopub.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2013-audies ↩

  24. "2016 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)". www.audiopub.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2016-winners-circle ↩

  25. "2016 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)". www.audiopub.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2016-winners-circle ↩

  26. "2018 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)". www.audiopub.org. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2018-audies ↩

  27. "Audies Award Finalists and Winners 2018". AudioFileMagazine.com. AudioFile Publications, Inc. Retrieved 17 May 2019. https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/audies/2018/?category=&winners=true ↩

  28. "A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY by Libba Bray". Publishers Weekly. 2003-12-08. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385730280 ↩

  29. "The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray". Publishers Weekly. 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385730303 ↩

  30. "Going Bovine". Booklist. August 2009. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/Going-Bovine-Libba-Bray/pid=3535357 ↩

  31. "Going Bovine by Libba Bray". Publishers Weekly. 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780385733977 ↩

  32. Smith, Julia (2017-11-01). "Before the Devil Breaks You". Booklist. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/Before-the-Devil-Breaks-You-Libba-Bray/pid=9189758 ↩

  33. "2011-09-15". Booklist. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/Beauty-Queens-/pid=4897514 ↩

  34. Booth, Heather (2020-05-15). "The King of Crows". Booklist. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/The-King-of-Crows-/pid=9733530 ↩

  35. "The Diviners". Booklist. July 2012. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Diviners-Libba-Bray/pid=5604302 ↩

  36. "The Diviners". Kirkus Reviews. July 18, 2012. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/libba-bray/diviners/ ↩

  37. "The Diviners by Libba Bray". Publishers Weekly. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780449808733 ↩

  38. "Lair of Dreams". Kirkus Reviews. June 16, 2015. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/libba-bray/lair-of-dreams/ ↩

  39. "Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray". Publishers Weekly. 2015-08-17. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780316126045 ↩

  40. Maryles, Daisy (2005-08-15). "Children's Fiction Bestsellers". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050815/33502-children-s-fiction-bestsellers.html ↩

  41. Roback, Diane (2007-02-12). "Children's Fiction Bestsellers". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20070212/14144-children-s-fiction-bestsellers.html ↩

  42. Roback, Diane (2008-01-14). "Children's Fiction Bestsellers". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20080114/10699-children-s-fiction-bestsellers.html ↩

  43. "Rebel Angels | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/content/rebel-angels ↩

  44. "Beauty Queens | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/beauty-queens-1 ↩

  45. "2012-03-01". Booklist. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/Amelia-Bloomer-List/pid=5315863 ↩

  46. "Rainbow List: 2012". Booklist. 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.booklistonline.com/Rainbow-List/pid=5315878 ↩

  47. "Going Bovine | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/going-bovine ↩

  48. "The Diviners | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/diviners ↩

  49. "The Diviners | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/diviners-0 ↩

  50. "Lair of Dreams | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2022-09-13. https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/lair-dreams ↩