Brigit Young
AUTHOR

Brigit Young

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Brigit Young is the author of the following middle grade novels: One More Time; Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences; Bright; and Worth a Thousand Words. She was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and now lives with her husband, daughters, gecko, and dog in the lovely (and underrated!) land of New Jersey. When Brigit isn't working, she loves hanging out with her family, tending to her garden, cuddling her dog, forcing her husband to do impressions, binge-watching British mysteries, and singing at the top of her lungs when no one else is around.

Q&A

1) What books most inspired you or impacted you as a kid?

I probably read ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY by Mildred Taylor and THE GIVER by Lois Lowry about twenty times each. They have wildly different settings, tones, and messages, but they both hit the reader with emotional authenticity through fully fleshed-out, living, breathing characters.

2) You write for kids. What were you like as a kid?

When I was in elementary school, I wore a tattered, red cape every day for all of fourth grade. I was obsessed with Shakespeare and would stand on the picnic tables at recess to spout lines from ROMEO & JULIET. I loved to play intricate imaginary games with my friends. And I had a LOT of trouble listening when it was time to sit down and learn. The word "weird" got thrown my way quite a lot... And my self-esteem regarding academics? Not so great. By middle school, I found academics harder and harder - at least the stuff with numbers. I loved literature and writing, but I still struggled with completing my homework. But by that point, I'd discovered a deep love for theater, and all my community theater friends gave me a safe space to be myself and have some more confidence. Eventually I discovered I have ADHD, and that probably had a lot to do with how hard it was to study, even when I could somehow sit down and memorize a whole script!

I always want kids to know that they may not be "perfect" or ace every aspect of school and life, but that doesn't make them any less capable of a fantastic future! Go after your dreams. You may be called weird (who cares? Weird people are the most fun.) or struggle in math class, but you can still achieve great things and, even more importantly, joyfully find wonder in the world around you.

3) Why did you become a writer?

After going into the acting biz for a while, I discovered that I wasn't really meant for it. I didn't want to stand in front of a crowd and, like... feel things. Out loud. But I still loved stories, so I let all those artistic rumblings inside of me come out in storytelling. I wrote poems and stories and went back to college (I'd gone to an acting conservatory in my early life, not a university), and eventually my stories turned into novels. Those novels were always about the lives of kids. Not only is that time of my life quite vivid for me, I also remember that the books I read at that age formed me in a way nothing else did - so children's literature became my path. Kids are my favorite writers and readers!

4) What job would you want if you weren't a writer?

Well, I would love to be a children's librarian. But if I moved totally away from book world, I would want to research orca whales! Or be a horticulturalist and build massive flower farms! Or be the person who thinks of names for new Crayola crayons!

5) If someone made a movie of your life, who would play you?

We would have to CGI Emma Thompson to look whatever age I am at any given moment because she is my queen. And Taylor Swift, Fiona Apple, and Lauryn Hill would collaborate to do the soundtrack!
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