David Levithan
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David Levithan (born September 7, 1972) is an American
young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
author and editor."David Levithan". October 30, 2008. Gale Database. ''Contemporary Authors Online''. UWM Golda Meir Library, Milwaukee. July 1, 2009. He has written numerous works featuring strong male gay characters, most notably '' Boy Meets Boy'' and '' Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List''. Six of Levithan's books have won or been finalists for the
Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature The Lambda Literary Awards (also known as the "Lammys") are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works that celebrate or explore LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) themes. The organization is considered to ...
, making him the most celebrated author in the category.


Early life and career

Levithan was born and raised in the Short Hills section of
Millburn, New Jersey Millburn is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 20,149, reflecting an increase of 384 (+1.9%) from the 19,765 counted in the 2000 Census, which had ...
, to a family of
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
background, graduating in 1990 from
Millburn High School Millburn High School is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Millburn (including its Short Hills neighborhood), in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school ...
. At nineteen, Levithan received an internship at
Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...
where he began working on ''
The Baby-sitters Club ''The Baby-Sitters Club'' (also known as BSC) is a series of novels written by Ann M. Martin and published by Scholastic between 1986 and 2000, that sold 176 million copies. Martin wrote the first 35 novels in the series, but the subsequent nove ...
'' series. Levithan still works for Scholastic as an editorial director. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a young-adult imprint of Scholastic Press focusing on new voices and new authors. PUSH publishes edgier material for young adults and is where Patricia McCormick got her start with 2002's ''Cut''.Friedman, Robin. "The write stuff". ''
New Jersey Jewish News The ''New Jersey Jewish News'' (''NJJN'') is a weekly newspaper. Coverage and scope In addition to other issues, it covers local, national, and world events; Jewish culture and the arts; and Jewish holidays, celebrations, and other topics of int ...
'' ( Whippany). July 2, 2009.
In an interview with Barnes & Noble, Levithan said that he learned how to write books that were both funny and touching from
Judith Viorst Judith Viorst (; née Stahl,Aarons, Leroy ''People (magazine)'', February 18, 1980 Vol. 13 No. 7. Accessed August 4, 2016. "Born in Maplewood, N.J., the daughter of an accountant and a mother 'who was a reader and a bridge player,' Judith Stahl ...
's ''
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ''Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'' is a 1972 ALA Notable Children's Book written by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz. It has also won a George G. Stone Center Recognition of Merit, a Georgia Children's Book ...
''. He continues to work as both a writer and editor saying, "I love editing just as much, if not more than writing". Three of Levithan's novels have been made into films. His first collaboration with
Rachel Cohn Rachel Cohn (born December 14, 1968) is an American young adult fiction writer. Her first book, '' Gingerbread'', was published in 2002. Since then she has gone on to write many other successful YA and younger children's books, and has collabora ...
, '' Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'', was published in 2006 and
adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
for the big screen in 2008. Levithan's 2012 novel of the same name was adapted into '' Every Day'', a romantic fantasy drama, released in 2018. His second collaboration with Rachel Cohn, ''Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List'', was published in 2007 and adapted into a film of the same name in 2015. Levithan has been a resident of
Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
. In 2016, Levithan won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for ''The Realm of Possibility'', ''Boy Meets Boy'', ''Love Is the Higher Law'', ''How They Met and Other Stories'', ''Wide Awake'', and ''Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist''.


Works


Novels

* '' The Lover's Dictionary'' (2011)


Young adult novels

''Disaster Zone'' series: # ''In the Eye of the Tornado'' (1998) # ''In the Heart of the Quake'' (1998) ''Likely Story'' series (with David Ozanich and Chris Van Etten; as David Van Etten): # ''Likely Story'' (2008) # ''All That Glitters'' (2008) # ''Red Carpet Riot'' (2009) ''Will Grayson, Will Grayson'' series: # '' Will Grayson, Will Grayson'' (2010), with
John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including '' The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is ...
# ''Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story'' (2015) ''Dash & Lily'' series, with
Rachel Cohn Rachel Cohn (born December 14, 1968) is an American young adult fiction writer. Her first book, '' Gingerbread'', was published in 2002. Since then she has gone on to write many other successful YA and younger children's books, and has collabora ...
: # '' Dash & Lily's Book of Dares'' (2010) # '' The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily'' (2016) # '' Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily'' (2020) ''Every Day'' series: # '' Every Day'' (2012) # '' Another Day'' (2015) # ''Someday'' (2018) Stand-alones: * ''10 Things I Hate About You'' (1999) * ''The Mummy'' (1999), with
Stephen Sommers Stephen Sommers (born March 20, 1962) is an American filmmaker, best known for big-budget action movies, such as ''The Mummy'' (1999), its sequel, ''The Mummy Returns'' (2001), '' Van Helsing'' (2004), and '' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' (2009) ...
* ''Survivor'' (2000), with David Benjamin, ''The Sixth Sense: Secrets from Beyond'' series #1 * ''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003) * '' Boy Meets Boy'' (2003) * ''The Perfect Score'' (2004) * '' The Realm of Possibility'' (2004) * '' Are We There Yet?'' (2005) * ''Marly's Ghost'' (2005), illustrated by
Brian Selznick Brian Selznick (born July 14, 1966) is an American illustrator and author best known as the writer of '' The Invention of Hugo Cabret'' (2007), '' Wonderstruck'' (2011), ''The Marvels'' (2015) and ''Kaleidoscope'' (2021). He won the 2008 Caldeco ...
* '' Wide Awake'' (2006) * '' Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'' (2006), with
Rachel Cohn Rachel Cohn (born December 14, 1968) is an American young adult fiction writer. Her first book, '' Gingerbread'', was published in 2002. Since then she has gone on to write many other successful YA and younger children's books, and has collabora ...
* ''Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List'' (2007), with
Rachel Cohn Rachel Cohn (born December 14, 1968) is an American young adult fiction writer. Her first book, '' Gingerbread'', was published in 2002. Since then she has gone on to write many other successful YA and younger children's books, and has collabora ...
* ''Love is the Higher Law'' (2009) * '' Every You, Every Me'' (2011) * ''Two Boys Kissing'' (2013) * ''Invisibility'' (2013), with Andrea Cremer * ''You Know Me Well'' (2016), with Nina LaCour * ''Dear Diary'' (2017) * ''Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah'' (2018), with
Rachel Cohn Rachel Cohn (born December 14, 1968) is an American young adult fiction writer. Her first book, '' Gingerbread'', was published in 2002. Since then she has gone on to write many other successful YA and younger children's books, and has collabora ...
* ''The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as Told to His Brother)'' (2021) * ''Take Me With You When You Go'' (2021) with Jennifer Niven. * ''Answers in the Pages'' (2022)


Young adult short stories

Collections: * ''How They Met, and Other Stories'' (2008), collection of 18 short stories: *: "Starbucks Boy", "Miss Lucy Had a Steamboat", "The Alumni Interview", "The Good Witch", "The Escalator, a Love Story", "The Number of People who Meet on Airplanes", "Andrew Chang", "Flirting with Waiters", "Lost Sometimes", "Princes", "Breaking and Entering", "Skipping the Prom", "A Romantic Inclination", "What a Song Can Do", "Without Saying", "How They Met", "Memory Dance", "Intersection" * ''Six Earlier Days'' (2012), ''Every Day'' series #0.5, collection of 6 short stories: *: "Day 3722", "Day 2919", "Day 5624", "Day 5909", "Day 5915", "Day 5931" * ''19 Love Songs'' (2020), collection of 16 short stories, 2 poems and 1 comic: *: "Quiz Bowl Antichrist", "Day 2934" (''Every Day'' series #0.1), "The Good Girls", "The Quarterback and the Cheerleader" (a ''Boy Meets Boy'' story), "The Mulberry Branch" (poem), "Your Temporary Santa", "Storytime", "A Better Writer", "8-Song Memoir", "Snow Day" (a ''Two Boys Kissing'' story), "The Woods", "A Brief History of First Kisses" (comic), "As the Philadelphia Queer Youth Choir Sings Katy Perry's 'Firework'", "The Vunerable Hours", "Twelve Months", "The Hold", "How My Parents Met", "We", "Give Them Words" (poem) Uncollected short stories: * "A Word From the Nearly Distant Past", story in '' How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity'' (2009) * "The Skeleton Keeper", story in ''Bones: Terrifying Tales to Haunt Your Dreams'' (2010) * "Day 3196", ''Every Day'' series #0.2, first published in the National Book Store edition of ''Someday'' (2018)


Comics

* '' Be More Chill: The Graphic Novel'' (2021), with
Ned Vizzini Edison Price Vizzini (April 4, 1981 – December 19, 2013) was an American writer. He was the author of four books for young adults including '' It's Kind of a Funny Story'', which NPR named #56 of the "100 Best-Ever Teen Novels" and which is ...
, illustrations by
Nick Bertozzi Nick Bertozzi (born May 26, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist, as well as a commercial illustrator and teacher of cartooning. His series ''Rubber Necker'' from Alternative Comics won the 2003 Harvey Awards for best new talent and ...


Non-fiction

* ''Malcolm in the Middle Scrapbook: Malcolm's Family Album'' (2000), scrapbook * ''Journey Through the Lost Canyon'' (2000), guide * ''101 Ways to Get Away With Anything! (Malcolm in the Middle)'', or ''Malcolm's Really Useful Guide to Getting Away with Anything!'' (2002), guide * ''101 Ways to Stop Being Bored!'' (2003), guide


Anthologies and novels edited

* ''You Are Here, This is Now: The Best Young Writers and Artists in America: A Push Anthology'' (2002) * ''Friends: Stories about New Friends, Old Friends and Unexpectedly True Friends'', ed. with Ann M. Martin (2005) * ''When We Are, What We See: A Push Anthology'' (2005) * ''The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Other Identities'', ed. with Billy Merrell (2006) * ''21 Proms'', ed. with Daniel Ehrenhaft (2007) * ''We Are Quiet, We Are Loud: The best young writers and artists in America: a Push anthology'' (2008) * ''How to Say Goodbye in Robot'', a novel by Natalie Standiford (2009)


Novelizations

* Novel ''10 Things I Hate About You'', novelization of film ''
10 Things I Hate About You ''10 Things I Hate About You'' is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirs ...
'' (1999)10 Things I Hate About You. New York: Scholastic. * Novel ''The Mummy'', novelization of film '' The Mummy'' (1999) * Novel ''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'', novelization of film '' Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003) * Novel ''The Perfect Score'', novelization of film ''
The Perfect Score ''The Perfect Score'' is a 2004 American Teen film, teen comedy-heist film directed by Brian Robbins and starring Chris Evans (actor), Chris Evans, Erika Christensen, Bryan Greenberg, Scarlett Johansson, Darius Miles, and Leonardo Nam. The film ...
'' (2004)


Adaptations

* '' Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'' (2008), film directed by
Peter Sollett Peter Sollett (born January 1, 1976) is an American film director and screenwriter known for his feature films '' Raising Victor Vargas'' (2002) and '' Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'' (2008). Early life Sollett was born in Bensonhurst, Brook ...
, based on young adult novel '' Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'' * '' Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List'' (2015), film directed by
Kristin Hanggi Kristin Hanggi (born: Murrieta Valley, California) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter; and theater director best known for the 2009 Broadway musical '' Rock of Ages''. The jukebox musical received five Tony Award nominati ...
, based on young adult novel ''Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List'' * '' Every Day'' (2018), film directed by Michael Sucsy, based on young adult novel '' Every Day'' * '' Dash & Lily'' (2020), series created by Joe Tracz, based on young adult novels of ''Dash & Lily'' series


References


External links

*
PUSH
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Levithan, David 1972 births Living people 21st-century American novelists People from Millburn, New Jersey American book editors American fantasy writers American male novelists American young adult novelists American gay writers Jewish American novelists Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature winners American LGBT novelists LGBT people from New Jersey Novelists from New Jersey Millburn High School alumni Writers from Hoboken, New Jersey 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century LGBT people