Katherine Paterson needs no introduction to Vermonters. Long revered as one of Vermont’s preeminent authors, she has written more than thirty books for children.
Two of her novels, The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins, were National Book Award winners, in 1977 and 1979 respectively. The Great Gilly Hopkins was also the single Honor Book for the 1979 Newbery Medal. She received the Newbery Medal in 1978 for Bridge to Terabithia and again in 1981 for Jacob Have I Loved. Lyddie was the U.S. contribution to the Honors List of the International Board of Books for Young People in 1994, and Jip: His Story won the 1997 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction.
Her books have been published in more than twenty-five languages, and she is the 1998 recipient of the most distinguished international award given to a writer for a contribution to children’s literature, the Hans Christian Andersen Award.
Born in 1932 in China to missionary parents, Katherine was herself a teacher and a missionary in Japan. Her husband is a Presbyterian minister; they have four children and seven grandchildren.
Paterson’s novels often deal with difficult themes such as jealousy or death; her prose helps young and old readers alike deal with these issues with strength and perseverance. Paterson lives in Barre, Vermont where she serves on the Board of Directors of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates literacy, promotes literature, and encourages support for local libraries.
You can learn more about Katherine Paterson at her Web site, www.terabithia.com.
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