Katherine Paterson, Children's Novelist

1. Katherine Paterson, Children's Novelist By: Jacquelyn Olson

2. Objectives: Upon completion of this unit, the student should be able to: • Summarize Katherine Paterson’s life experiences. • Discuss the type of literature the author writes. • Compare and contrast Katherine Paterson’s style with other contemporary children's’ authors.

3. Discussion Questions: • What entices you, the reader, to want to read a particular book? • What makes you want to continue reading that book until you reach its conclusion?

4. Biographical Information: • Katherine Paterson was born in China on October 31, 1932. • Spent the first five years of her life in China before returning to the United States when World War II began. • Briefly returned to China a year later, but evacuated again, never to return to live. • Studied English and American literature at King College in Bristol, Tennessee. She graduated in 1954. • Taught for one year in a rural school in Northern Virginia. • Earned a Master’s degree in Bible and Christian Education in 1957. • Moved to Japan for four years to live and work.

5. Upon her return to the United States, she met Reverend John Paterson. They married in 1962, and moved to Takoma Park, Maryland. • The couple have four children, and seven grandchildren. • The Patersons currently live in Barre, Vermont.

6. Novels Include: Awards Include: Newbery Awards: 1978 Bridge to Terabithia 1981 Jacob Have I loved Newbery Honor Award: 1979 The Great Gilly Hopkins National Book Awards: 1979 The Great Gilly Hopkins 1977 The Master Puppeteer ALA Notable Children's Book Awards Hans Christian Anderson Award • Bread and Roses, Too • Bridge to Terabithia • Come Sing, Jimmy Jo • The Field of Dogs • Flip-Flop Girl • The Great Gilly Hopkins • Jacob Have I loved • Jip, His Story • Lyddie • The Master Puppeteer • Of Nightingales That Weep • Park’s Quest • Preacher’s Boy • Rebels of the Heavenly Kingdom • The Same Stuff as Stars • Sign of the Chrysanthemum

7. Current Affiliations: • Currently on the ruling board for her church. • Member of the United States Board of Books for Young People (USBBY), the U.S. section of the International Board of Books for Young People. This organization tries to ensure that children everywhere experience the joys of reading. • Board member of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance which is a non-profit organization that advocates for literacy, literature and libraries.

8. Interview with Katherine Paterson • What award(s) affected your mission in writing children’s books the greatest? • Do you feel a personal connection to any of your books? Which ones?

9. Memorable Quotes: • Best advise to young writers? “Read, because that’s the way you learn how the language works. That’s the way you learn about emotion, on paper. That’s where you find out how stories are fastened, by reading, and reading and reading.” • “The best books are not just about problems. They’re about a child’s heart.” • Characters as role models? “I think of them as people in circumstances of difficulty. And that makes some people stronger and some people weaker.”

10. Closure: Discussion Questions: • What intrigues you about Katherine Paterson’s life? • Do you feel an interest in reading her books? Which ones? • How do the themes in her books compare with other contemporary writers?

11. References: • "Interview with Katherine Paterson." Reading Rockets. 2008. Reading Rockets. 10 Mar 2009 <http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/paterson>. • "Katherine Paterson." Wikipedia. 2009. 10 Mar 2009 <'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Paterson'>. • " Life and Times of Katherine Paterson." Reading Rockets. 2008. 10 Mar 2009 <http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/paterson/bio?theme=print>. • Terabithia.com. 2009. Katherine Paterson. 20 Mar 2009 <http://www.terabithia.com/>. • “Transcript: Interview with Katherine Paterson." Reading Rockets. 2008. Reading Rockets. 10 Mar 2009 <http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/paterson/transcript?theme=print>.