Author Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia

"When people ask me what qualifies me to be a writer for children, I say I was once a child. But I was not only a child, I was better still, a weird little kid, and ... there are a few things, apparently more helpful to a writer than having once been a weird little kid." Katherine Paterson (Paterson, K. Study Guide, n.d.)

Katherine Paterson, the author of Bridge to Terabithia,, was born Katherine Womeldorf on October 31, 1932 in Qing Jiang, China (Paterson, 2014, Stories of my Life). Her parents, George and Mary were American born missionaries working for the Presbyterian Church. Due to several wars, (especially World War II), Katherine and her family were forced to leave China twice. When back in the United States, her father's church assignments required them to move frequently. As a result of Chinese being Katherine's first language, she started school with very little knowledge of the United States and "spoke English with a British accent." She worked as a library aide in one of her elementary schools and became developed a love of reading. She had also attended more than a dozen different schools before graduating from high school (Paterson, K. Study Guide, n.d.).

After graduating from college, Katherine Paterson taught school for a year in a small town and then spent four years doing missionary work in Japan. When she returned to the United States in 1962, she married her husband, John Paterson, a Presbyterian minister and they raised four children (two boys by natural birth and two adopted girls from China).

Before she became a full-time fiction writer (primarily of children's books), she wrote educational materials. She began writing historical fiction in Japanese settings. Her first major success was The Master Puppeteer, and was awarded the National Book Award. She then wrote Bridge to Terabithia (her first book set in the United States), and won the Newberry Medal in 1978 and continued to write many more children's and young adult books concerning young people in difficult situations and how they cope (Paterson, K. Study Guide, n.d.).

She currently lives in Vermont with her loyal dog, Pixie. (Katherine Paterson Website- Welcome to the World of Katherine Paterson http://katherinepaterson.com, retrieved 06/25/16.)

Fun and Interesting Facts about Katherine Paterson

According to her friend, Nancy Price Graff, Katherine Paterson rarely talks about the book she is currently writing. (Paterson, K., Stories of My Life, 2014).
Katherine Paterson once stated that being a writer was not her first career aspiration. "I couldn't decide whether I wanted to be a missionary or a movie star when I grew up." (Paterson, K., Stories of My Life, 2014).
In addition to writing children's fiction, Katherine Paterson has written a book on the Christian faith for fifth and sixth graders titled, Who Am I and helps children to know their relationship with God and their purpose and place in the world. It was published in 1966, the same year she gave birth to her second son, David. (Paterson, K., Stories of My Life, 2014)

Accolades and Awards for Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia, in 2012, was ranked #10 among all-time best children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal, a monthly periodical with a primarily United States audience. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved 08/5/16)

Janusz Korczak Medal (Poland) 1981
Silver Pencil Award (Netherlands) 1981
Newbery Medal 1978
ALA Notable Children's Books 1977
School Library Journal Best Book of 1977
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award 1978
Le Grand Prix des Jeunes Lecture (France), 1986
1986 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award

(Reference Source: Katherine Paterson's Website: http://katherinepaterson.com/)

Articles about Bridge to Terabithia and Katherine Paterson

Children's Author Katherine Paterson Receives Honorary Degree - Washington Post, January 16, 2015
The 10 Best Authors of Children's Literature - Flavorwire, March 20, 2012
10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011 - New York Times Book Review, November 03, 2011
New Envoy's Old Advice for Children - New York Times, January 04, 2010

Reference Source- Katherine Paterson Website-Press Archive (http://katherinepaterson.com/press/)

Additional and Notable Books by Katherine Paterson

Cover: The Great Gilly Hopkins The Great Gilly Hopkins, (1978)

Cover: Jacob Have I Loved Jacob Have I Loved, (1980)

Cover: The sign of the Chrysanthemum The Sign of the Chrysanthemum, (1988)

Cover: Of Nightengales that Weep Of Nightingales that Weep, (1989)

Cover: Lyddie Lyddie, (1995)

Cover: Day of the Pelican The Day of the Pelican, (2009)

Cover: Preacher's Boy Preacher's Boy, (2013)

(Reference Source: Katherine Paterson's Website: http://katherinepaterson.com/books/)