Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson is the author of more than 30 books, including 16 novels for children and young people. She has twice won the Newbery Medal, for Bridge to Terabithia in 1978 and Jacob Have I Loved in 1981. The Master Puppeteer won the National Book Award in 1977 and The Great Gilly Hopkins won the National Book Award in 1979 and was also a Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of a Christopher Award. For the body of her work, she received the Hans Christian Anderson Award in 1998, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2006, and in 2000 was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. Her plays with Concord Tehatricals are: Bridge to Terabithia with Stephanie Tolan music by Steve Liebman; The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks with Stephanie Tolan and Steve Liebman. The Great Gilly Hopkins with book and music by David Paterson and Steve Liebman is based on her book by the same name. She is a Vice President of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance (www.thencbla.org) and is a member of the board of trustees for Vermont College of Fine Arts (www.vermontcollege.edu). She also a honorary lifetime member of the International Board of Books for Young People (www.IBBY.org) and an Alida Cutts lifetime member of the US section, USBBY (www.USBBY.org). She was the 2010-2011 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (www.read.gov/cfb/ambassador/). She and her husband live in Barre, Vermont. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.