Katherine Paterson (née Womeldorf; born October 31, 1932) is an American writer best known for

children's novels Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

, including '' Bridge to Terabithia'' (1977), which won the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

in 1978. For four different books published 1975–1980, she won two

s and two

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

s. She is one of four people to win the two major international awards; for "lasting contribution to children's literature" she won the biennial

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

for Writing in 1998 and for her career contribution to "children's and young adult literature in the broadest sense" she won the

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award () is an international children's literary award established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002). The prize is five million SEK, making it ...

from the Swedish Arts Council in 2006, the biggest monetary prize in children's literature. Also for her body of work she was awarded the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature in 2007 and the

Children's Literature Legacy Award The Children's Literature Legacy Award (formerly the ''Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal'' or ''Wilder Award'') is a prize awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to writers ...

from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

in 2013. She was the second US National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, serving 2010 and 2011.

Early life

Katherine Womeldorf was born in

Huai'an ) , leader_title1 = , leader_name1 = , leader_title2 = , leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = , leader_name3 = , leader_title4 = , leader_name4 = , established_title = ...

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

(Now

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

) to Presbyterian missionaries G. (George) Raymond and Mary Womeldorf. Her father supported her family by preaching and heading Sutton 690, a boys' school. The Womeldorf family lived in a Chinese neighborhood and immersed themselves in Chinese culture. She attended

Shanghai American School Shanghai American School (SAS; ) is a non-profit, independent international school located in Shanghai, China. Founded in 1912, SAS has two campuses serving a diverse student body of over 2,900 students from more than 40 nationalities, ranging f ...

where her family briefly lived in the school dormitories. When Katherine was five years old, the family fled China during the Japanese invasion of 1937. Her family returned to the United States at the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Paterson said during World War II, her parents and four siblings lived in Virginia and North Carolina, and when her family's return to China was indefinitely postponed, they moved to various towns in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, before her parents settled in Winchester, Virginia. The Womeldorf family moved 15 times over 13 years.

Higher education

Paterson's first language was Chinese, and she initially experienced difficulty reading and writing English. She overcame these challenges and, in 1954, graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

with a degree in English from King College in

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary be ...

. She then spent a year teaching at a rural elementary school in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

before going to graduate school. She received a master's degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia, where she studied Bible and Christian education. Paterson had hoped to become a missionary in China, but its borders were closed to western citizens. A Japanese friend pushed her to go to Japan instead, where she worked as a missionary and Christian education assistant. While in Japan, Paterson studied both Japanese and Chinese culture, which influenced much of her subsequent writing.

Writing years

Paterson began her professional career in the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...

in 1964 by writing curriculum materials for fifth and sixth graders. In 1966, she wrote the religious education book ''Who Am I?''. While continuing to write, she was unable to get any of her novels published. After being persuaded, Paterson took an adult education course in creative writing during which her first novel was published. Her first children's novel, ''The Sign of the Chrysanthemum'', was published in 1973. It is a work of historical fiction, set in the Japanese medieval period; it is based on Paterson's studies in Japan. Bridge to Terabithia, her most widely read work, was published in 1977. ''Terabithia'' was highly controversial due to some of the difficult themes, but is the most popular book she has written. Some of her other books also feature difficult themes such as the death of a loved one. In her 2007 NSK Prize Lecture at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, Paterson said she has spent the last "more than forty years" of her life as a writer, and her books seem "to be filled with heroes of the most unlikely sort."

Recent years

Paterson lives in Barre, Vermont. Her husband John Barstow Paterson, a retired Presbyterian pastor, died in 2013. She has four children and seven grandchildren. On April 28, 2005, Paterson dedicated a tree in memory of Lisa Hill (her son David's childhood friend who became the inspiration for ''Bridge to Terabithia'') to Takoma Park Elementary School. In 2006, she released '' Bread and Roses, Too''. She was inspired to write this book after seeing a photograph of 35 children taken on the steps of the Old Socialist Labor Hall in Barre captioned, "Children of Lawrence Massachusetts, Bread and Roses Strike come to Barre". She has written a play version of the story by

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Heelis (; 28 July 186622 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( ), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' ...

, '' The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck''. It was performed at a conference of the Beatrix Potter Society in

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

in April 2009. In January 2010, Paterson replaced Jon Scieszka as the Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a two-year position created to raise national awareness of the importance of lifelong literacy and education.Rich, Motoko. (January 5, 2010
"New Envoy's Old Advice for Children: Read More"
''The New York Times'' In 2011, Paterson gave the Annual Buechner Lecture at The Buechner Institute at her alma mater, King University. In January 2013, Paterson received the

from the American Library Association, which recognizes a living author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made "a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children". Citing Bridge to Terabithia in particular, the committee noted that "Paterson's unflinching yet redemptive treatment of tragedy and loss helped pave the way for ever more realistic writing for young people." As of 2022, Katherine Paterson is a vice-president of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a non-profit organization that advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries.

Writing style

In Paterson's novels, her youthful protagonists face crises by which they learn to triumph through self-sacrifice. Paterson, unlike many other authors of young adult novels, tackles themes often considered to be adult, such as death and jealousy. Although her characters face dire situations, Paterson writes with compassion and empathy. Amidst her writing of misery and strife, Paterson interlaces her writing with wry wit and understated humor. After facing tumultuous events, her characters prevail in triumph and redeem themselves and their ambitions. Paterson's protagonists are usually orphaned or estranged children with only a few friends who must face difficult situations largely on their own. Paterson's plots may reflect her own childhood in which she felt estranged and lonely.

Works

Awards

The Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren Awards are the two major international awards recognizing career contributions to children's literature. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award is the highest honor from US professional librarians for contributions to American children's literature. Paterson has also won many annual awards for new books, including the

('' The Master Puppeteer'', 1977; '' The Great Gilly Hopkins'', 1979);"National Book Awards – 1977"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established with the goal "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: ...

(NBF). Retrieved 2012-02-27.
(With acceptance speech by Paterson.)"National Book Awards – 1979"
NBF. Retrieved February 27, 2012. the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award (''Master Puppeteer'', 1977); the

('' Bridge to Terabithia'', 1977; '' Jacob Have I Loved'', 1981); the

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual American children's book award that recognizes historical fiction. It was established in 1982 by Scott O'Dell, author of ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' and 25 other children's books, in ho ...

(''Jip, His Story'', 1996). Twenty years after its publication, '' Of Nightingales That Weep'' won the 1994 Phoenix Award as the best children's book that did not win a major contemporary award.

Awards for body of work

*E. B. White Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, 2019 * Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, 2013 * NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature 2007 *Astrid Lindgren Award for Lifetime Achievement 2006 *Literary Light, Boston Public Library 2000 * Living Legend, Library of Congress 2000 *Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Writing 1998 *Lion of the New York Public Library 1998 *Who's Who in American Women 1995 to present *King College, Outstanding Alumnus 1993-1994 *Education Press Friend of Education Award 1993 * Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, Tulsa Public Library 1993 *New England Book Award 1992 *US Nominee Hans Christian Andersen Award 1989–90 *Regina Medal, Catholic Library Association 1988 *Children's Literature Award, Keene State College 1987 *Kerlan Award, University of Minnesota 1983 * The University of Southern Mississippi Medallion 1983 *Scott O'Dell Award for Children's Literature 1982 *US Nominee Hans Christian Andersen Award 1979–80 *Who's Who in America 1978 to present *The Union Medal, Union Theological Seminary (New York)

Adaptations

''Bridge to Terabithia'' has been adapted into film twice, the 1985 PBS version and the 2007 Walden Media production version. One of the producers and screenwriters for the later version was Paterson's son David L. Paterson, whose name appears on the dedication page of the novel. Paterson's 1980 novel, ''Jacob Have I Loved'', was adapted into a 1989 made-for-television film by the

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the ...

as part of their children's anthology series '' WonderWorks'' . Her short story "Poor Little Innocent Lamb" was adapted into the 2002 television film '' Miss Lettie and Me''. Another of her novels, ''The Great Gilly Hopkins'', was adapted into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, written by David L. Paterson, in 2015. Her fantasy-novel release ''The Flint Heart'' has been optioned by Bedrock Films.