Katherine Paterson
Having seen Katherine Paterson at other presentations and at various book signings, I knew that the group was in for a special treat. In her usual gracious manner, she settled on the large sofa as the students sat upon pillows placed around the floor in front of her. Already prepared to begin reading aloud, she paused to give the children time to get the wiggles under control and off-handedly asked if she should read something to them. Of course, they responded with enthusiasm and the afternoon at the Embassy of Sweden (Washington, DC) began to spin out its magic. The Embassy was celebrating The Year of the Child and had invited a number of authors, guest readers, and schools to participate with events centered on books, agility skills, Swedish cartoons, and other diversions targeted to a wide range of children. The year was 2006 and Katherine Paterson had been awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (awarded by the Swedish government) for her "body of work" and contribution to children's literature and, as such, she was the featured "star" of the event.
After she had read for a few minutes, she began to draw the students (and adults) into her personal realm of thinking about people, places, ideas, questions of life, and the process of writing and enjoying literature. Of course, she handled all of the questions with grace—"Are you rich?" "Are you famous?" "Is that really you in all of the pictures receiving that award?" Smiling her beatific smile, she led them back to thinking about what it takes to become a writer and how observing life is an important part of being able to describe places and people so that a reader can really understand what the writer actually has in mind or wants the reader to imagine.
Setting the scene is something that Paterson does with particularly adept skill; mainly due to her own life experiences (as a missionary, wife, mother, writer, teacher, as well as having lived in China and Japan and being a world-wide traveler) and her obvious interest in and empathy for people–humans with feelings and motivations. In Jacob Have I Loved (John Newbery Medal, 1981), the reader can smell the salt air of the Chesapeake Bay and experience the life of a waterman's daughter during the Depression. The sense of place and time gives the novel such immediacy that the reader cannot help but share "Wheezy's" life as she grows into an independent young woman, who has become aware of her own strengths. Consider Paterson's range as she takes readers to a variety of settings and time frames; she is as easily at home in Biblical times as she is in Ancient Japan or modern day Kosovo, to say nothing of Lowell, Ma in the 1840s or Medieval England. She has said that she gets a character in her mind and "after a couple of years" has to tell their story; but readers can glean from her writings that she is always telling stories about people who find ways to cope with where they are in life—whether in a war zone, a fantasy, or a fairy tale. Her interest in people is also reflected in her reactions to the world—when she met artist Vladimir Vagin she knew she wanted to write a fairy tale for him to illustrate. Thus The King's Equal came into being as a perfect example of all of the "elements of a fairy tale" as well as being a beautifully illustrated book that resonates with people all over the world. Classroom teachers would bless her for this book alone—thankfully they have many other wonderful reasons to celebrate her talent.
At a book signing, she once told me that some characters "nag and nag" at her until she just has to tell their story. Having started her writing career with a church curriculum (Presbyterian Church), she found that she wanted to tell stories of people and to awaken readers' imaginations. She writes books that deal with the, often harsh, realities of life and yet her work is always uplifting and a source of solace, growth, and profound understanding. She shared the story of working with prison inmates in an author workshop using The Same Stuff As Stars. Many of the men there had never had the experience of reading a book and sharing their feelings about the plot, characters, setting, etc. let alone discussing the book with its author. Her compassion and generous nature reached her audience and many shared their own personal stories. One man in particular, was deeply affected by the experience and spoke to her of his daughter and how he had come to understand that his actions had imposed a "sentence" on his family just at the courts had imposed one on him.
Critical acclaim does not seem to have penetrated Paterson's psyche, just yet. Her humility in discussing her career is a true expression of her attitude toward her writing. She expresses doubts about setting out to write a new book; but her best friend/ supporter husband always spurs her into proceeding with another project and then she can hardly wait to start the "re-write" process. Once she captures the story, she says it is "bliss" to re-write and polish. Needless to say there are countless readers and educators that are thrilled to be able to enjoy the "fruits" of her labors. She considers writing a job and she works at it daily; but she tells everyone she meets that it is the best job in the world. Her "job" has garnered her many awards and accolades, including two Newbery Medals (Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved), two National Books Awards (The Great Gilly Hopkins and The Master Puppeteer), many state, national and international reading awards, as well as the honor of having received The Hans Christian Andersen Medal and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She has not been overlooked in her own home state of Vermont where she received the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. On Jan 5 2010 the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, named Katherine Paterson the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She will hold this position for 2010 and 2011, succeeding Jon Scieszka, the first author to hold the position. "Read for Your Life" is the platform she will be sharing all across the country as she visits schools, books stores, literature festivals , etc. around the country. One can only admire the wisdom of having her as an Ambassador for Literature, who better to encourage a love for books than an author who can create a desire to be a life-long reader—learning important life lessons from the "master story-teller" embodied in Katherine Paterson.
Visit her web site to learn more about Mrs. Paterson and her activities as a lifetime member of the United States Board on Books for Young People and the International Board on Books for Young People. She is also a member of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance and The Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC ("among other things"):
Contributor: Sheilah Egan
Reviews
Bridge to Terabithia
Katherine Paterson
Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr. practices all summer so that he can be the fastest runner in his rural Virginia fifth-grade class. Despite his practice, however, he loses the race on the first day of school to Leslie Burke, the new girl in school whose hippy parents have moved from Washington, DC. Despite Jesse's lost running dream, he becomes fast friends with Leslie. Together they build the imaginary kingdom of Terabitia in the woods. To Jesse, Leslie is "more than his friend. She was his other more exciting self--his way to Terabithia and all the worlds beyond." When Jesse's favorite teacher takes him to see the art museums in Washington one rainy day, he returns home to find his world permanently changed by tragedy--Leslie's death. Despite his heartache, Jesse moves forward, a stronger and more whole individual for his friendship with Leslie. Written by the author for her then young son whose best friend was killed by lightning, this Newbery Medal winner moves the heart and spirit with its beautiful writing, wrenching honesty, and hopeful ending. 2005 (orig. 1977), HarperCollins, $5.99. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Valerie O. Patterson (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780690013597
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Katherine Paterson
Gillly Hopkins is eleven years old, and she is being sent to live with a new foster family--again. Gilly wants desperately to belong, but she has decided that her best chance for success is to be in control of every situation and to avoid trusting anybody. Her aim in life is to be reunited with her biological mother, but letters to her mother never bring results. In her new home, she bides her time until she can steal money from a blind man next door to buy a ticket to visit her mother. She is caught by the police and returned to the foster home where she learns the meaning of forgiveness, tough love, and family values. Just when she starts to feel a sense of belonging to the foster family who loves her, her grandmother shows up to take her "home." There are some tense moments and a surprise ending, but Gilly learns a lot about life and becomes a stronger, more self-reliant person with an appreciation for the strengths and weaknesses of others. Readers will empathize with the characters in this absorbing story of people who are thrown together and must help each other cope with life's problems and disappointments. The ending is realistic and satisfying. This is an excellent book, especially for students who think life would be great if they could control all decisions. Highly recommended. 2003 (orig. 1978), Harper Trophy/HarperCollins Publishers, $5.99. Ages 10 to 15. Reviewer: Marilyn Walls (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780064402019
ISBN: 9780690038385
Jacob Have I Loved
Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson won the Newbery Medal for this lost birthright story in 1980. It relates the story of twins Caroline and Louise, who is the elder by minutes. The former seems to gather all the love and attention right from birth and only when she has left their lonely island home to study music can Louise establish herself positively in the eyes of her family, dominated by a harridan, hateful grandmother. But even this does not satisfy her true inner need for love and recognition, so the time comes when she too must leave the island and seek fulfillment, which of her is in medicine. This novel is imbued with all kinds of strong emotions that cannot fail to leave an impression on the reader for they are conveyed masterfully and poignantly---well worth introducing to older and probably well experienced readers. Category: Middle/Secondary. Puffin Plus, D1.25. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: David Bennett (Books for Keeps No. 23, November 1983).
ISBN: 9780140314717
The King's Equal
Katherine Paterson
Illustrated by Vladimir Vagin
The King's Equal begins with Raphael, a greedy, egotistical prince whose inheritance rests on finding a woman whose beauty, intelligence and wealth match his own. Enter Rosamund, a genuine woman who is greater than his equal. Turning the tale upside down, it is Raphael who must prove his equality through humility, honesty, and hard work. The turning point of the story comes when Raphael tests Rosamund's knowledge. She tells him she knows one thing no one else does. " 'I know,' said Rosamund quietly, so that only he could hear, 'I know that you are very lonely.'" In that one moment Rosamund brings Raphael to his point of vulnerability with intuitive wisdom and compassion. And in that one moment he falls hopelessly in love and shifts his values forever. A School Library Journal Best Book. 1992, HarperCollins, $17.00, $16.89 and $6.95. Ages 6 to 10. Reviewer: Susie Wilde (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780060224967
ISBN: 9780060224974
The Same Stuff as Stars
Katherine Paterson
Angel's life has been anything but heavenly. She and her brother have been in and out of foster homes and their father is in jail. They are back in the care of their mother, but not for long before she takes them to their paternal great-grandmother's house. Not only will 11-year-old Angel have to take care of her 7-year-old brother, Bernie, but she has to care for the elderly woman as well. Angel discovers the beauty of the stars in the night sky and meets a stranger with a telescope who tells her they have met before and he teaches her about the constellations. Wanting to know more, she finds solace and a friend at the library. Angel is a resourceful character who must learn to deal with the kidnapping of Bernie, the teasing of classmates, visits to the jail and the sudden appearance of her father, as well as the death of the star man. In Paterson's capable hands, all the threads of the story come together in a satisfying ending to a story that presents the many facets of family relationships. She adeptly conveys the essence of each of her fully developed characters. Readers will quickly get caught up in this fluid and beautifully-told tale with a heroine who is simultaneously strong and vulnerable. 2002, Clarion Books, $15.00. Ages 10 to 13. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780060557126
To see the previous feature on Katherine Paterson, click here.
Added 1/28/11
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