Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson, a two-time winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award, has written over 30 books and received numerous accolades, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. Her most recent book is the engrossing historical novel, My Brigadista Year, which follows a young Cuban teenager as she volunteers for Fidel Castro’s national literacy campaign and travels into the impoverished countryside to teach others how to read. With her late husband, John Paterson, she co-authored The Flint Heart, a wryly retold fantasy illustrated by John Rocco and published by Candlewick Press. A former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Katherine Paterson is well known for her work in promoting literacy in the United States and internationally, and in 2000 the Library of Congress named her a Living Legend. She lives in Montpelier, Vermont. Photo credit: Samantha Loomis Paterson