Bridge to Terabithia — About Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson was born in China's Jiangsu province in 1932 to Christian missionaries. Her family lived there until they were forced to evacuate to the US during the Japanese invasion of World War II. Due to her parents' vocation, Paterson moved frequently throughout her childhood and often felt ostracized by her classmates. She found refuge in books and is still an avid reader. Paterson majored in English at King College and received her M.A. from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education and her M.R.E. from Union Theological Seminary. Interspersed with her degrees, she taught in rural Virginia, Japan, and New Jersey. In addition, Paterson married and raised a family of four children. Currently, she maintains her passion for reading and writing at her home in Barre, Vermont.

Paterson began to write seriously in 1964, but didn't publish her first novel until 1973. Bridge to Terabithia was born out of Paterson's need to make sense of inexplicable tragedy when her son's eight year old best friend was struck and killed by lightning. As she explains, "Art—whether it be in graphic images or music or even the words of a story—has a power to touch us below the level of argument or logic. In times of fear and grief we humans crave this comfort for ourselves and seek to share it with one another." Paterson spent one year writing Bridge to Terabithia, publishing this timeless classic in 1977, and the result was a novel worthy of her first of two career Newbery Medals. Katherine Paterson's illustrious career also garnered her the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. You can learn more about Paterson's award at www.alma.se/page.php.

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