Gary Paulsen
Gary Paulsen | |
|---|---|
| Gary Paulsen Gary Paulsen | |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Spouse | Ruth Wright Paulsen |
| Signature | |
 | |
| Website | |
| http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/index.html | |
Biography
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1938, he was raised by his grandmother and aunts. Paulsen used his work as a magazine proofreader to learn the craft of writing. In 1956, his first book was published under the title The Special War . Using his varied life experiences, especially those of an outdoorsman (a hunter, trapper, and three-time competitor in the 1,150-mile (1,850 km) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race), Paulsen writes about what he knows best.
Much of Paulsen's work features the outdoors and highlights the importance of nature. He often uses "coming of age" themes in his novels, where a character masters the art of survival in isolation as a rite of passage to manhood and maturity. He is critical of technology and has been called a Luddite[1].
Some of Paulsen's most well-known books are the Hatchet series, although he has published many other popular novels including Dogsong, Harris and Me, and The Winter Room, which won the Newbery Honor. Woodsong and Winterdance are among the most popular books about the Iditarod.
Paulsen competed in the 1983 and 1985 Iditarods. In 1990, due to angina, he gave up dog sledding, which he has described as the most difficult decision he has ever made. After more than a decade spent sailing all over the Pacific, Paulsen got back into dog sledding in 2003. In 2005, he was scheduled to compete in the 2005 Iditarod after a 20-year absence, but withdrew shortly before the start of the race. He participated in the 2006 Iditarod, but scratched after two days.
Paulsen lives in La Luz, New Mexico with his wife, Ruth Wright Paulsen, an artist who has illustrated several of his books. He also maintains a 40-acre (160,000 m2) spread north of Willow, Alaska where he breeds and trains sled dogs for the Iditarod.
According to Paulsen's keynote speech on October 13 at the 2008 Sinclair Lewis writing conference in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, he intended to compete in the Iditarod again however he is listed in the "Mushers Withdrawn" section of the 2008 race website.
Published works
The Tucket Adventures
- Mr. Tucket (1969)
- Call Me Francis Tucket (1995)
- Tucket's Ride (1997)
- Tucket's Gold (1999)
- Tucket's Home (2000)
Brian's Saga
- Hatchet (1987) (Has an alternate ending which makes a continuity with Brian's Winter)
- The River (Hatchet: The Return, The Return) (1991)
- Brian's Winter (Hatchet: Winter) (1996)
- Brian's Return (Hatchet: The Call) (1999)
- Brian's Hunt (2003)
Murphy series
- Murphy (1987)
- Murphy's Gold (1988)
- Murphy's Herd (1989)
- Murphy's War (1990)
- Co-authored by Brian Burks
- Murphy's Stand (1993)
- Murphy's Ambush (1995)
- Murphy's Trail (1996)
Alida's series
- The Cookcamp (1991)
- Alida's Song (1999)
- The Quilt (2004)
Nightjohn series
World of Adventure
- The Legend of Red Horse Cavern (1994)
- Rodomonte's Revenge (Video Trap) (1994)
- Escape from Fire Mountain (1995)
- The Rock Jockeys (Devil's Wall) (1995)
- Hook 'Em Snotty! (1995)
- Danger on Midnight River (1995)
- The Gorgon Slayer (1995)
- Captive! (1995)
- Project - A Perfect World (Perfect Danger) (1996)
- The Treasure of El Patron (Treasure Ship) (1996)
- Skydive! (1996)
- The Seventh Crystal (1996)
- The Creature of Black Water Lake (1997)
- Time Benders (1997)
- Grizzly (1997)
- Thunder Valley (1997)
- Curse of the Ruins (1998)
- Flight of the Hawk (1998)
Tales to Tickle the Funnybone
- The Boy Who Owned the School (1990)
- Harris and Me (1993)
- The Schernoff Discoveries (1997)
- The Glass Cafe (2003)
- Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day (2004)
- The Amazing Life of Birds: The Twenty-Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech (2006)
- Lawn Boy (2007)
Culpepper Adventures
- The Case of the Dirty Bird (1992)
- Dunc's Doll (1992)
- Culpepper's Cannon (1992)
- Dunc Gets Tweaked (1992)
- Dunc's Halloween (1992)
- Dunc Breaks the Record (1992)
- Dunc and the Flaming Ghost (1992)
- Amos Gets Famous (1992)
- Dunc and Amos Hit the Big Top (1993)
- Dunc's Dump (1993)
- Dunc and the Scam Artists (1993)
- Dunc and Amos and the Red Tattoos (1993)
- Dunc's Undercover Christmas (1993)
- Wild Culpepper Cruise (1993)
- Dunc and the Haunted Castle (1993)
- Cowpokes and Desperadoes (1993)
- Prince Amos (1994)
- Coach Amos (1994)
- Amos and the Alien (1994)
- Dunc and Amos Meet the Slasher (1994)
- Dunc and the Greased Sticks of Doom (1994)
- Amos's Killer Concert Caper (1994)
- Amos Gets Married (1995)
- Amos Goes Bananas (1996)
- Dunc and Amos Go to the Dogs (1996)
- Amos and the Vampire (1996)
- Amos and the Chameleon Caper (1996)
- Amos Binder, Secret Agent (1996)
- Dunc and Amos on Thin Ice (1997)
- Super Amos (1997)
Culpepper Adventures Special
- Amos Meets the Slasher (1993)
Other novels
- The Special War (1966)
- Some Birds Don't Fly (1968)
- Chance for Escape (1970)
- The Death Specialists (1976)
- The Implosion Effect (1976)
- C. B. Jockey (1977)
- The Golden Stick (1977)
- Tiltawhirl John (1977)
- The C. B. Radio Caper (1977)
- Foxman (1977)
- Winterkill (1977)
- The Curse of the Cobra (1977)
- The Green Recruit (1978)
- The Spitball Gang (1980)
- Compkill (1981)
- The Sweeper (1981)
- Campkill (1981)
- Clutterkill (1982)
- Dancing Carl (1983)
- Popcorn Days and Buttermilk Nights (1983)
- Tracker (1984)
- Dogsong (1985)
- Sentries (1986)
- The Crossing (1987)
- The Island (1988)
- Night Rituals (1989)
- The Voyage of the Frog (1989)
- The Winter Room (1989)
- Canyons (1990)
- Kill Fee (1990)
- The Night the White Deer Died (1990)
- The Monument (1991)
- Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass (1992)
- Tasting the Thunder (1992)
- The Haymeadow (1992)
- A Christmas Sonata (1992)
- Dogteam (1993)
- The Fourteenth Summer (1993)
- The Car (1994)
- The Tent (1995)
- The Tortilla Factory (1995)
- The Rifle (1995)
- Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers (1996)
- Worksong (1997)
- Ice Race (1997)
- The Transall Saga (1998)
- Soldier's Heart (1998)
- Blue Light (1999)
- Canoe Days (1999)
- The Beet Fields (2000)
- The White Fox Chronicles (2000)
- The Time Hackers (2005)
- The Legend of Bass Reeves (2006)
- Mudshark (May 12, 2009)
Non-Fiction
- The Grass-Eaters: Real Animals (1976)
- The Small Ones (1976)
- Hitting, Pitching, and Running (1976)
- Martin Luther King: The Man Who Climbed the Mountain (1976)
- Dribbling, Shooting, and Scoring (1976)
- Careers in an Airport (1977)
- Tackling, Running, and Kicking (1977)
- Riding, Roping, and Bulldogging (1977)
- Farm: A History And Celebration of the American Farmer (1977)
- Running, Jumping, and Throwing (1978)
- Successful Home Repair: When Not to Call the Contractor (1978)
- Forehanding and Backhanding (1978)
- Hiking and Backpacking (1978)
- Downhill, Hotdogging and Cross-Country (1979)
- Facing Off, Checking and Goaltending (1979)
- Launching, Floating High and Landing (1979)
- Pummeling, Falling and Getting Up-Sometimes (1979)
- Track, Enduro and Motocross (1979)
- Canoeing, Kayacking, and Rafting (1979)
- Going Very Fast in a Circle (1979)
- Athletics: Focus On Sport (1980)
- Ice Hockey: Focus On Sport (1980)
- Motor Cycling: Focus On Sport (1980)
- Motor Racing: Focus On Sport (1980)
- Skiing: Focus On Sport (1980)
- Tennis: Focus On Sport (1980)
- T.V. and Movie Animals (1980) (with Art Browne, Jr)
- Money Saving Home Repair Guide: Successful Home Improvement Series (1981)
- Sailing: From Jibs to Jibing (1981)
- Beat the System: A Survival Guide (1982)
- The Madonna Stories (1988)
- Woodsong (1990)
- Full of Hot Air: Launching, Floating High, And Landing (1993)
- A Guide for Using Hatchet in the Classroom (1994)
- Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod (1994)
- Father Water, Mother Woods (1994)
- Eastern Sun, Winter Moon: An Autobiographical Odyssey (1996)
- My Life in Dog Years (1998)
- Pilgrimage on a Steel Ride: A Memoir of Men and Motorcycles (1997)
- All Aboard: Stories from Big Books (1998)
- Zero to Sixty: A Motorcycle Journey Through Midlife (1999)
- Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books (2001)
- Caught by the Sea - My Life on Boats (2001)
- How Angel Peterson Got His Name (2003)
Awards and recognition
- Newbery Honor Book 1986 - Dogsong
- Newbery Honor Book 1988 - Hatchet
- Newbery Honor Book 1990 - The Winter Room
- Western Writers of America Golden Spurs Award - The Haymeadow
References
- 2005–2006 Mark Twain Award master list addendum. (n.d.). Missouri Association of School Librarians. Retrieved March 12, 2006 from Missouri Association of School Librarians, Book Awards.
- Mark Twain Award master list 1971–2006. (April 29, 2005). Retrieved March 12, 2006 from Mid-Continent Public Library, Juvenile Award Winners ((pdf).
- Margaret A. Edwards Award. (n.d.). American Library Association. http://www.ala.org
- Gary Paulsen's site
- Film adaptions by Gary Paulsen from the IMDb site
- 1990 young adult Sequoyah Award from Oklahoma Library Association