Stories of My Life

From her childhood in China to the moment she won her first National Book Award, literary icon Katherine Paterson shares the personal stories that inspired her children’s books.

Told with her trademark humor and heart, Paterson’s tales reveal details about her life from her childhood with missionary parents, to living as a single woman in Japan, to raising four children in suburban Maryland with her minister husband. Read about the origins of such familiar characters as Leslie Burke and Janice Avery from Bridge to Terabithia, and go behind the scenes to the moments Katherine found out she won her many awards. Filled with personal photos and letters, this funny, heartwarming history from a legendary writer lets fans in on the making of literary classics.

PUBLISHER: Dial Books
ISBN 9780803740433

Praise

“Despite the accolades, her voice is chatty and engaged, with not a hint of literary hauteur. Paterson’s legions of fans, young and old, will welcome this peek into her life and process.”

KIRKUS REVIEWS

“This set of personal tales offers the same openness and vibrant detail that helped Paterson garner Newbery Medals and National Book Awards…For those of us never invited to dinner in Paterson’s undoubtedly welcoming home, this book allows us at least to imagine the stories we might hear while doing the dishes.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“What absolutely shines through is Paterson’s warm, self-effacing humor, and the extraordinary humility of a writer who has won two National Book Awards, two Newbery Medals, and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. Like Mark Twain, to whom she is distantly related, Paterson is a true American treasure.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Extras

Book Reading at Phoenix Books