Copyright: Brian Adams
Newbery Honor-winning author Gary Paulsen died suddenly last week. The prolific Paulsen, who wrote more than 200 books for children and adults, was 82 years old. His recurring theme–survival–echoed a hard childhood marked by parental abuse, alcoholism, and abandonment. In spite of his traumatic upbringing, Paulsen was able to transform those experiences into work that encouraged and inspired young readers to find their own strength and believe in themselves.
His final book, NORTHWIND (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux Books for Young Readers), will release in January 2022.
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Heather Murphy Capps has always had a deep appreciation for comfort and elegance. She and Claudia would have run out of money quickly together but would absolutely have been on the same page about taxis and nice restaurants. And of course, solving mysteries about beautiful art. That said, Heather also appreciates Jamie’s love of complication, which is why she spent several years living in rural Kenya and then became a television news reporter, which involved standing for hours in the middle of hurricanes and political battles. Now she’s raising middle-grade readers and writing for them. She loves to read and write books with lots of great science, magic, mystery, and adventure. Heather is the communications coordinator for Mixed-Up Files, as well as creator/curator for our We Need Diverse MG series. She is committed to creating more diversity in publishing.
How did I miss this news? This is so very sad. While there will never be another Gary Paulsen, his tales of survival and adventure will live forever. Rest in peace, Mr. Paulsen.