When Newbery Medal winner Katherine Paterson was a young girl, she wanted to be either a missionary or a movie star. It wasn"t until she was a mother of three that her first book, Who Are You? was published in 1966. She"s been writing ever since and now has more than thirty books to her credit. In much of her earlier work, Katherine calls upon her rich experiences of growing up in China and working as a missionary as a young adult in Japan to bring her stories to life. Katherine also remembers what it is to be young and can relate to the heartaches and disappointments experienced by her young readers. This connection to her audience keeps her books flying off library and bookstore shelves alike, earning her the honored title of classic storyteller.