Gary  Paulsen  

       An  Author  Guys  Like  

•  Born  May  17,  1939  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota  •  Had  a  difficult  childhood  •  He  ran  away  from  home  at  the  age  of  14  to  travel  with  a  carnival.  

•  Has  worked  at  many  jobs  including  soldier,  truck  driver,  construcGon  worker,  engineer,  sailor,  actor,  farmer,  demoliGon  worker,  rancher,  trapper,  and  writer  

•  Ran  two  rounds  of  the  1,180-­‐mile  Alaskan  dog  sled  race,  the  Iditarod  

 

Brian’s  Saga  (The  Hatchet  series)  In  Hatchet,  13-­‐year-­‐old  Brian  Robeson  learned  to  survive  alone  in  the  Canadian  wilderness,  armed  only  with  his  hatchet  .  The  other  books  include  more  tales  of  Brian’s  challenges  and  adventures  in  the  wilderness.  

The  Tucket  Adventures  (The  Francis  Tucket  series)  

The  Tucket  Adventures  tell  stories  about  Francis  Tucket’s  experiences  heading  west  with  his  family  on  the  Oregon  Trail.  

Historical  FicGon  •  Gary  Paulsen  has  also  wriVen  historical  novels.  •  From  the  Civil  War  Gme  period:  

•  About  slavery:  

Humorous  FicGon    

Gary  Paulsen  writes  novels  that  make  you  laugh.  

Books  About  Sled  Dogs      Paulsen  has  run  the  Iditarod  twice.  He  hopes  to  complete  it  again  someday.  He  also  has  a  large  ranch  in  Alaska  where  he  raises  and  trains  sled  dogs.  Paulsen  has  wriVen  several  books  about  sled  dogs.  

Gary  Paulsen’s  Adventures    •  His  nonficGon  book,  Guts,  tells  about  his  own  real-­‐life  experiences  in  the  wild  that  provided  all  

of  the  great  details  for  the  Brian  books.    

•  Paulsen  has  a  list  of  top  10  survival  Gps:  •  1.  Stop.  Don't  panic.  Breathe  deeply  and  make  yourself  think  slowly.  •  2.  Look  for  shelter  from  wind,  rain,  snow,  or  sun  depending  upon  weather.  •  3.  Conserve  moisture.  Avoid  drinking  anything  with  caffeine  unless  it  is  all  you  have.  •  4.  If  it's  hot,  conserve  body  heat  and  fluids  by  taking  it  slow  so  you  don't  sweat.  Or,  if  it's  cold,  

make  a  leaf  or  pine-­‐needle  bed  to  stay  warm.  •  5.  Protect  yourself  —  a  long  sharpened  sGck  can  be  a  useful  tool  or  weapon.  In  the  same  vein,  

a  fire  can  provide  protecGon.  Most  animals  won't  bother  you,  but  it  just  takes  one.    •  6.  Take  an  inventory  and  count  everything:  matches,  coins  (they  can  make  fish  lures),  candy,  

any  nearby  food  sources  —  grub  worms,  berries,  ants,  fish  —  all  of  it.  Count  it  all.  Even  an  old  can  may  be  handy.    

•  7.  Take  a  moment  to  review  the  long-­‐term  problems  coming  at  you  —  do  you  need  more  wood  because  it's  going  to  be  very  cold  or  a  more  permanent  shelter?    

•  8.  Start  thinking  of  geang  help.  Make  a  signal  fire.  Or  make  a  large  design  on  the  ground  that  can  be  seen  by  air.    

•  9.  Don't  listen  to  the  fear  side  of  your  mind.  Try  to  think  of  posiGve  things.    •  10.  Amass  wealth  —  get  more  wood,  more  leaves,  more  food,  and  more  tools.  You  can  never  

have  enough  stuff.    

Newbery  Honor  Books    •  The  Winter  Room  (1990)  

•  Hatchet  (1988)  

•  Dogsong  (1986)  

 Lynch, Amanda. (2009). The Children’s Book Review. Retrieved from:

hVp://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2010/01/author-­‐interview-­‐gary-­‐paulsen.html   Randomhouse.com (2004). “Gary Paulsen.” Retrieved from:

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/index.html Vandergift, Kay (1996). “Learning About Gary Paulsen.” Retrieved from:

http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional- development/childlit/paulsen.html Images: Googleimages.com