First published 1994
Gary Schmidt examines the work of Katherine Paterson, the celebrated children's author whose stories tackle the darkest corners of young experience. Schmidt argues that Paterson creates fiction where hope emerges from despair, where characters navigate foster care, death, violence, and abandonment to find moments of spiritual clarity. He traces her literary journey from early historical novels through her acclaimed works including Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Master Puppeteer, and Jacob Have I Loved. Schmidt shows how Paterson's protagonists search for fathers, families, and belonging across settings from Chesapeake Bay islands to Chinese mountains. Drawing from biographical material and his own interview with Paterson at her Vermont home, Schmidt reveals how she became what she calls "a spy for hope," crafting stories where grace appears in unexpected moments.
Genres: literary-fiction, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Chesapeake Bay, China, Vermont
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
167 pages · Hardcover · Twayne Pub