Gary Paulsen (1939–2021)

Author of Hatchet

263+ Works 86,940 Members 1,906 Reviews 51 Favorited

About the Author

Gary Paulsen was born on May 17, 1939 in Minnesota. He was working as a satellite technician for an aerospace firm in California when he realized he wanted to be a writer. He left his job and spent the next year in Hollywood as a magazine proofreader. His first book, Special War, was published in show more 1966. He has written more than 175 books for young adults including Brian's Winter, Winterkill, Harris and Me, Woodsong, Winterdance, The Transall Saga, Soldier's Heart, This Side of Wild, and Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books. Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room are Newbery Honor Books. He was the recipient of the 1997 Margaret A. Edwards Award for his lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Gray Paulsen, Gray Paulsen, Gary Paulsen, Gary Paulsen, Gary Paulson, by Gary Paulsen, Gary Paulsen editor, Gary Paulsen editor

Disambiguation Notice:

Gary Paulsen (1939-2021) was a popular writer of children's literature. He also wrote adult nonfiction (Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod).

Series

Brian's Saga

Lawn Boy

Tales to Tickle the Funnybone

Works by Gary Paulsen

Popular Recent

Hatchet (1987) 18,693 copies, 598 reviews

Brian's Winter (1996) 5,917 copies, 82 reviews

The River (1994) 4,383 copies, 46 reviews

Brian's Hunt (2003) 3,497 copies, 35 reviews

Lawn Boy (2007) 3,113 copies, 60 reviews

Dogsong (1985) 2,965 copies, 35 reviews

Brian's Return (2000) 2,778 copies, 35 reviews

Woodsong (1990) 2,436 copies, 108 reviews

The Winter Room (1989) 2,076 copies, 33 reviews

Tracker (1984) 2,026 copies, 22 reviews

Woods Runner (2010) 1,910 copies, 44 reviews

Mudshark (2009) 1,886 copies, 29 reviews

The Voyage of the Frog (1989) 1,608 copies, 14 reviews

Nightjohn (1996) 1,335 copies, 95 reviews

Harris and Me (1994) 1,288 copies, 38 reviews

Soldier's Heart (1998) 1,278 copies, 40 reviews

Mr. Tucket (1994) 1,112 copies, 9 reviews

Lawn Boy Returns (2010) 1,105 copies, 9 reviews

Guts (2001) 1,085 copies, 38 reviews

Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod (1994) 1,072 copies, 39 reviews

Canyons (1990) 1,004 copies, 9 reviews

The Haymeadow (1992) 970 copies, 12 reviews

My Life in Dog Years (1998) 965 copies, 20 reviews

The Cookcamp (1991) 819 copies, 7 reviews

Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers (1996) 803 copies, 9 reviews

The Island (1988) 765 copies, 11 reviews

The Transall Saga (1998) 708 copies, 15 reviews

The Monument (1993) 690 copies, 5 reviews

Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception (2011) 668 copies, 15 reviews

The Crossing (1987) 656 copies, 15 reviews

Masters of Disaster (2010) 655 copies, 11 reviews

The Tortilla Factory (1995) 648 copies, 10 reviews

The Rifle (1995) 559 copies, 14 reviews

Notes from the Dog (2009) 519 copies, 22 reviews

How Angel Peterson Got His Name (2003) 511 copies, 19 reviews

The Foxman (1977) 505 copies, 7 reviews

Sarny (1997) 471 copies, 4 reviews

Call Me Francis Tucket (1995) 430 copies, 3 reviews

The Car (1994) 428 copies, 10 reviews

Caught by the Sea: My Life on Boats (2001) 367 copies, 3 reviews

Flat Broke: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Greed (2011) 364 copies, 7 reviews

The Boy Who Owned The School (1990) 362 copies, 4 reviews

Road Trip (2013) 354 copies, 15 reviews

This Side of Wild: Mutts, Mares, and Laughing Dinosaurs (2015) 350 copies, 10 reviews

Dancing Carl (1983) 348 copies, 6 reviews

Tucket's Ride (Signature) (1997) 347 copies, 8 reviews

A Christmas Sonata (1992) 345 copies, 5 reviews

The Legend of Bass Reeves (2006) 327 copies, 12 reviews

Shelf Life: Stories by the Book (2003) — Editor — 324 copies, 4 reviews

Tucket's Travels: Francis Tucket's Adventures in the West, 1847-1849 (2003) 322 copies, 2 reviews

Tucket's Gold (1999) 317 copies, 3 reviews

Dogteam (1993) 279 copies, 4 reviews

Alida's Song (1999) 278 copies, 8 reviews

The Night the White Deer Died (1978) 277 copies, 3 reviews

Sentries (1984) 276 copies, 3 reviews

Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love (2012) 256 copies, 9 reviews

Danger on Midnight River (1900) 253 copies, 7 reviews

Escape, Return, Breakout (2000) 250 copies, 1 review

The Time Hackers (2005) 244 copies, 9 reviews

Tracker / Dogsong / Hatchet (1987) 235 copies, 2 reviews

The Legend of Red Horse Cavern (1994) 233 copies, 4 reviews

Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood (2021) 231 copies, 14 reviews

The Schernoff Discoveries (1997) 229 copies, 2 reviews

Canoe Days (1999) 214 copies, 3 reviews

Tucket's Home (2000) 207 copies, 3 reviews

Escape from Fire Mountain (1994) 205 copies, 2 reviews

Hatch with Connections (1999) 196 copies, 18 reviews

The Quilt (2004) 194 copies, 9 reviews

Northwind (2022) 184 copies, 9 reviews

Popcorn Days and Buttermilk Nights (1983) 174 copies, 4 reviews

The Tent (1995) 170 copies, 4 reviews

Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass (1992) 165 copies, 6 reviews

The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer (2000) 165 copies, 5 reviews

Hatchet: With Related Readings (2000) 157 copies, 2 reviews

Worksong (1997) 141 copies, 5 reviews

Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas (2011) 133 copies, 6 reviews

Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day (2004) 125 copies, 8 reviews

Father Water, Mother Woods (1994) 125 copies, 2 reviews

The Amazing Life of Birds: The Twenty-Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech (2006) 105 copies, 6 reviews

Field Trip (2015) 104 copies, 3 reviews

The Seventh Crystal (1996) 102 copies, 1 review

Dunc's Halloween (Culpepper Adventures) (1992) 98 copies, 1 review

Sisters/Hermanas (1993) 94 copies, 1 review

The Glass Cafe: Or the Stripper and the State; How My Mother Started a War with the System That Made Us Kind of Rich… (2000) 92 copies, 11 reviews

Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat (2016) 92 copies, 1 review

How to Train Your Dad (2021) 91 copies, 2 reviews

Eastern Sun, Winter Moon: An Autobiographical Odyssey (1993) 87 copies

Cowpokes and Desperados (1993) 81 copies

Tiltawhirl John (1977) 80 copies, 2 reviews

The Case of the Dirty Bird (1992) 73 copies, 1 review

Pilgrimage on a Steel Ride: A Memoir About Men and Motorcycles (1997) 63 copies

Rodomonte's Revenge (1994) 63 copies

Grizzly (1997) 63 copies, 1 review

Vote (2013) 61 copies

Captive! (1995) 52 copies, 2 reviews

Family Ties (2014) 48 copies, 1 review

Fishbone's Song (2016) 47 copies, 2 reviews

Curse of the Ruins (1998) 45 copies

Devil's Wall (1995) 45 copies, 1 review

Culpepper's Cannon (1992) 44 copies, 1 review

Dunc and Amos Hit the Big Top (1993) 38 copies

Dunc Breaks the Record (1992) 38 copies

Dunc Gets Tweaked (1992) 37 copies

Zero to Sixty: The Motorcycle Journey of a Lifetime (1999) 37 copies

Dunc's Undercover Christmas (1993) 36 copies

Dunc and the Flaming Ghost (1992) 33 copies

Dunc's Doll (1992) 31 copies

Escape from Fire Mountain / Hook 'Em, Snotty! / Danger on Midnight River (2002) 29 copies

Amos Gets Famous (1992) 28 copies

Dunc and Amos and the Red Tattoos (1993) 27 copies

Hook 'Em Snotty (1995) 24 copies, 1 review

Dunc and Amos Meet the Slasher (1994) 23 copies, 1 review

The Treasure Ship (1996) 23 copies

The Curse of the Cobra / The CB Radio Caper (1977) 22 copies

Dunc's Dump (1993) 21 copies

The Gorgon Slayer (1995) 21 copies

Transall Saga: Blue Light (1998) 21 copies

Perfect Danger (1996) 20 copies

Dunc and the Haunted Castle (1993) 20 copies, 1 review

Time Benders (1997) 20 copies

The Creature of Black Water Lake (1997) 19 copies

Complete Hatchet Set (Hatchet~The River~Brian's Winter~Brian's Return~Brian's Hunt) (1996) 18 copies

Dunc and the Scam Artists (1993) 18 copies

Coach Amos (1994) 18 copies

The Wild Culpepper Cruise (1993) 17 copies

My Life In Dog Years: Ike (1997) 17 copies

The Fourteenth Summer (1993) 17 copies

Prince Amos (1994) 17 copies

Murphy's Trail (1996) 16 copies

Skydive (1996) 15 copies

Thunder Valley (1997) 15 copies

Meteorite Track 291 (1979) 14 copies

A Cry in the Wild [1990 film] (1991) — Screenwriter — 13 copies

Hatchet[HATCHET][Hardcover] 13 copies

Madonna Stories (1989) 13 copies

Murphy's Ambush (Walker Western) (1995) 13 copies

Tasting the Thunder (1993) 13 copies, 1 review

Flight of the Hawk: World of Adventure Series, Book 18 (1998) 13 copies

Ice Race (1997) 13 copies

Dunc and the Greased Sticks of Doom (1994) 12 copies

Full of Hot Air: launching, floating high, and landing (1993) 11 copies, 1 review

Dunc and Amos Go to the Dogs (1996) 11 copies

Amos and the Vampire (1996) 11 copies

Amos's Killer Concert Caper (1994) 10 copies

Amos Binder, Secret Agent (1996) 10 copies

Amos Goes Bananas (1996) 10 copies

My Life In Dog Years: Snowball (1998) 9 copies

Amos Gets Married (1995) 9 copies

Murphy's Herd (1989) 9 copies

Murphy's Gold (1989) 9 copies

Kill fee (1990) 9 copies

Murphy's Stand (A Walker Western) (1993) 8 copies

Winterkill (1976) 8 copies, 1 review

Dunc and Amos on Thin Ice (1997) 8 copies

Murphy's War (1990) 8 copies

My Life in Dog Years: Dirk (1997) 8 copies

Amos and the Alien (Culpepper Adventures) (1994) 8 copies

Amos and the Chameleon Caper (1996) 8 copies

The Gary Paulsen Collection: Dancing Carl; Dogsong; Hatchet; Woodsong (2013) 7 copies

Farm: A History and Celebration of the American Farmer (1977) 7 copies

Vento del Nord (2022) 7 copies

The grass eaters (Real animals) (1976) 7 copies

Murphy (1987) 6 copies

Beat the System: A Survival Guide (1982) 6 copies

Hiking and backpacking (1978) 5 copies

[(Tracker )] [Author: Gary Paulsen] [Jun-2007] 5 copies

Super Amos (1997) 5 copies

The Small Ones (1976) 5 copies

My Life in Dog Years: Fred (1997) 5 copies

Clutterkill (1981) 5 copies

Literature Guide: Hatchet (Grades 4-8) (1999) 5 copies

TV & movie animals (1980) 4 copies

Soldier's Heart: Novel-Ties Study Guide (2006) 4 copies, 1 review

Lawn Boy and Lawn Boy Returns Pack (2 Book Set By Gary Paulsen) (2012) 4 copies

Hatchet / The River (1999) 4 copies

Kevin Pack : 3 Book Pack By Gary Paulsen : Liar, Liar / Flat Broke / Crush (Kevin Trio) (2013) 4 copies

The Sweeper (1980) 4 copies

Il mio amico geniale (2021) 4 copies

Gefährliche Ferien (2005) 4 copies

Nelle terre selvagge (2014) 4 copies

Hitting, pitching, and running--maybe (1976) 4 copies

Dunc and the Scam Artists [and] Dunc and Amos and the Red Tatoos (1993) 4 copies

Dogsong[DOGSONG][Paperback] (2007) 4 copies

Hatchet / The Winter Room / Brian's Winter (1998) 3 copies

Some birds don't fly (1968) 3 copies, 1 review

A Lesson plan book for Woodsong (Innovations, experiencing literature in the classroom) (1991) 3 copies

Chance for Escape (1970) 3 copies

Sailing, from jibs to jibing (1981) 3 copies

Running, Jumping, and Throwing--If You Can (1978) 3 copies

Woodsong[WOODSONG][Paperback] 2 copies

Alla deriva (1996) 2 copies

Plygu amser (2001) 2 copies

The Island / The River / Hatchet / Curse of the Ruins / Dunc's Halloween 2 copies, 1 review

Hatchet / The River / Brian's Hunt / Dogsong 2 copies

Tucket's Gold[TUCKET ADV BK04 TUCKETS GOLD][Paperback] (2001) 2 copies

Gary Paulsen 4 Pack - Brian's Return - Dogsong - Brian's Winter - Woodsong (2001) 2 copies

Hatchet: Teacher Guide : Grades 7-8 (Literary Unit) (2019) 2 copies

Overleven in de wildernis omnibus (2013) 2 copies

The implosion effect (1976) 2 copies

Successful Home Repair: When Not to Call the Contractor (1978) 2 copies

Newbery Book Collection: A Gathering of Days, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Rabbit Hill, Hatchet, The… (2009) 2 copies

Canoeing, kayaking, and rafting (1979) 2 copies

Things I Like Copy Colour (2011) 2 copies

Woodsong (ABRIDGED) (1999) 2 copies, 1 review

Dribbling, shooting, and scoring--sometimes (1976) 2 copies

The CB Radio Caper (1977) 2 copies

Call Me Francis Tucket[TUCKET ADV BK02 CALL ME FRANCI][Paperback] 2 copies

Brian's Return (A Hatchet Adventure, Band 4). 1 copy

Lied der Wildnis. ( Ab 12 J.) (1999) 1 copy

How to train your dad. Eltern erziehen leicht gemacht: Ein Roman mit Dauergrinse-Garantie vom Bestsellerautor von… (2024) 1 copy

Clabbard dirt, sweet grass 1 copy

This side of wild Mutts, Mares, and Laughing Dinosaurs. 1 copy

Brian's Hunt (A Hatchet Adventure). 1 copy

he Legend of Bass Reeves 1 copy

Lied der Wildnis. (2000) 1 copy

Perygl ar Afon Lloer (2001) 1 copy

Legend of Bass Reeves, The: Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West 1 copy

Soldier's Heart 1 copy

Brian's Saga Hatchet Series 5 Books Set By Gary Paulsen - Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter, Brian's… 1 copy

By Gary Paulsen The River [Mass Market Paperback] 1 copy

By Gary Paulsen Hatchet 1 copy

The cookcamp 1 copy

Yr Arth Grisli (Cyfres Byd O Beryglon) (Welsh Edition) (2001) 1 copy

Brian's Hunt 1 copy

Allen in der Wildnis 1 copy

My Life Dog in Years 1 copy

Nightjohn[NIGHTJOHN] 1 copy, 1 review

Y llong drysor (Byd o beryglon Gary Paulsen) (2001) 1 copy

Careers in an Airport (The Whole Works) (1977) 1 copy

Maitre des cerveaux - a vos risques et perils (Le) (2004) 1 copy

Books 1 copy

Downhill, Hotdogging, and Cross-Country If the Snow Isn't Sticky (1979) 1 copy

Freiheit ohne Grenzen. Mit der Harley durch die USA. (2001) 1 copy

Gary Paulsen Set: Canyons + The Island + The Haymeadow + The Winter Room 1 copy

Gary Paulsen Set: The Winter Room + Woodsong + The River 1 copy

Hatchet: Novel-Ties Study Guide (1990) 1 copy

Martin Luther King: The Man Who Climbed the Mountain (1976) 1 copy

Compkill (1981) 1 copy

Gary Paulsen Set: Hatchet, Dogsong, Woodsong, Brian's Winter (1996) 1 copy

The Curse of the Cobra (1977) 1 copy

Tracker ~ Guided Reading Classroom Set (1984) 1 copy

The building a new, buying an old, remodeling a used, comprehensive home and shelter how-to-do-it book (1976) 1 copy

The Creature of Black Water Lake: World of Adventure Series, Book 13 (2011) 1 copy

Nightjohn: Novel-Ties Study Guide (2001) 1 copy

The Death Specialists (1977) 1 copy

Forehanding and backhanding--if you're lucky (1978) 1 copy

Storie 1 copy

Lawn Boy - 1 1 copy

Lawn Boy - 2 1 copy

Lawn Boy - 3 1 copy

The green recruit (1978) 1 copy

Masters Of Disaster (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) by Gary Paulsen (2011-08-09) (1621) 1 copy

Money saving home repair guide (1981) 1 copy

Puppies, Dogs and Blue Northers Reflections on Being Raised By a Pack of Sled Do (1996) 1 copy

The Tucket Adventures #5 Tucket's Home 1 copy

Pied Piper 1 copy

My Life In Dog Years: Snowball 1 copy

Tucket's Home[TUCKET ADV BK05 TUCKETS HOME][Paperback] 1 copy

Tucket's Ride[TUCKET ADV BK03 TUCKETS RIDE][Paperback] 1 copy

℗L'℗inverno di Brian 1 copy

Guts The True Stories Behind Hatchet the Brian Books 1 copy

Riding, roping, and bulldogging--almost (1977) 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

The Call of the Wild (1903) — Foreword, some editions — 20,865 copies, 329 reviews

Guys Write for Guys Read (2005) — Contributor — 786 copies, 13 reviews

Storm: Stories of Survival from Land and Sea (2000) — Contributor — 46 copies, 2 reviews

Tagged

adventure (3,273) Alaska (537) American literature (250) animals (611) biography (211) boys (307) Canada (386) chapter book (738) children (267) children's (598) children's literature (224) classic (553) classics (625) coming of age (197) divorce (248) dogs (766) family (180) fiction (4,900) Gary Paulsen (402) historical fiction (837) humor (411) juvenile (268) juvenile fiction (299) literature (301) memoir (256) nature (447) Newbery (175) Newbery Honor (405) non-fiction (421) novel (462) read (394) realistic fiction (1,452) series (297) survival (2,496) to-read (1,087) wilderness (770) wolves (235) YA (773) young adult (1,043) young adult fiction (209)

Common Knowledge

Canonical name: Paulsen, Gary
Legal name: Paulsen, Gary Melvin
Birthdate: 1939-05-17
Date of death: 2021-10-13
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Place of death: Tularosa, New Mexico
Cause of death: cardiac arrest
Places of residence: California, USA
Minnesota, USA
New Mexico, USA
Philippines
Education: Bemidji State University
University of Colorado
Occupations: children's book author
Relationships: Paulsen, Ruth Wright (wife)
Organizations: United States Army
Awards and honors: Margaret A. Edwards Award (1997)
Regina Medal (1995)
Disambiguation notice: Gary Paulsen (1939-2021) was a popular writer of children's literature. He also wrote adult nonfiction (Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod).

Members

Reviews

Hatchet: With Related Readings by Gary Paulsen

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Flagged

repechage | 1 other review | Dec 26, 2024 |

A Christmas Sonata by Gary Paulsen

This story may resonate more with adults than children, especially now that World War II is nearly 80 years in the past, and the kids great-grandparents were the age of the boy in the story (who doesn't seem to have a name or specific age, but not yet in school.
Readers need to be old enough to understand dying, swearing, and parental love.

Flagged

librisissimo | 4 other reviews | Dec 21, 2024 |

Hatchet: 30th Anniversary Edition by Gary Paulsen

This book had me in love with all things nature and self reliance when I was in middle school.

Flagged

MB_McCreight | 597 other reviews | Dec 20, 2024 |

Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen

A very short (103-minute) audiobook that includes an interview with the author. Partly fiction but based on a real person, with good details, intense feelings, and battle drama. I liked the portrayal of Charlie's evolving attitude about war, how he loved the idea of marching and drills and cheering ladies, and lied about his age to join. Then he had to face the real war and was never the same.

Well done.

Flagged

casey2962 | 39 other reviews | Dec 16, 2024 |

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