1. Meet Gary Paulsen

2. About Gary Paulsen Developed a passion for reading at a young age when a librarian gave him his own library card At 14 he ran away from home to travel with a carnival – had a “taste for adventure” Had many jobs before he realized he wanted to be a writer…

3. The many jobs of Gary Paulsen: Worker on a farm Engineer Construction worker Ranch hand Truck driver Sailor Iditarod racer (1,180 mile Alaskan dog sled race)

4. The basis of Paulsen’s stories come from his many life experiences

6. The Iditarod

9. Gary Paulsen’s Style Paulsen writes realistic fiction from his personal experiences Adventure is a theme in most of his novels He’s had a first-hand experience with survival skills His characters display courage

10. Q: What inspired you to write adventure stories? A: “Mostly because my life is an adventure story. Everything I write about is based on things I’ve lived.”

12. “Stories are just like a river going by, you dip into them and see what comes up.” Gary Paulsen

13. Now… learn more about Gary Paulsen on your own! http://www.randomhouse.com/features/gary paulsen/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Paulsen http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall94 /Schmitz.html www.garypaulsen.com