Win a Visit From Katherine Paterson

Contest Organized to Offer Visit by America's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

This past month author Katherine Paterson was named as the second National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Paterson will serve in the position during 2010 and 2011; she succeeds Jon Scieszka, appointed in 2008, who was the first person to hold the title. Paterson has chosen “Read for Your Life” as the theme for her platform.

The position of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature was created to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.

The Center for the Book and the Children's Book Council invite schools and libraries across the nation to submit entries explaining what type of event you would develop if Katherine Paterson were to visit.

Details about the Contest
In a Word document file, write a description of the event you would host for Katherine Paterson in no more than 250 words. Be sure to describe in detail how and to whom you would promote the event. Send your entry as an email attachment to cbc.info@cbcbooks.org no later than midnight EDT on March 15, 2010. Please submit only one entry per institution.

Katherine Paterson’s international fame rests not only on her widely acclaimed novels but also on her efforts to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. A two-time winner of the Newbery Medal (“Bridge to Terabithia” and “Jacob Have I Loved”) and the National Book Award (“The Great Gilly Hopkins” and “The Master Puppeteer”), she has received many accolades for her body of work, including the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, given by her home state of Vermont. She was also named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.

Paterson is a vice president of The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance. She is also a contributor to The Exquisite Corpse Adventure and Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out.

Read more about the ambassadorship and Katherine Paterson.

Read Paterson's speech, "The Child in the Attic," presented at the Ohio State University Children's Literature Festival in February 2000 on the NCBLA's website.