Gr 6-9–Bankston introduces Paterson as a person and a writer. He includes many interesting anecdotes, including several incidents that made their way into the pages of her novels; most famously, the tragedy behind the story line for Bridge to Terabithia and its impact on her son David. The author touches on all of Paterson's published works, but concentrates on Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Jacob Have I Loved. Although the book is fairly solid, it sometimes wanders onto tangents and quotes authors whose relationship to Paterson's work is unclear. Also, many of the photos, reproductions, and film stills are only tangentially related to the text. This is an acceptable title for libraries with a strong need for author-study materials.
