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Gary Paulsen, Author of Hatchet, Dead at 82

Photo: JOEY MCLEISTER/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Author Gary Paulsen, best known for writing young-adult fiction novels such as Hatchet, The River, and Woodsong, has died this morning at the age of 82, Publishers Weekly confirmed in a tweet. Paulsen was the author of over 200 books that explore adventure and survival in the wilderness. He competed in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1983 and wrote two memoirs, Woodsong and Winterdance, on his sled-dog-racing experience, the latter being the inspiration for the 2002 film Snow Dogs.

Fans of Paulsen turned to Twitter to pay tribute to the adventurous author. Dogsledder and author Blair Braverman “fell in love with mushing through Gary Paulsen’s stories about his sled dogs.” Jarrett J. Krosoczka, the author of the Lunch Lady series, recalled his interview with Paulsen earlier this year as “an honor of a lifetime.” Paulsen’s last book, How to Train Your Dad, was published in September of 2021 by Pan Macmillian publishers.

Gary Paulsen, Author of Hatchet, Dead at 82