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Paulsen, G. (1989). Winter Room. New York: Bantam Doubleday.

The story of a young boy named Eldon who lives on a farm in Northern Minnesota with family, including his older brother, Wayne, parents, and elderly immigrant uncle from Norway. The story begins in the spring and documents a year of life on the farm, beginning with the "softening" of spring, the work of summer, the killing of fall (which Eldon hates) and moves into winter.  In the cold Minnesota winters much time is spent around the stove in the living room, which is also nicknamed "The Winter Room."  Eldon and Wayne spend much time listening to Uncle David spin stories, until he tells one that Wayne cannot believe and produces a crisis of faith.

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Paulsen, G. (1990). Canyons. New York: Random House Publishing Group.
The narrative of the story switches between the lives of Coyote Runs, a fourteen year old Apache boy living in 1864, and Brennan Cole, a 15 white boy living in El Paso over one hundred years later. Coyote Runs prepares for his raid that will make him a man, while Brennan tries to avoid the numerous men who enter his mom's life by running and working. When Brennan goes on a camping trip, he finds a skull with a bullet hole. Through his later research, he discovers the death of Coyote Runs, who was shot during his raid. A bond is then connected between Coyote and Brennan, who will try and help Coyote find peace through bringing it to a sacred place.

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Paulsen, G. (1985). Dogsong. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Russel is a young Eskimo who lives in a government-owned winter hut in Alaska with his father, who hates the culture of the "Outside" that has infiltrated his town, including the tobacco that his father smokes.  He reveals this to his father, who admits he cannot help Russel and suggests he go see Oogruk, the local village elder.  Oogruk teaches Russel the old ways of his people, and tells him he must go and find his own "song."  Taking a dog team across the frozen Alaskan wilderness, Russel soon comes across a young pregnant Eskimo, and finds himself responsible for both of their safety.

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Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

As a teenager, Brian, flies over the Canadian wilderness to visit his father for the first time since his parents' divorce, his pilot suffers a heart attack. After having to crash land the plane he finds himself the only survivor of the two-seater plane. Brian must learn to survive in the wilderness by himself with the few possessions he has, including a hatchet that his mother gave him a short while before he left for the trip. Many mishaps befall Brian, from moose attacks to severe weather, and he struggles with the emotions surrounding his mother and her affair that caused the divorce, but over summer he grows in self-confidence and reliance.

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https://edsource.org/2015/project-based-learning-on-the-rise-under-the-common-core/78851\
https://www.swtimes.com/news/20180302/legend-of-bass-reeves-part-of-arkansas-reading-program
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-08-01-from-literature-to-science-should-the-subject-affect-how-a-teacher-incorporates-growth-mindset
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/books/26paul.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/books/26paul.html

There is approximately a 60% chance that Paulsen's works will be read due to being assigned in the classroom as opposed to pleasure reading.  Paulsen's works, particularity those in the Hatchet series, are staples in classrooms to this day.  They can be read for the common theme of overcoming obstacles and undergoing growth as a result, an important theme to communicate to young children so they can respond to challenges in the future. (From Literature to Science: Should the Subject Affect How a Teacher Incorporates Growth Mindset?)  Since his characters are often adapting and learning new things his works can also be used to explore other disciplines.  After reading Hatchet a class can explore how to create their own raft from limited materials, like Brian does, and encourages creativity. (Project-Based Learning on the Rise Under the Common Core)  Paulsen also has historical works which can introduce children to different periods of history in an entertaining way, as The Legend Bass Reeves has done in Arkansas schools. (‘Legend of Bass Reeves’ part of Arkansas Reading Program) Despite all of potential required readings of Paulsen's works, there is still a great chance that he will be read for pleasure by many young students. His books set in the wilderness present many students with a side of life they perhaps don't see if they live in urban areas. Paulsen himself still received hundreds of letters from devoted fans in the year 2006 according to the New York Times article, "On the Road and Between the Pages, an Author Is Restless for Adventure." At the risk of editorializing, I certainly read most of works for pleasure when I was in middle school.

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Paulsen's works would be best suited for an age range of about 9-11 years old. Most of Paulsen's works are fairly easy to follow linear stories, but Canyons frequently switches between two protagonists who live in different time periods. Even for his books that do have a linear structure, the themes are often more relateable to a slightly older audience.  Paulsen's works often revolve around a coming-of-age, where a character must grow beyond their previous limits and become more competent and self-confident, such as Brian's survival in Hatchet or Russel's dog sled trip in Dogsong. Paulsen's protagonists also deal with issues like a lack of a sense of belonging in the world, like Russel in Dogsong, or the changing relationships surrounding their parents or other adults which many that age can relate to, like Wayne in The Winter Room. His books commonly revolve around nature and survival, and due to this his works can at times feature violence that may be inappropriate for a younger audience.  For example, Russel in Dogsong must kill a polar bear and Brian in Hatchet even attempts suicide when he believes he cannot be rescued.  Most of his books are novellas, usually about 100 pages long, with some longer one reaching 150-200 pages, Dogsong and Hatchet.

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Paulsen is a known dog lover, so much so that one of his favorite activities as a outdoorsman is dog sledding.  He raises and trains sled dogs on a large property that he owns in Alaska, and has even competed and finished in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.  Dog sledding is a major plot point in Dogsong.

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While Paulsen has written books for all audiences, most of his works are geared towards the youth and now considers it fruitless to write for adults as they are too busy and closed-minded.  He has stated "In the time I’ve got left, I intend to write artistic books — for kids — because they’re still open to new ideas." (See NYT article linked in Academic or Pleasure Reading section.) Paulsen has indeed had a great effect on children worldwide and has a large and devoted fanbase.

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In addition to his common theme of adolescents learning to change their relationships with their parents, Paulsen has even written a book with his son, Jim Paulson.  Road Trip chronicles the trip a father and son take in order to adopt a border collie.  The Paulsons are also seen sailing in this photo, one of Gary's outdoor activities.

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Paulsen is a known outdoorsman, and has even removed himself from society to a certain extent. He finds it hard to interact with adults at this stage in this life and spends most of his time on properties long distances from society. His love of nature and wilderness has significantly influenced his writing, and features as the setting for most of his works.

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Paulsen has been married three times, and is currently married to Ruth Wright Paulsen. They have one child together since their marriage in 1971, although Gary has two children from a previous marriage. She is an artist and occasionally illustrates his books, including The Tortilla Factory shown below, and they currently live together in New Mexico.

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http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/previousmargaret

Paulsen won the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1997, an award given by the American Library Association recognizing an author and a specific subsection of their work that has provided a "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."  The books recognized along with Paulsen were Hatchet, Woodsong, Winter Room, The Crossing, Canyons, and Dancing Carl.

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https://cathla.org/Main/Awards/Regina_Medal.aspx

In 1995 Paulsen received the Regina Medal, a yearly award given out by the Catholic Library Association for an individual that has shown a "continued, distinguished contribution to children’s literature."

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http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal

Three of Paulsen's works have been recognized by the Association for Library Services for Children. While he has never recieved the top prize, the Newbery Medal, his works have been awarded Newbery Honors as a worthy of attention. He received his honors in 1986, 1988, and 1990, for Dogsong, Hachet, and The Winter Room respectively.