Gary Paulsen was born on May 17, 1939 in Minnesota. Gary was raised by his grandmother and some of his aunts while his father was in Europe fighting in World War II. While as a young child Gary grew fond of reading and books. Gary never was a really good student in school he usually made D's and F's on his report cards. At the age of 14 Gary ran away from home to join a carnival. Gary had different jobs to support himself. He was an engineer, ranch hand, truck driver, and sailor. He competed in the Iditarod, a 1,180 mile dogsled race. All this provided a lot of material to create the books he has written. He attended Bemidji College, paying his tuition by becoming a trapper. The realization that he would become a writer came suddenly when he was working in California. He went back to Minnesota and rented a cabin by a lake, and wrote his first book. The second time he competed in the Iditarod he suffered from angina. He wrote many books such as: The Voyage of the Frog, Canyons, The Winter Room, The River, The Haymeadow, The Tucket Series, Foxman, Hatchet, Dancing Carl, Tracker, Dogsong, The Return, Dogteam, The Rifle, Brian's Winter, A Soldier's Heart, Brian's Hunt, Brian's Return. Gary Paulsen and his wife live in New Mexico.