Will Hobbs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Will Hobbs
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| Born | William Carl Hobbs August 22, 1947 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer of books for young readers |
| Education | Stanford University (BA, MA) |
| Genre | outdoor adventure |
| Notable works | Far North Crossing the Wire Downriver Bearstone |
| Spouse |
Jean
(m. 1972) |
Will Hobbs (born August 22, 1947) is an American author. He writes many exciting books for young readers, including those in elementary, middle, and high school. He has also written two picture books. Will Hobbs loves the outdoors, and his stories often take place in wild, natural settings. He wants to help young people feel amazed by nature through his books.
His book Bearstone became very popular. It was even used in a 7th-grade literature textbook. Two of his other books, Downriver and Far North, were named among the 100 Best Young Adult Books of the 20th Century by the American Library Association.
About Will Hobbs
William Carl Hobbs grew up in a family that moved a lot because his dad was in the Air Force. He lived in places like Panama, Virginia, Alaska, and Texas. He was the middle child of five.
Will Hobbs says that when he lived in Alaska, he fell in love with mountains, rivers, fishing, baseball, and books. He went to Stanford University and earned degrees in English. In 1972, he married his wife, Jean.
They moved to southwestern Colorado because they loved the San Juan Mountains. Will Hobbs taught reading and English for 14 years. He taught at Miller Junior High for ten of those years. During his summers, he spent time writing, backpacking, and rafting through canyons. He even rafted down the Grand Canyon ten times!
In 1990, Will Hobbs started writing full-time. He has traveled to many places, including 47 states, Canada, and Germany. Six of his novels have been published in German. His books have also been published in Sweden, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, and the U.K.
Books by Will Hobbs
Will Hobbs has written many adventure stories. Here are some of his books:
- Changes in Latitudes (1988)
- Bearstone (1989)
- Downriver (1991)
- The Big Wander (1992)
- Beardance (1993)
- Kokopelli's Flute (1995)
- Far North (1996)
- Beardream (1997, illustrated by Jill Kastner)
- Ghost Canoe (1997)
- River Thunder (1997)
- The Maze (1998)
- Howling Hill (1998, illustrated by Jill Kastner)
- Jason's Gold (1999)
- Down the Yukon (2001)
- Wild Man Island (2002)
- Jackie's Wild Seattle (2003)
- Leaving Protection (2004)
- Crossing The Wire (2006)
- Go Big or Go Home (2008)
- Take Me to the River (2011)
- Never Say Die (2013)
- City of Gold (2020)
Awards and Honors
Will Hobbs has won many awards for his books. Here are some of them:
- 1990 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Regional Book Award Winner for Bearstone
- 1992 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Winner for Changes in Latitudes
- 1993 Colorado Book Award Winner for Beardance
- 1993 Spur Award Winner, Western Writers of America for Beardance
- 1995 California Young Reader Medal Winner for Downriver
- 1996 Spur Award Winner, Western Writers of America for Far North
- 1997-98 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Winner for Downriver
- 1997 Colorado Book Award Winner for Far North
- 1998 Colorado Book Award Winner for Beardream, illustrated by Jill Kastner
- 1998 Edgar Allan Poe Award, Best Young Adult Mystery for Ghost Canoe
- 1998 Colorado Book Award Winner for Ghost Canoe
- 2002 Land of Enchantment Book Award Winner (NM) for Ghost Canoe
- 2006 Wyoming Paintbrush Award Winner for Down the Yukon
- 2007 Southwest Book Award Winner for Crossing the Wire
- 2008 Heartland Award Winner (KS) for Crossing the Wire
- 2009 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Regional Book Award Winner for Go Big or Go Home
- 2020 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Award for City of Gold
Lifetime Awards
These awards honor his work over his entire career:
- 1998 Thomas Hornsby Ferril Lifetime Literary Achievement Award (CO)
- 1999 Arizona Author Award, Arizona Library Association
- 2001 Frank Waters Award, Pikes Peak Library (CO)
Learn More
- Tim Podell interviews Will Hobbs for Good Conversations
