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. |
| Died | March 31, 2025 Durango, Colorado, 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, died March 31, 2025) was an American author. He wrote many books for young readers, including novels for middle school and young adult audiences. He also wrote two picture books.
Will Hobbs taught reading and English for 14 years in Colorado. This experience helped him understand what young people like to read. When he started writing, he often set his stories in wild outdoor places. These were places he knew well from his own adventures. He wanted to "take young people into the outdoors and engage their sense of wonder."
Two of his books, Downriver and Far North, were chosen by the American Library Association. They were on a list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of the 20th century. His book Bearstone became very popular. It was even used in a 7th-grade literature textbook.
Contents
About Will Hobbs' Life
William Carl Hobbs grew up in an Air Force family. This meant his family moved around a lot. He lived in places like Panama, Virginia, Alaska, and Texas. He was the middle child of five. His parents were Mary Ann Hobbs and Gregory J. Hobbs.
Hobbs once wrote about his time in Alaska. He said, "I fell in love with mountains, rivers, fishing, baseball, and books." He went to Stanford University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1969. Then, he got his Master of Arts degree in English in 1971.
In December 1972, Will Hobbs married his wife, Jean. They moved to southwestern Colorado. They loved the San Juan Mountains there. They found jobs teaching in Pagosa Springs. After four years, they moved to the Durango area. Hobbs taught at Miller Junior High for ten years.
During his summers, he focused on writing. He also enjoyed backpacking and rafting. He rowed his whitewater raft through many canyons in the Southwest. He even made ten trips down the Grand Canyon!
In 1990, Will Hobbs started writing full-time. He traveled to 47 states, Canada, and Germany for his work. 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.
Will Hobbs' Books
Will Hobbs wrote many exciting adventure stories. Here are some of his popular 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 for His Books
Will Hobbs won many awards for his books. Here are some of them:
- 1990 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Regional Book Award for Bearstone
- 1992 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award for Changes in Latitudes
- 1993 Colorado Book Award for Beardance
- 1993 Spur Award from Western Writers of America for Beardance
- 1995 California Young Reader Medal for Downriver
- 1996 Spur Award from Western Writers of America for Far North
- 1997-98 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award for Downriver
- 1997 Colorado Book Award for Far North
- 1998 Colorado Book Award for Beardream
- 1998 Edgar Allan Poe Award, Best Young Adult Mystery for Ghost Canoe
- 1998 Colorado Book Award for Ghost Canoe
- 2002 Land of Enchantment Book Award (New Mexico) for Ghost Canoe
- 2006 Wyoming Paintbrush Award for Down the Yukon
- 2007 Southwest Book Award for Crossing the Wire
- 2008 Heartland Award (Kansas) for Crossing the Wire
- 2009 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Regional Book Award for Go Big or Go Home
- 2020 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Award for City of Gold
Special Lifetime Awards
Will Hobbs also received awards for his entire body of work:
- 1998 Thomas Hornsby Ferril Lifetime Literary Achievement Award (Colorado)
- 1999 Arizona Author Award from the Arizona Library Association
- 2001 Frank Waters Award from Pikes Peak Library (Colorado)
Author Video
- Tim Podell interviews Will Hobbs for Good Conversations
