Which author won the Newbery Medal for both 'Bridge to Terabithia' and 'Jacob Have I Loved'?

Which author won the Newbery Medal for both Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved? The answer is Katherine Paterson.

Paterson won the Newbery Medal for Bridge to Terabithia, originally published in 1977, and again for Jacob Have I Loved, published in 1980. Bridge to Terabithia follows Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke, two children who create an imaginary kingdom called Terabithia and whose friendship changes Jesse’s understanding of courage, loss, and grief.

Jacob Have I Loved centers on Sara Louise Bradshaw, one of twin sisters growing up on a Chesapeake Bay island. Sara Louise feels overshadowed by her more admired twin, Caroline, and the novel explores jealousy, identity, family expectations, and the difficult process of becoming comfortable with oneself.

The two medals were awarded in different years: Bridge to Terabithia received the 1978 Newbery Medal, while Jacob Have I Loved received the 1981 medal. Paterson’s achievement is especially notable because the Newbery recognizes individual books, not an author’s lifetime body of work. Bridge to Terabithia is also frequently remembered for its tragic ending and for drawing inspiration from the death of a friend of Paterson’s son.