Papers of Will Hobbs

Will Hobbs is an award-winning author of books for children and young adults, focusing on outdoor adventures. He has currently published 19 books for middle-school aged and young adult readers as well as two picture books.

Will Hobbs was born on August 22, 1947, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the third of five children. His father was in the Air Force which forced frequent moves; during his childhood the family lived in Pennsylvania, Panama, Virginia, Alaska, northern California, southern California, and Texas. After graduating from Stanford University with a Master of Arts in English, Hobbs taught reading and language arts for 17 years. Will Hobbs has been a full-time writer since 1990 and resides in Durango, Colorado, with his wife Jean. Much of the inspiration for Hobbs' books come from his own adventures in the wilderness.

His published works include 19 novels for young adult readers: Changes in Latitudes (1988), Bearstone (1989), Downriver (1991), The Big Wander (1992), Beardance (1993), Kokopelli's Flute (1995), Far North (1996), Ghost Canoe (1997), River Thunder (1997), The Maze (1998), 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), and Never Say Die (2013), and two picture books Beardream (1997) and Howling Hill (1998), both illustrated by Jill Kastner.

Hobbs' books have won many awards, including Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association, the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery, the California Young Reader Medal, the Western Writers of America Spur Award, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, the Colorado Book Award, the Southwest Book Award, the Heartland Award, and nominations to state award lists in over thirty states.