Theme 6: New Frontiers: Oceans and Space

Meet the Author

Growing up during the Depression, Theodore Taylor learned to rely on himself at an early age. Even before he turned ten years old, he was getting up at 4:30 in the morning to help the family income by delivering newspapers. He also roamed the area around his home in Statesville, North Carolina, and later Portsmouth, Virginia. Many of the characters in his books are similarly good at getting along on their own. “I like that kind of kid,” Taylor says. “I think kids like that kind too, and if it helps them aim toward self-reliance, then I've done a good job.”