Critical Reading-6

Esther Lee Mr. Beilin Critical Reading-6 02 December 2010

Christopher Paolini (1983- )

You may know this name from the well-known book, Eragon. But who is Christopher

Paoloni really? Christopher was born in Southern California, but soon after his family moved to

Paradise Valley, Montana where snowcapped mountains, the base of the idea for his book’s setting, were located. When Paolini was born, his mother quit her job to focus on raising her young son. She used a special method that focused on early writing to teach him at home. When

Paolini’s sister, Angela, came along two years later, she was also taught under this method called the Montessori. Their mother was so successful that by the time Paolini was 3, (and later Angela) he was writing at a first-grade level. Ironically, at age 3 or 4, he refused to read. His first trip to the library turned the tables. In his essay, “Dragon Tales,” Paolini said that he was drawn to a certain mystery series with colorful spines. When he read it, something “clicked.” He loved the elements of the story, and, from that point on, he was “in love with the written word.”

When Paolini was only fifteen, he wrote the first draft of Eragon. After a year or so of proofreading and making the story better, it was finally done in November of 2001. The Paolini family spent most of 2002 and 2003 promoting the book at bookstores, libraries, and schools.

Finally, the big break came along. In 2002, Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson read Eragon on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to his publisher’s attention. The publishing company,

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, contacted Paolini and his family, asking if they could buy Eragon. Of course, the family said yes. The book was published by Knopf in 2003.

How thankful Paolini is to his readers is expressed on his publisher’s website:

“Christopher is grateful to all his readers. He is especially heartened to hear that his books have inspired young people to read and to write stories of their own”

(“About Christopher Paolini”).

Paolini’s writing is truly inspirational, not only to me, but to many other readers. I knew, just from reading his books that he was someone who could write. It sounds simple and obvious, but he could write well while mixing in drama and events that the reader could actually relate to, even if the book was a work of pure fiction. Researching a bit further brought me to the conclusion that he was a child genius, thanks to one person, not a talent he was born with. It gave me hope that I could fight to accomplish more and more things, and I assume that it has had the same effect on others as well. Paolini’s life story and books are very meaningful and contain many messages that could be used in the future.

REFERENCES

“About Christopher Paolini.” Alagaesia.com. Random House Inc., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2010.

“Paolini, Christopher.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Advameg Inc., 2010. Web. 2 Dec.

2010. .