The Breaker Boys

Pat Raccio Hughes is an author of children's and young adult books. Her mom claims Pat taught herself to read at age 4 by perusing the obituaries in the local newspaper. Soon after that, she started writing stories and poems. Her most recent work is "Five 4ths of July" (Viking) a historical novel about a Connecticut boy's tumultuous life during the American Revolution. ALA/YALSA named it as one of 2014's Popular Paperbacks for teens. It was also in Booklist's Top Ten Historical Novels for Youth in 2012. Other books include "The Breaker Boys" (Backshore), set in 1897 Pennsylvania coal country; "Guerrilla Season" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), a novel of guerrilla warfare in Civil War Missouri; "Seeing the Elephant" (FSG), a picture book set during the Civil War; and "Open Ice" (Random House), a contemporary novel about a high school hockey star forced to quit playing after his third concussion. "Open Ice" was an ALA/YALSA Popular Paperback in 2008. "The Breaker Boys" and "Seeing the Elephant" were National Council on Social Studies/Children's Book Council Notable Books. "Guerrilla Season" and "Seeing the Elephant" were Bank Street Best Books. "Guerrilla Season" was also a Junior Library Guild Selection. Pat was born and raised in Hamden, Connecticut, and now lives just outside Philadelphia. She is married with two sons.