In addition, he has won or been nominated for several state awards, including the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award, the North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award, the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Award, the Maryland Black-eyed Susan Book Award, and the Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award. He has also received two Christopher Awards and one Penney-Lindbergh Award. The latter is given to authors who have written books that benefit children with disabilities. Paulsen has been honored for his work with multiple organizations including the National Center for Learning Disabilities, which gives out an award annually in his name. He has also been given awards by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Association for Library Service to Children. His novels have won or been nominated for many other awards including the Iowa High School Book Award, the Minnesota Book Award, the New Mexico Hispanic Heritage Book Award, and the Utah Literary Award. He has also been chosen as a finalist for the National Book Award twice, once for his first novel and again for his third book. His first novel was made into a movie called It Runs In Families. The movie was based on the book's storyline about a boy named Gus who finds out that he is capable of predicting the future.