 It is based on the 1977 children's novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson.The story was inspired by the death of Lisa Hill, the best friend of Katherine Paterson's son David, who was struck and killed by lightning when she was eight years old.In a 2007 interview, David, who later co-wrote the 2007 movie version, referred to this version as being "like the crazy cousin in a mental hospital that nobody talks about" and goes on to say that "no one on our side was either involved with it or happy with the final product."