Paulette Bourgeois was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1974, she received a BSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Western Ontario. She worked as an occupational therapist for three years, then enrolled in Carleton University to study Journalism. She worked as a reporter in Ottawa, then worked as a freelance journalist in Washington DC. In 1983 she moved to Toronto. In 1986, she wrote her first children's book, Franklin in the Dark, which was the beginning of her most well-known series of books. In 2003, she became a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2009, she received a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. She currently lives in Toronto.