Kate DiCamillo

October 17, 2024

Every Good Story

The theme of hope and belief amid impossible circumstances is a common thread in much of Kate DiCamillo’s writing. In fact, DiCamillo’s own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie—her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. “After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls,” she says. “I was stunned. And very, very happy.”

Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist, followed by The Tale of Despereaux, her first Newbery Medal winner. Since then the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages, received countless awards, and currently has over 44 million books in print worldwide. Her stories have been translated into 41 languages, and she continues to enjoy a robust following of readers all over the globe. She has collaborated with some of the top illustrators of the day, including Sophie Blackall, Chris Van Dusen, Jaime Kim, Carmen Mok, Timothy Basil Ering, and Harry Bliss.

Beloved by the entertainment world, many of her books have been adapted for stage and screen. There are popular feature film versions of some of her classic novels, including Because of Winn- Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, Flora & Ulysses, The Tiger Rising, and The Magician’s Elephant.

Kate DiCamillo, a literacy advocate and a Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Emerita, says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.”