DiCamillo, Kate (1964-…), is an American author of children’s books. DiCamillo won the 2004 Newbery Medal for The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and A Spool of Thread (2003). The Tale of Despereaux is a romantic fairy tale for middle-grade readers about a mouse living in a castle who falls in love with a human princess. DiCamillo won the medal again in 2014 for Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (2013). The book tells the story of a little girl who makes a pet out of a squirrel while she deals with her parents’ divorce. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually for the outstanding children’s book by an American. In 2019, DiCamillo won the Regina Medal, which honors her lifetime contribution to children’s literature.
DiCamillo was born on March 25, 1964, in Merion, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. She moved to Florida at the age of 5 with her mother after her parents divorced. DiCamillo graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. degree in 1987. Her first two children’s novels are set in Florida.
DiCamillo’s first children’s book was Because of Winn-Dixie (2000). The novel tells about 10-year-old India Opal Buloni, who moves to a tiny Florida town with her preacher father. Her lonely life is changed after she adopts a stray dog, named Winn-Dixie for a local grocery store.
DiCamillo’s next novel, The Tiger Rising (2001), concerns 12-year-old Rob Horton, a boy living in a run-down motel with his father in Florida. The boy struggles to deal with his mother’s recent death, bullies at school, and an ugly rash on his legs. His life turns for the better after he makes friends with a new girl in his school. DiCamillo also wrote the comic “Mercy Watson” series about a pig that acts like a human being and is a beloved member of a human family. The series began in 2005 with Mercy Watson to the Rescue. A spin-off series, “Tales from Deckawoo Drive,” began in 2014 with Leroy Ninker Saddles Up.
DiCamillo’s other works include a fantasy about a toy rabbit, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2006); a Christmas story called Great Joy (2007); a comic story for young readers called Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken (2008); and The Magician’s Elephant (2009), about a 10-year-old boy’s search for his long-lost sister. DiCamillo and Alison McGhee co-wrote Bink & Gollie (2010), the first of several books about the adventures of two girls who are best friends.
DiCamillo’s novel Raymie Nightingale (2016) is about a 10-year-old girl who tries to bring back her absent father by winning a talent contest. It was followed by sequels about Raymie’s friends, Louisiana’s Way Home (2018) and Beverly, Right Here (2019). The Beatryce Prophecy (2021) is a fantasy tale about a girl who might be destined to overthrow a wicked king. The Puppets of Spelhorst (2023) is the story of a group of marionettes finding a new home. Ferris (2024) is about a girl and her grandmother helping a ghost.
From 2014 to 2015, DiCamillo served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She was appointed by the United States Librarian of Congress to travel and speak to groups of children, parents, and teachers to promote the joy of reading.
