The Magician's Elephant

Kate DiCamillo is the author of over 25 critically acclaimed and much-loved children’s books. She began writing at the age of 30 while working in a book distribution warehouse in Minnesota. There, she started reading the books on the children’s floor and was inspired to write her own novel after reading Christopher Paul Curtis’s novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 (1995). DiCamillo’s first novel, Because of Winn-Dixie (2000), became a Newbery Honor book. Her second novel, The Tiger Rising (2001), was a National Book Award Finalist. DiCamillo went on to join only a handful of two-time Newbery Medal winners for her works Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (2013) and The Tale of Despereaux (2003).

The Library of Congress named DiCamillo a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014-2015. According to the Library of Congress, the purpose of this role established in 2008 is to “raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.” DiCamillo’s platform for the position was “Stories Connect Us.” She believes that in today’s challenging culture, both children and adults find good storytelling fulfilling.

DiCamillo integrates her personal Christian faith into her writing.