Kate DiCamillo explained

Kate DiCamillo
Birth Date:March 25, 1964
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation:Writer
Genre:Children's fiction
Notableworks:
Signature:Magician's Elephant (signed) (cropped).png
Birth Name:Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo

Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo (born March 25, 1964) is an American children's fiction author. She has published over 25 novels, including Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tiger Rising, The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Magician's Elephant, the Mercy Watson series, and Flora & Ulysses. Her books have sold around 37 million copies. Four have been developed into films and two have been adapted into musical settings. Her works have won various awards; The Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses won the Newbery Medal, making DiCamillo one of six authors to have won two Newbery Medals.

Born in Philadelphia, DiCamillo moved to Clermont, Florida, as a child, where she grew up. She earned an English degree from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and spent several years working entry-level jobs in Clermont before moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1994. In Minnesota, DiCamillo worked in a book warehouse and attempted to get a book published. Her first book to be accepted for publication was Because of Winn-Dixie, which was critically and commercially successful. DiCamillo then left her job to become a full-time author.

From 2014 to 2015 DiCamillo was the American National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She lives in Minneapolis and continues to write. Her next book, The Hotel Balzaar, will be published on October 1, 2024.

Early life and education

Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo[1] was born on March 25, 1964, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Betty Lee DiCamillo, a teacher, and Adolph Louis DiCamillo, an orthodontist. DiCamillo is the sister of Curt DiCamillo, an architectural historian.[2] She had chronic pneumonia as a child and was often hospitalized.[3] In hopes of helping her sickness, the family moved to the warmer climate of Clermont, Florida,[4] when Kate was five. Her father remained in Philadelphia with his business, but visited on occasion. Although he originally planned to move with the family after selling his practice, this never happened.[5] DiCamillo was an avid reader as a child and often visited the local library.[6] She later credited her mother for sparking her love for books.[7] DiCamillo also often turned to reading when she was particularly sick with pneumonia and unable to do much else. She wanted to be a veterinarian until she was around ten.[8]

She was educated at public schools in the area beginning with Clermont Elementary, before entering Rollins College. DiCamillo left Rollins and worked for a time at Walt Disney World before briefly attending the University of Central Florida.[9] She eventually entered the University of Florida, Gainesville, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English in 1987.

Early career

DiCamillo then worked various entry-level jobs in Clermont, including at Circus World, Walt Disney World, a campground, and a greenhouse. She said of her life during this time that she thought she was a talented writer and expected it to be quickly recognized so she "sat around for the next seven or eight years". DiCamillo moved to Minneapolis in 1994, following a close friend, and after several jobs was hired to work at The Bookman, a book warehouse and distributor, as a picker,[10] eventually in the children's book section, a placement she was initially disappointed by. While working in the department, DiCamillo discovered The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963, a children's novel she greatly admired.[11]

She began writing regularly while working at the warehouse, waking up before her shifts on weekdays to write. After four years in Minnesota, DiCamillo met the author Louise Erdrich, who encouraged her. DiCamillo submitted her books to several publishers. She received in return 473 rejection letters.[12] She was also encouraged by the author Jane Resh Thomas. By the turn of the 21st century, despite her efforts, DiCamillo had published only several short stories aimed at adults.

Writing career and recognition

DiCamillo had published 25 books as of 2018.[13] As of 2021, almost 37 million copies of her books were in print.[14] In 2019 Mpls St Paul Magazine called her "Minnesota's most successful writer". In 2006, a Candlewick Press representative called her books a "cornerstone" of the publisher's success. DiCamillo's first book to be accepted for publication was Because of Winn-Dixie, a story about a girl who finds a stray dog and takes it home. A 1998 McKnight Fellowship grant allowed her to focus more on writing. She conceived the book's plot during the winter of her first year living in Minnesota, when she was missing her Florida home and upset about her apartment's no-dog policy. DiCamillo gave her draft to a Candlewick sales agent who was at a Christmas party held by The Bookman. The draft was initially given to an editor who left the company on maternity leave, and it was lost in a pile of other manuscripts. It was rediscovered when the employee's office was cleaned out. DiCamillo was offered a contract. After a rewrite, the book was published in 2000. Flo Davis, the wife of a founder of the Winn-Dixie supermarket chain, sponsored DiCamillo to visit various schools in Florida and widen the book's reach. It was a quick commercial and critical success. Afterward, DiCamillo left her job to focus on writing full-time. In 2004 she told the Chicago Tribune that she forced herself to write two pages every day, which took her on average 30 minutes to an hour. In 2017, she estimated that she spent 12–15 hours a week writing and 35 to 40 reading, mainly adult fiction. She often traveled to talk about her writing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, DiCamillo reported that she wrote every morning for 100 days.

Because of Winn-Dixie success marked the beginning of DiCamillo's writing career. It won the 2000 Josette Frank Award[15] and a Newbery Honor.[16] Her second book, The Tiger Rising, was published the next year. It was also well received by critics, who noted stylistic differences between it and Because of Winn-Dixie. DiCamillo won the Newbery Medal in 2004 for her third book, The Tale of Despereaux. She wrote it upon the request of the child of one of her friends for a story with "an unlikely hero". DiCamillo said she was shocked by the news of the Newbery.[17] She said her 2006 book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which is about a china rabbit, was very easy to write.

The Mercy Watson series, which features a pig as its main character, began with Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride (2006) and ended with Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes (2009).[18] DiCamillo's 2010 novel Bink & Gollie, co-written with Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile, won the 2011 Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal.[19] Her 2013 novel Flora & Ulysses was partially inspired by an injured squirrel she saw.[20] It won the Newbery Medal in 2014, making her one of six writers to win two Newberys since the award was created in 1920.

In 2014 DiCamillo was named the fourth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature,[21] a post she held from January 2014 to December 2015.[22] Upon taking that role, she used the theme "Stories Connect Us".[21] [23] In the summers of 2015 and 2016 DiCamillo led the Collaborative Summer Library Program's summer reading campaign as the summer reading champion.[24]

Her 2016 book Raymie Nightingale, about three young girls competing in a competition who end as friends, did not feel complete, and two years later DiCamillo wrote a sequel, Louisiana's Way Home. In 2019 she published Beverly, Right Here, completing a trilogy.[25] In The New York Times the author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley wrote that Beverly, Right Here "may be her finest [book] yet".[26] In 2019 she received the Regina Medal in recognition of her writing.[27] DiCamillo's 2019 picture book La La La uses just one word: "la".[28] Minnesota Governor Tim Walz named March 29, 2020, Kate DiCamillo Day.[29] DiCamillo's novel The Beatryce Prophecy was begun in 2009, rediscovered in 2018, and published in 2021. Her next novel, Ferris, was published on March 5, 2024. Her latest book, The Hotel Balzaar, will be published on October 1, 2024.[30]

Awards

DiCamillo has received several awards for her books.

Award! scope=col
Yearscope=col style="width: 19em" Workscope=col style="width: 6em" Resultscope=col class=unsortable
Josette Frank Award2000Because of Winn-Dixie
Newbery Medal2000Because of Winn-Dixie
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award2002Because of Winn-Dixie[31]
National Book Award for Young People's Literature2001The Tiger Rising[32]
Mark Twain Award2003Because of Winn-Dixie[33]
Newbery Medal2004The Tale of Despereaux
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award2005The Tale of Despereaux
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award: Fiction and Poetry2006The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane[34]
Parents' Choice Award2006The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane[35]
Quill Awards2006The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane[36]
Geisel Award2006Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
Geisel Award2010Bink & Gollie
National Book Award for Young People's Literature2013Flora & Ulysses[37]
Newbery Medal2014Flora & Ulysses
National Book Award for Young People's Literature2016Raymie Nightingale
Regina Medal2019 -

Adaptations

DiCamillo's books have been adapted into films and stage productions. Because of Winn-Dixie became a 2005 film of the same name. The Tale of Despereaux was developed into a 2008 animated film.[38] In 2020, Netflix began production on an animated film based on The Magician's Elephant.[39] In 2021, Walt Disney Pictures released the film Flora & Ulysses as a streaming film on Disney+.[40] The film The Tiger Rising was released in 2022.[41]

DiCamillo co-wrote the Winn-Dixie screenplay and did some early consulting on The Tale of Despereaux, but was comparatively less involved. She has said that she enjoyed both adaptations.[42] She has a cameo in Flora & Ulysses.[43]

In 2017, the Minnesota Opera announced that it was going to adapt The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane into an opera.[44] The Magician's Elephant was adapted into a musical that premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2021.[45] The Minnesota Opera canceled its scheduled opening and had not rescheduled it as of September 2021 but the Royal Society Shakespeare Company scheduled a reopening for October 14.

Theatrical feature films

Analysis

DiCamillo's style is often similar to children's literature from the Victorian or Edwardian eras. Homesickness and hope are frequent themes. Many of the books follow someone who is alone and has to survive on their own, undergoing suffering and loneliness,[46] commonly the absence or loss of parents.[47] The author Julie Schumacher said that "a sense of abandonment [...] pervades everything she has written." Other themes in DiCamillo's novels include love, salvation, emotional change, and "senseless cruelty", according to the New York Times.[48] According to the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, DiCamillo's works often begin with young protagonists who are "puzzled, wanting, and waiting" but conclude that they must handle matters on their own.[49]

In a 2023 profile in The New Yorker by Casey Cep, DiCamillo first shared details of the physical and emotional abuse her father inflicted on the family before their move to Florida, where he never joined them. In the article, a friend who has known her since childhood suggests that DiCamillo's cumulative writing has been as therapeutic for her as her many years in counseling: "More and more of her shows up in what she writes, and I think it's the writing that saved her."[50]

A New York Times article noted that she has written stories in many different genres.[51] She told the National Endowment for the Arts that her books were "the same story, over and over in many ways" with the same themes repeating.[52] DiCamillo has said that she doesn't know how to "develop a character" but she discovers them "and follow[s] their story." DiCamillo's fiction is influenced by her experiences growing up; for instance, many of her realistic fiction novels take place in north and central Florida and include dialogue common to the Southern United States. She told the Orlando Sentinel that she tries to leave room for the reader to read between the lines, saying that she has tried to emulate E. B. White: "He's using the same words we're all using. It must be that stripped-away quality, his heart is resting more on each word, and that's what I'm always trying to do."[53] Her novels often include "distinct scenes that are lightly connected".

According to DiCamillo, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane wrote itself, while many of her other works go through eight to nine drafts. She usually only writes one book at a time, but in 2015 she told The Horn Book Magazine that she "juggled" various works, for instance writing a draft of a more serious book and then switching to a shorter, less serious one. She has said that when writing books for children she tries to be direct and "not to condescend to them". In a 2018 article in Time, DiCamillo wrote that children's books should be "a little bit sad".[54] She told another interviewer that "the kid in me has never gone away" and that when she writes for children rather than adults the main difference is that she is more hopeful. Many of her books have animals as main characters, something DiCamillo has called ironic, because as a child she avoided such books.

In 2020 the author Ann Patchett published an essay in The New York Times describing reading DiCamillo's work as an adult and recommending that others read it too, calling her work as a whole "sui generis, each one extraordinary".[55]

List of works

Novels

Early Reader Chapter books

Picture books

Short stories

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kate DiCamillo. live. Encyclopedia Britannica. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109233730/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kate-DiCamillo.
  2. Web site: Curt DiCamillo American Ancestors . 2023-11-02 . www.americanancestors.org.
  3. News: Hertzel. Laurie. December 28, 2014. Star Tribune artist of the year: Kate DiCamillo, rock star of children's lit. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110140814/https://www.startribune.com/artist-of-year-kate-dicamillo-rock-star-of-children-s-lit/286798261/. November 10, 2021. November 10, 2021. Star Tribune.
  4. Web site: For Kate DiCamillo, connection is the story . 2022-03-07 . Tampa Bay Times . en.
  5. News: Margolies. Jane. February 21, 2006. Pleasantly Stunned, a Star Children's Author Hits the Tour Trail Again. en-US. The New York Times. subscription. November 10, 2021. 0362-4331. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110203802/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/books/pleasantly-stunned-a-star-childrens-author-hits-the-tour-trail-again.html. live.
  6. News: Tuttle. Kate. May 2, 2015. Kate DiCamillo hopes to inspire an early love of reading. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110204933/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2015/05/02/story-behind-book-kate-dicamillo-hopes-inspire-early-love-reading/oewYIZ0uVWfBoBJlyKLRFL/story.html. November 10, 2021. November 10, 2021. The Boston Globe. en-US.
  7. News: Hertzel. Laurie. September 17, 2021. The lost manuscript of Kate DiCamillo. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222034/https://www.startribune.com/the-lost-manuscript-of-kate-dicamillo/600098119/. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. Star Tribune.
  8. News: Grant. Tracy. February 10, 2004. With Newbery award, author enjoys her own fairy-tale ending. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110231719/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-02-10-0402140032-story.html. November 10, 2021. November 10, 2021. Chicago Tribune. en.
  9. News: Pate. Nancy. September 28, 2001. Because of a Book. live. November 10, 2021. Orlando Sentinel. en-US. December 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211211214802/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/.
  10. Web site: Grumdahl. Dara Moskowitz. September 23, 2019. Kate DiCamillo Might Be Your Neighbor. November 9, 2021. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. en-us. December 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211211214734/https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/kate-dicamillo-beverly-right-here/. live.
  11. Web site: Hesse. Monica. January 2, 2014. Kate DiCamillo, author of 'Because of Winn Dixie', named children's literature ambassador. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190525213645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/kate-dicamillo-author-of-because-of-winn-dixie-named-childrens-literature-ambassador/2014/01/02/a83d4c2e-6e4c-11e3-b405-7e360f7e9fd2_story.html. May 25, 2019. January 10, 2014. The Washington Post.
  12. News: Morris. Linda. May 10, 2017. Kate DiCamillo: How she became a bestseller after 473 rejection letters. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222034/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/kate-dicamillo-how-she-became-a-bestseller-after-473-rejection-letters-20170310-guv3e7.html. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. The Sydney Morning Herald. en.
  13. News: Grossmann. Mary Ann. October 13, 2018. Kate DiCamillo is much like her books: funny and respectful of children. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222035/https://www.twincities.com/2018/10/13/kate-dicamillo-louisiana-way-home/. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. Twin Cities. en-US.
  14. News: O'Connell. Alex. October 16, 2021. The Magician's Elephant: the story behind the RSC's new show. en. The Times. live. November 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111023825/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-magicians-elephant-the-story-behind-the-rscs-new-show-9cxmh5gzc. November 11, 2021. 0140-0460.
  15. Web site: List of Winners. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170911205557/https://www.bankstreet.edu/center-childrens-literature/childrens-book-committee/awards/award-winners/. September 11, 2017. Bank Street College of Education.
  16. Web site: Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160624160530/http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal. June 24, 2016. Association for Library Service to Children.
  17. Web site: Kate DiCamillo. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110233603/https://www.loc.gov/item/n99039887/kate-dicamillo/. November 10, 2021. November 10, 2021. Library of Congress.
  18. News: Bolle. Sonja. December 13, 2009. The best of Word Play in 2009. en-US. Los Angeles Times. live. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110233042/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-word-play13-2009dec13-story.html. November 10, 2021.
  19. Web site: (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award winners and honor books, 2006–present. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180302223720/http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/geiselaward/geiselawardpastwinners. March 2, 2018. December 17, 2022. ALSC. ALA.
      Web site: Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. October 29, 2015. ALSC. ALA.
  20. News: Minzesheimer. Bob. January 27, 2014. Kate DiCamillo wins Newbery Medal. November 10, 2021. USA Today. en-US. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110231718/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2014/01/27/newbery-and-caldecott-medals-2013/4933963/. live.
  21. Web site: Corbett. Sue. January 2, 2014. Kate DiCamillo Named Next National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. live. November 10, 2021. Publishers Weekly. en. May 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190525215155/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/60497-kate-dicamillo-named-next-national-ambassador-for-young-people-s-literature.html.
  22. Web site: Gershowitz. Elissa. November 3, 2015. An Interview with Kate DiCamillo. November 10, 2021. The Horn Book Magazine. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110030845/https://www.hbook.com/story/an-interview-with-kate-dicamillo. live.
  23. News: Barron. Christina. December 12, 2014. Author Kate DiCamillo connects with young readers. en-US. Washington Post. November 10, 2021. 0190-8286. May 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200514033223/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/2014/12/11/7131e9d6-6ede-11e4-ad12-3734c461eab6_story.html. live.
  24. Web site: Marcotte. Alison. May 26, 2016. Newsmaker: Kate DiCamillo. November 10, 2021. American Libraries. en-US. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110204935/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/05/26/newsmaker-kate-dicamillo/. live.
  25. News: Kerr. Euan. October 17, 2019. Kate DiCamillo finishes an unexpected trilogy. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110233042/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/10/17/kate-dicamillo-finishes-an-unexpected-trilogy-with-beverly-right-here. November 10, 2021. November 10, 2021. MPR News.
  26. News: Bradley. Kimberly Brubaker. November 1, 2019. Kate DiCamillo's New Novel May Be Her Finest Yet. en-US. The New York Times. subscription. November 10, 2021. 0362-4331. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110233602/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/01/books/review/beverly-right-here-kate-dicamillo.html. live.
  27. Web site: Regina Medal. November 9, 2021. en. March 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318212202/https://cathla.org/Main/Awards/Regina_Medal.aspx. live. Catholic Library Association.
  28. News: One Word Builds A World In 'La La La'. en. NPR. November 10, 2021. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110235300/https://www.npr.org/2019/08/18/751713094/one-word-builds-a-world-in-la-la-la. live.
  29. Web site: Walz. Tim. Kate DiCamillo Day. live. mn.gov. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222037/https://mn.gov/governor/assets/03.28.20%20Kate%20Dicamillo%20Day_tcm1055-421603.pdf.
  30. Web site: DiCamillo, Kate . October 12, 2023 . Puppets of Spelhorst - Kate DiCamillo . Kate DiCamillo.
  31. http://sites.google.com/a/cesuvt.org/dcf-award/home/past-winners "Past Winners"
  32. Web site: National Book Awards 2001. 2022-02-11. National Book Foundation.
  33. http://www.maslonline.org/?page=MT_previouswinnners Mark Twain Award winners
  34. Web site: May 30, 2011. Past Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winners. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130612015400/http://www.hbook.com/2011/05/news/boston-globe-horn-book-awards/past-boston-globe-horn-book-award-winners-2. June 12, 2013.
  35. Web site: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane . 2007-10-11 . Parents' Choice . December 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220210709/http://www.parents-choice.org/product.cfm?product_id=20163&award=xx&from=Candlewick%20Press . dead .
  36. Web site: The Quill Awards - The 2006 Quills . 2007-10-11 . The Quills Literacy Foundation . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928063458/http://www.thequills.org/2006.html . 2007-09-28.
  37. Web site: Kate DiCamillo. 2022-02-14. National Book Foundation. en-US.
  38. News: Dargis. Manohla. Manohla Dargis. 2008-12-18. Killer Soup, and a Mouse to the Rescue. en-US. The New York Times. 2022-02-11. 0362-4331.
  39. Web site: McNary. Dave. December 15, 2020. Noah Jupe, Pixie Davies, Sian Clifford Board Animated Film 'Magician's Elephant' for Netflix. November 9, 2021. Variety. en-US.
  40. News: Phillips. Maya. February 18, 2021. 'Flora & Ulysses' Review: A Hero Tale That Lets the Fur Fly. en-US. The New York Times. subscription. July 20, 2021. 0362-4331. July 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210720074124/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/movies/flora-ulysses-review.html. live.
  41. News: Bugbee. Teo. 2022-01-20. 'The Tiger Rising' Review: A Cage of Clichés. en-US. The New York Times. 2022-01-27. 0362-4331.
  42. News: Deutsch. Lindsay. January 24, 2013. Exclusive peek: Kate DiCamillo's 'Flora and Ulysses'. live. November 11, 2021. USA Today. en-US. November 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111140758/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/01/23/kate-dicamillo-flora-and-ulysses-reveal/1859307/.
  43. News: Hewitt. Chris. February 16, 2021. Kate DiCamillo's award-winning 'Flora & Ulysses' will soon be a movie on Disney Plus. live. November 11, 2021. Star Tribune. November 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111134129/https://www.startribune.com/kate-dicamillo-s-award-winning-flora-ulysses-will-soon-be-a-movie-on-disney-plus/600023692/.
  44. Web site: Berdan. Kathy. December 14, 2017. Minnesota Opera commissions Kate DiCamillo novel for new opera. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222034/https://www.twincities.com/2017/12/14/new-opera/. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. Twin Cities. en-US.
  45. News: Hertzel. Laurie. February 4, 2020. Novel by Minneapolis writer Kate DiCamillo to be a musical in London. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222036/https://www.startribune.com/novel-by-mpls-writer-kate-dicamillo-to-be-a-musical-in-london/567560342/. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. Star Tribune.
  46. News: Kerr. Euan. November 26, 2018. Kate DiCamillo, Chronicler Of The Hard Truths Of Youth. en. NPR. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109232820/https://www.npr.org/2018/11/26/670837994/kate-dicamillo-chronicler-of-the-hard-truths-of-youth. live.
  47. Web site: Henderson. Jane. Kate DiCamillo finds joy in summer reading. November 10, 2021. STLtoday.com. July 13, 2018 . en. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110204933/https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/kate-dicamillo-finds-joy-in-summer-reading/article_d73442e7-4f39-535b-84ba-78e7f48c1a2b.html. live.
  48. News: Novik. Naomi. September 17, 2021. Kate DiCamillo's New Novel, About a Girl Who Would Be King. en-US. The New York Times. subscription. November 10, 2021. 0362-4331. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110222536/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/17/books/review/kate-dicamillo-sophie-blackall-the-beatryce-prophecy.html. live.
  49. Usher. Craigan. Kurtz. Brian P.. January 1, 2020. Wanting, Waiting: The Works of Kate DiCamillo. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. English. 59. 1. 195. 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.11.008. 0890-8567. 31879008. 209490036. subscription. November 9, 2021. December 11, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211211214739/https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567%2819%2932156-2/fulltext. live.
  50. News: Cep . Casey . 2023-09-11 . What Kate DiCamillo Understands About Children . en-US . The New Yorker . 2023-11-02 . 0028-792X.
  51. News: Bosman. Julie. January 2, 2014. Newbery Winner to Promote Her Genre. en-US. The New York Times. subscription. November 9, 2021. 0362-4331. November 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222034/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/books/kate-dicamillo-to-be-ambassador-of-young-peoples-literature.html. live.
  52. Web site: Sutton. Rebecca. September 12, 2014. Art Talk with Children's Author Kate DiCamillo. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111140056/https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2014/art-talk-childrens-author-kate-dicamillo. November 11, 2021. November 11, 2021. National Endowment for the Arts. en.
  53. News: Boedeker. Hal. December 2, 2019. Kate DiCamillo: Clermont author, national treasure. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211109222034/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv-guy/os-et-kate-dicamillo-clermont-author-national-treasure-20191202-64nogmyzlzbtvidzxjlgi6eypq-story.html. November 9, 2021. November 9, 2021. Orlando Sentinel.
  54. Why Children's Books Should Be a Little Sad. November 10, 2021. Time. en. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110204933/https://time.com/5099463/kate-dicamillo-kids-books-sad/. live.
  55. News: Patchett. Ann. March 30, 2020. Ann Patchett on Why We Need Life-Changing Books Right Now. en-US. The New York Times. subscription. November 10, 2021. 0362-4331. November 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110234435/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/books/review/kate-dicamillo-ann-patchett.html. live.
  56. Book: Guys read : funny business . 2010 . Walden Pond Press . Jon Scieszka, Adam Rex . 978-0-06-201763-5 . 1st . New York . 680277414.
  57. News: Hertzel. Laurie. October 29, 2011. The Bookmark: The latest from the local scene. 2022-02-11. Star Tribune.
  58. Web site: Quigley . Jenny Minton . Announcing the Winners of the 2024 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction . Literary Hub . 22 April 2024.