Kate DiCamillo

Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers. She is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis.

DiCamillo will discuss her new book, “Ferris,” available March 2024. The playful book explores the theme of navigating chaos and unexpected challenges during a pivotal summer in Ferris Wilkey’s life. Through humor and a touch of the supernatural, the story conveys a message of adaptability, familial bonds, and the ability to find light in unexpected places, even amidst the pandemonium of life's twists and turns.

She was inspired to write "Because of Winn-Dixie," her first novel, during a bout of homesickness one brutally cold winter. The book was an immediate success: it is a Newbery Honor Book, has won more than twenty-five state awards, and has been made into a popular family film. DiCamillo’s subsequent books include the Newbery Medal–winning, "The Tale of Despereaux," "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane," and "The Magician’s Elephant."

Her novel "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" won the 2014 Newbery Medal. It was released in the Fall of 2013 to great acclaim, including five starred reviews, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. It was a 2013 Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Common Sense Media as the Best Book of the Year.

DiCamillo will sign books immediately after the session in the LLX Marketplace.