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Kate DiCamillo’s writing journey has been a truly remarkable one. She grew up in Florida and moved to Minnesota in her twenties, when homesickness and a bitter winter led her to write Because of WinnDixie – her first published novel, which became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. The Tiger Rising, her second novel, was also set in Florida and went on to become a National Book Award finalist. Since then, the bestselling author has explored settings as varied as a medieval castle and a magician’s theatre while continuing to enjoy great success, winning two Newbery Medals and being named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She now has almost 30 million books in print worldwide.
In 2016, Kate DiCamillo published her most autobiographical novel to date, Raymie Nightingale, which was a National Book Award finalist. And then, for the first time ever, she returned to the world of a previous novel in Louisiana’s Way Home to tell us more about a character that her fans already knew and loved. That novel garnered seven starred reviews and was, like its predecessor, a #1 New York Times bestseller. And now Kate DiCamillo returns once more to complete the Three Rancheros’ stories by writing a book about toughas-nails Beverly Tapinski.
Kate DiCamillo’s books’ themes of hope and belief amid impossible circumstances and their messages of shared humanity and connectedness have resonated with readers of all ages around the world. In her instant #1 New York Times bestseller The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, a haughty china rabbit undergoes a profound transformation after finding himself facedown on the ocean floor – lost and waiting to be found. The Tale of Despereaux – the Newbery Medal–winning novel that later inspired an animated adventure from Universal Pictures – stars a tiny mouse with exceptionally large ears who is driven by love to become an unlikely hero. The Magician’s Elephant, an acclaimed and exquisitely paced fable, dares to ask the question What if ? And Kate DiCamillo’s second Newbery Medal winner, Flora & Ulysses, was released in 2013 to great acclaim, garnering five starred reviews and an instant spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Born in Philadelphia but raised in the South, Kate DiCamillo now lives in Minneapolis.
A Q&A with Kate Di Camillo:
You made the decision to write Louisiana’s story after her relentless voice consumed your notebooks. What made you want to write a novel about Beverly? Was there a voice, quote, or image that came to you that set her story in motion?
Well, it’s odd. Beverly’s voice was relentless, too, but in a much less dramatic way than Louisiana’s. Telling Beverly’s story was like crouching in the woods with my hand out, hoping that a wild animal would come and eat out of my hand. I could feel her presence; I knew she wanted to speak. But I had to hold very, very still. And wait. The story started with the simple, declarative sentence “Buddy died.” And everything, all of it, unspooled from that.
Once again you have created a novel that deals very pointedly with parental abandonment, and Beverly’s situation is possibly the most dire in all of your books. Is that theme still difficult to explore, or do you find you have more courage now than ever to tackle these kinds of raw and difficult truths?
These “difficult truths” show up in my stories no matter what I do. I have, in recent years, I suppose, turned and faced them more head-on, more directly. I am haunted by parental abandonment, and so it keeps showing up in my stories.
If Raymie Nightingale was the true story of your heart and Louisiana’s Way Home was a return to storytelling in the style of Because of Winn-Dixie, what is the personal impetus or connection for you to Beverly, Right Here?
Beverly is so much braver than I am. I wanted to leave and I couldn’t. Beverly does. Every time Beverly showed up in Raymie’s story, I was impressed by her ferocity, her tenderness, her utter lack of regard for the rules. She was the kind of kid I wanted to be. She is the kind of young adult I wanted to be.
This is a return to the characters of Di Camillo’s Raymie Nightingale and Louisiana’s Way Home – though it is not necessary to have read either novel to appreciate this story. Precipitated by the death of her dog companion, Buddy, Beverly has no reason now to stay at home, so she leaves. She is 14 years old, but by a sequence of good luck, and a lift from a cousin, she ends up in Tamaray, bunking with a grandmother figure in a trailer park community and getting a job with a very disorganised café owner. This story could have been very bleak, but the wonderful characters DiCamillo draws, and the humour with which she tells this story make it very engaging. Obviously set in the US this gives the landscape an exotic feel, and the characters have a wonderfully transatlantic humour that can be appreciated anywhere. This is the story of Beverly’s survival, and the rebuilding of her grief battered resilient character – so she can eventually return to her hometown, her close friend and her less than satisfactory mother. An ultimately uplifting story of survival, acceptance and friendship in unlikely places.
Readers first met Louisiana Elefante in Kate DiCamillo’s unforgettable Raymie Nightingale, now she has her own story, and what a tale it is. Louisiana has always believed that her parents were high wire stars, killed in an accident when she was very young, but driven by terrible toothache and an urge to come to terms with her own past, her granny suddenly reveals that everything Louisiana knows about her life is a lie. Abandoned in a motel miles from her old home in Florida, Louisiana is left to decide who she wants to be. She is befriended by a boy called Burke Allen and his family including his seventeen cake baking mother, and the kindness of strangers helps her to new happiness and security. A story of grief and confusion becomes one of love, hope and resilience. DiCamillo writes with extraordinary sensitivity and perception, and readers of all ages will be touched and moved by Louisiana’s story. Readers who enjoy this book should also read The Road to Ever After by Moira Young.
This beautiful picture book delivers an extraordinary message of hope in a one syllable text. A little girl sings – ‘La’. When no reply comes she stomps off, then chases a golden leaf. As more leaves fall she follows them out of a world of greys into a sun-drenched landscape full of plants and flowers. But even there no-one replies to her call. She returns at night, the landscape now saturated in velvety purple and, fascinated by the moonlight, sings to the moon. It takes more pages, and more determination from the girl, but eventually the moon replies. The final image shows the little girl in the light of the moon, both singing their hearts out. There’s no need for extra words to tell this story, children will understand exactly the girl’s need to be heard, seen and answered; impeccably told, it’s a story that speak to us all. ~ Andrea Reece
Some momentous things happen in the course of this book: a father leaves, buildings are burgled, a cat is lost and found, hearts are broken, good deeds attempted, and someone is saved from drowning. More affecting than all of that however, is the friendship formed between three girls, and the anxieties soothed as a result. In the hope of becoming Little Miss Central Florida Tyre, Raymie is having baton-twirling lessons with the fearsome Ida Nee. There she meets Louisiana, orphaned daughter of high wire stars the Flying Elefantes, and Beverly Tapinski, gruff, stubborn and fearless. Together they become the Three Rancheros, and as such their worlds are changed. DiCamillo lets readers see through Raymie’s eyes, live through the summer with her and it’s an unforgettable experience. ~ Andrea Reece
Some momentous things happen in the course of this book: a father leaves, buildings are burgled, a cat is lost and found, hearts are broken, good deeds attempted, and someone is saved from drowning. More affecting than all of that however, is the friendship formed between three girls, and the anxieties soothed as a result. In the hope of becoming Little Miss Central Florida Tyre, Raymie is having baton-twirling lessons with the fearsome Ida Nee. There she meets Louisiana, orphaned daughter of high wire stars the Flying Elefantes, and Beverly Tapinski, gruff, stubborn and fearless. Together they become the Three Rancheros, and as such their worlds are changed. DiCamillo lets readers see through Raymie’s eyes, live through the summer with her and it’s an unforgettable experience. ~ Andrea Reece
This is an exquisitely told story from No. 1 New York Times Bestseller and Newbery Award Winner Kate DiCamillo. Walking through the woods early one morning Rob is stunned to find a tiger locked in a cage. He tells no one and heads off to school. On that same day, Rob meets a new girl to the school who like Rob is immediately bullied. Reaching out he tells the girl about the tiger and from that moment on, their world is changed forever. Intense and incredibly powerful this is a story that will move all who read it.
One of our Books of the Year 2014 - Shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Book Award 2014- Winner of the IBW Children's Award 2014 Award-winning Kate diCamillo tells a zany, bitter sweet story of how Flora Belle Buckman, a self-declared cynic, rescues a squirrel from the neighbour’s super-powered vacuum cleaner and, in doing so, finds herself on a journey of discovery. Ulysses the squirrel’s escapade seems to invest it with super powers – including the ability to type - while the appearance of William Spiver, the neighbour’s great great-nephew who has a passion for words, gives Flora a friend. Flora’s journey of self discovery is highly entertaining. Guardian Children's Fiction Book Award Judge Frank Cottrell Boyce said: “Squirrel acquires superpowers after collision with lawn mower - you KNOW you want to know more.” Describing the process of writing the book, Kate DiCamillo says, “There is a line from the thirteenthcentury poet Rumi that I kept close by as I worked on this novel: The grief armies assemble, but I’m not going with them. For me, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures is a book about joy and laughter, about moving away from grief and turning toward love. Additionally, it is a book about seal blubber.” In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Flora & Ulysses The Illuminated Adventures a small number of children were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Here's a taster....'This was a truly heartwarming, witty story. And it was the best book I have ever read! I loved everything about it and am looking forward to reading another book by this fantastic author.' Scroll down to read more reviews...
Shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Book Award 2014- Winner of the IBW Children's Award 2014 Award-winning Kate diCamillo tells a zany, bitter sweet story of how Flora Belle Buckman, a self-declared cynic, rescues a squirrel from the neighbour’s super-powered vacuum cleaner and, in doing so, finds herself on a journey of discovery. Ulysses the squirrel’s escapade seems to invest it with super powers – including the ability to type - while the appearance of William Spiver, the neighbour’s great great-nephew who has a passion for words, gives Flora a friend. Flora’s journey of self discovery is highly entertaining. Guardian Children's Fiction Book Award Judge Frank Cottrell Boyce said: “Squirrel acquires superpowers after collision with lawn mower - you KNOW you want to know more.” Describing the process of writing the book, Kate DiCamillo says, “There is a line from the thirteenthcentury poet Rumi that I kept close by as I worked on this novel: The grief armies assemble, but I’m not going with them. For me, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures is a book about joy and laughter, about moving away from grief and turning toward love. Additionally, it is a book about seal blubber.” In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for Flora & Ulysses The Illuminated Adventures a small number of children were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Here's a taster....'This was a truly heartwarming, witty story. And it was the best book I have ever read! I loved everything about it and am looking forward to reading another book by this fantastic author.' Scroll down to read more reviews...
