| Kate DiCamillo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo March 25, 1964 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Occupation | Children's author |
| Nationality | American |
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www.katedicamillo.com |
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Katrina Elizabeth "Kate" DiCamillo (b. March 25, 1964) is an American children's author. She is known for the Newbery Medal-winning book The Tale of Despereaux, the Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, and the Mercy Watson series, plus numerous other award-winning and honored books.
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Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, DiCamillo suffered from chronic pneumonia. At age 5, she moved to Clermont, Florida for her health (warmer climate) with her mother and older brother, Curt DiCamillo, who would become a noted architectural historian. Her mother was a teacher. Her father stayed behind to sell his orthodontic practice and never rejoined the family in Florida.[1][2] In 1987 DiCamillo received an English degree at the University of Florida and worked for various jobs after graduation. At age 30 she moved to Minneapolis and began working at a book warehouse. This job gave her inspiration to write for children and allowed her to meet a sales representative for Candlewick Press, resulting in a draft submission of what would become Because of Winn-Dixie.[3]
Her 2003 novel The Tale of Despereaux was inspired by a friend's son, Luke Bailey, who asked her to write about an unlikely hero with "exceptionally large ears".[4]
In 2005, Because of Winn-Dixie was released as a film by 20th Century Fox. The Tale of Despereaux was released by Universal Pictures on December 19, 2008,[5] and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane was optioned by New Line Cinema and is in early pre-production. Her newest novel is The Magician's Elephant, and 20th Century Fox is adapting it into a film, hiring Martin Hynes (The Go-Getter) to write a script based on the book.[6]