Kate DiCamillo
2 books analyzed
Biography
Kate DiCamillo grew up in Clermont, Florida, and the Southern setting of Because of Winn-Dixie draws directly from her childhood landscape. She has spoken about writing the novel during a lonely winter in Minneapolis, homesick for Florida, and about channeling her longing for home and connection into Opal's story. The novel was her debut and was named a Newbery Honor book in 2001. DiCamillo later served as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.
Kate DiCamillo at a glance
Works
Because of Winn-Dixie
2000 · 182 pages · ★☆☆☆☆ Accessible
A girl and a stray dog walk into a grocery store, and by the end of the summer, an entire town has learned how to stop being lonely.
The Tale of Despereaux
2003 · 272 pages · ★☆☆☆☆ Accessible
A mouse who loves music and light and a princess falls in love with a story, and the story saves them both.
Diction Across Works
warm-colloquial
fairy-tale-formal