https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb By: Megan Barber en-us 2018-02-19 04:11:02 UTC 2023-06-10 09:13:03 UTC hello@padlet.com mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232805560 Kate, born Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo, is a 53 year old woman from Philadelphia.  She lived in Florida and Minnesota, settings that helped her write some of her best work, such as Because of Winn-Dixie.  She describes herself simply as a "storyteller."  Kate shares with her audience that she is single and childless, but is the aunt to three wonderful children. 
Kate has her own website that creates a link between herself and her fans: https://www.katedicamillo.com/]]> 2018-02-19 04:36:21 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232805560 mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232805578 DiCamillo. K. (2000). Because of winn-dixie. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
* Probably one of DiCamillo's most famous works.  The story takes the reader on a journey inside the life of ten-year-old India Opal Buloni who finds a dog outside of the local Winn-Dixie supermarket.  Through the finding of this loyal and loving dog, everything changes that summer for Opal.  Typical age rage for this book is 9-12 years (grades 4-7).

DiCamillo, K. (2003). The tale of despereaux. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
* The story of a brave mouse, a princess, a rat, and a serving girl.  These completely different characters come together to embark on a journey and into each other's lives. 

DiCamillo, K. (2006). The miraculous journey of edward tulane.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
* The story consists of the reader following the life of a china rabbit.  Going from the loving arms of a young girl to the bottom of the ocean, Edward finds himself on an incredible journey hoping to find his way home.

DiCamillo, K. (2009). The magician's elephant.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
* A fortuneteller gives orphan Peter Augustus Duchene a mysterious answer for his life-long question.
This sets off a series of events, including an elephant falling from the sky, that ends up intertwining all of the characters into answering his question at last.

DiCamillo, K. (2013). Flora & ulysses: the illuminated adventures.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
* Flora is a girl who is obsessed with comic books and happens to witness a squirrel gain superhero powers from a vacuum. These unlikely friends start some adventures of their own. This story is half told through the written word, half shared in comic book form.

Information on more of her books can be found:
https://www.amazon.com/Kate-DiCamillo/e/B001H6MDMY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

]]> 2018-02-19 04:36:44 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232805578 mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232805592 Kate states that she writes for both children and adults.  Each of her books seems to be written for a specific audience.  I chose Kate as the author I wanted to work with because I found her name on a list of young adult writers.  After reading her stories, I was surprised to find that most of her famous work is written for 2 to 7th grade students.  Thus, I have to wonder how young a person must be before they are considered a "young adult."  Most research shows that "young adult" consists of ages 18-25. However, though a novel might be considered YA, that does not necessarily mean that this is the age that is the target audience. The typical target range for young adult novels are ages 12 and up. For this reason, many of Kate DiCamillo's books are considered at the younger end of YA novels. What is truly wonderful about Kate's books is that they really are written for all children, at all ages, for all times. They speak to the heart of each and every one of us and take us all on a journey.

Source: https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/14270/what-is-the-expected-target-age-for-a-ya-young-adult-novel]]> 2018-02-19 04:37:00 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232805592 mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232806400 Kate DiCamillo is a two-time Newbery Medalist, of which only six writers have ever won two of the annual awards.  This award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.  
Kate was also named the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. This is a bi-annual honor presented by the Library 
of Congress to an author or illustrator that made a substantial addition to children's literature as well as being a dynamic speaker/personality.
* The McKnight Artist Fellowship for Writers - 1998
* Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book - 2007
* Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal - 2011
* Josette Frank Award - 2000
* Boston Glob-Horn Book Award - 2006

]]> 2018-02-19 04:44:18 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232806400 mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232808193 A high percentage of Kate DiCamillo's work are considered to be classics. Not only that, the themes of her stories tend to be wholesome, safer topics while still being enjoyable to diverse groups. For this reason, many of DiCamillo's novels are common on school reading lists.  
My estimated percentage that I would give for students reading her work at school verses home would be 80/20]]> 2018-02-19 05:05:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232808193 mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232809626 Though Kate DiCamillo's books contain a wide range of characters, time periods, settings, and storylines, there are several consistent themes that run throughout the whole. For instance, the main characters retain some kind of hope or belief despite impossible circumstances.  Consistently, there is a theme of shared humanity, linking various characters that seem to have nothing to do with each other into some form of connection. As Kate explores universal truths, she is able capture the imagination and resonate with readers from around the world.]]> 2018-02-19 05:22:27 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232809626 mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232812772 DiCamillo's books have been considered so popular that several have become major movie productions: The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie.]]> 2018-02-19 06:01:43 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232812772 mebarber https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232812802 Kate DiCamillo is still writing new books and has more coming out soon!]]> 2018-02-19 06:02:05 UTC https://padlet.com/mebarber/rxai2f45s8gb/wish/232812802