The Magician's Elephant

Kate DiCamillo is the author of over 25 critically acclaimed and much-loved children’s books. She began writing at the age of 30 while working in a book distribution warehouse in Minnesota. There, she started reading the books on the children’s floor and was inspired to write her own novel after reading Christopher Paul Curtis’s novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 (1995). DiCamillo’s first novel, Because of Winn-Dixie (2000), became a Newbery Honor book. Her second novel, The Tiger Rising (2001), was a National Book Award Finalist. DiCamillo went on to join only a handful of two-time Newbery Medal winners for her works Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (2013) and The Tale of Despereaux (2003).

The Library of Congress named DiCamillo a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014-2015. According to the Library of Congress, the purpose of this role established in 2008 is to “raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.” DiCamillo’s platform for the position was “Stories Connect Us.” She believes that in today’s challenging culture, both children and adults find good storytelling fulfilling.

DiCamillo integrates her personal Christian faith into her writing. Her works often deal with difficult situations like abandonment and loss but also celebrate positive values like love, kindness, and forgiveness. DiCamillo feels that stories bring people together, and her books often deal with themes of keeping hope alive even when things seem impossible—something she knows firsthand: She received 400 rejection letters before Because of Winn-Dixie was accepted for publication.

On the inside back cover of The Magician’s Elephant, DiCamillo shares that “I wanted. I needed. I longed to tell a story of love and magic. Peter, Adele, the magician, the elephant—all the characters in this book are the result of that longing. I hope that you, the reader, find some love and magic here.” In getting the idea for the novel, DiCamillo envisioned a magician in a hotel lobby in New York City. When she reached for her notebook to write a description of him, she noticed an elephant on the cover of another notebook and decided to include an elephant in the story. DiCamillo thinks that being able to tell stories and to have those stories read and liked is what makes the magic in her own life.

An avid reader as a young girl, DiCamillo advises budding writers to read everything they can, believing that reading exposes everyone to different ideas, styles, and writing techniques. DiCamillo also advises writers to write every day, even if only a sentence. DiCamillo herself consistently writes two pages a day; for her, revising and rewriting are key techniques.