Kate DiCamillo
Recognized in the Creative Minds Montessori 2026 Teacher’s Choice list.
Kate DiCamillo is one of roughly one hundred authors whose work was selected by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list — 120 books chosen across four reading stages, from first lap-reads to first chapter books. The selected book was chosen for how precisely it meets children at a real developmental moment. This recognition cannot be bought: no author or publisher paid to appear on our lists, and we take no commission on any book sale.
About Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo is one of only six people to win two Newbery Medals (The Tale of Despereaux, Flora & Ulysses) and a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; Mercy Watson brings her full literary gifts to six-year-olds.
She moved to Minnesota, took a warehouse job shelving books, and wrote before dawn for years — collecting over 400 rejections before Because of Winn-Dixie changed everything.
Also by this author: Because of Winn-Dixie · The Tale of Despereaux · Flora & Ulysses
Official website: www.katedicamillo.com
Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list
Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.