Kate DiCamillo was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania on March 25, 1964. She is a Newbery Award-winning children's author. As a child, DiCamillo suffered from chronic pneumonia. At the age of five, DiCamillo along with her mother and brother, moved to the small-town of Clermont, Florida for the warmer climate due to her health. DiCamillo graduated from the University of Florida with a minor in English. At the age of thirty, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and worked for a book warehouse on the children's floor. Working there for four and a half years, she fell in love with children's books and began writing. DiCamillo wrote the 2001 Newbery-honor book, Because of Winn-Dixie, which was a… product of her homesickness for Florida and her desire to own a dog. In 2005, Because of Winn-Dixie was released as a film by 20th Century Fox. In 2004, DiCamillo won the Newbery Medal for her book, The Tale of Despereaux. This book was also made into a movie and released by Universal Pictures in December 2008. DiCamillo continues to write and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.