One day, my friend Alison was going on and on and on about the many virtues of toast. About Mercy, she says, “Mercy Watson had been in my head for a long time, but I couldn’t figure out how to tell her story. Together, we see one another.” Kate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014–2015, and her platform was “Stories Connect Us.” She says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Kate DiCamillo is also the author of The Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, both of which received the Newbery Medal, as well as The Tiger Rising, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Great Joy, and The Magician’s Elephant. Literally.” Mercy Watson is Kate DiCamillo’s New York Times best-selling early reader series, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. When the author learned that her first novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, had been chosen to receive a Newbery Honor, she found herself “walking into walls. For Kate DiCamillo, it was a dream come true. It’s the pipe dream of many an aspiring author: publish your debut novel, claim a spot on the New York Times bestseller list, and rack up an astonishing array of awards.
