Bestselling Children's Book Author Kate DiCamillo Reveals Cover of New Middle Grade Novel (Exclusive)

The beloved writer of 'Because of Winn-Dixie' and 'The Tale of Despereaux' will release her new book in spring of 2024

On New Year’s Day in 2019, bestselling author Kate DiCamillo took a walk. The day before, the daughter of her best friend had her first child. It was a family affair: the child was already surrounded by doting parents and grandparents soon after arrival.

As she walked, DiCamillo couldn't help but observe how lucky the child was, to know she was already adored.

“I thought, ‘What would it be like to tell the story of a kid who knew, from the minute that they got here, that they were loved?’” DiCamillo tells PEOPLE. “And that was where the book started for me.”

“The book” refers to Ferris, DiCamillo’s new middle grade novel, forthcoming from Candlewick Press next spring. The cover, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, features an illustration by Ryan Middaugh. The novel follows titular character Ferris Wilkey throughout the eventful summer before she starts fifth grade—a summer filled with ominous ghosts, mischievous raccoons and one memorable coming-of-age story.

DiCamillo, two-time winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal, has over 44 million copies of her books for children and young adults in print. Her debut novel, 2000's Because of Winn-Dixie, was also the recipient of the 2001 Josette Frank Award and the 2003 Mark Twain Award, and was made into a movie starring AnnaSophia Robb in 2005. Many of DiCamillo’s other titles have been adapted into family-friendly films over the years, including The Tale of Despereaux, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures and The Magician’s Elephant.

“For me it's an 8-year-old,” DiCamillo says of the inner child that helps guide her writing. “And so that's what I'm always thinking about, is that kid and what that kid needed and what that kid wanted.”

DiCamillo, born in Pennsylvania, moved to Florida as a child to help alleviate her chronic pneumonia. Raised by a single parent, DiCamillo says that she often thought about what was “missing." She didn't start writing until she was nearly 30, penning stories during her shifts at a book warehouse. Those childhood feelings of homesickness would inspire the themes in Winn-Dixie, which DiCamillo published after 473 rejections.

In contrast to DiCamillo's previous protagonists, who often deal with loneliness, Ferris is abundantly surrounded by the members of her quirky family. There is younger sister Pinky, already in trouble with the law for attempting to rob a bank, Uncle Ted, who lives in the basement while he attempts to paint a “history of the world” and Aunt Shirley, the no-nonsense owner of a beauty shop, to name a few.

“Here I started with wholeness,” DiCamillo states of the new novel. Ferris, however, isn’t completely void of the author’s signature themes. As the book’s summary alludes to, Ferris must also consider the mortality of her beloved grandmother, Charisse.

“But still we're human, and so part of what it means to be here is that you lose people that you love,” DiCamillo says.

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This blend of melancholy and hopefulness has made DiCamillo’s books loved across generations. The author is continuously amazed by how many children today still hold on to books “like it’s a lifeline,” as well as the adults who provide them too. Though recent book bannings make DiCamillo “inarticulate with despair,” the author still firmly believes in the power of stories.

“I hope that they close the book and that they feel loved too,” DiCamillo says of her prospective Ferris readers. “I hope that they feel loved and safe and welcomed in.”

Ferris will be published by Candlewick Press in March 2024.

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