Children’s book author Kate DiCamillo has been tapped as the next national ambassador for young people’s literature, the Library of Congress announced Thursday.
DiCamillo, best known for the novels Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, will be inaugurated during a ceremony at the Library of Congress on Jan. 10. During her two-year term, she will tour the country to encourage reading among young people and to promote quality fiction.
The Newbery-winning author is the fourth writer to hold the post since it was created in 2008 by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the nonprofit trade association Children’s Book Council, and its foundation, Every Child a Reader. Jon Scieszka (The Stinky Cheese Man) held the post first, followed by Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia, Jacob Have I Loved) in 2010, and Walter Dean Myers (Monster) in 2012.
DiCamillo shares her journey to becoming a writer in a New York Times story.