A look at Kate DiCamillo’s Stories

Just recently, my students and I went on a Kate DiCamillo deep dive — seven books in a row.

We laughed, we teared up, and we had some incredible conversations along the way. So today, I want to give you a quick peek at each book and then share both my top three favorites as well as my students’.

We didn’t always agree — which made it even more fun — but one book definitely stole all our hearts."

*A Quick note before we dive in: as a set, these books occasionally include mild profanity or mature themes. Nothing over the top, but I’d recommend them mostly for upper elementary and older, or as read-alouds where you can pause and talk through things (or swap out a few words) with younger kids.

The Beatrice Prophecy

If you’re only going to read one of these, make it this one. The Beatrice Prophecy is set in a medieval kingdom where a mysterious girl shows up at a monastery with no memory of who she is — only a prophecy that she will save the kingdom.

It has outlaws, danger, a very stubborn goat named Answelica (who just might be my favorite character of the whole collection), and a beautiful journey about courage and discovering who you really are. This one was hands-down the favorite — for the kids and me.

The Tale of Despereaux

Despereaux, the little mouse with a big heart, is tiny and considered odd by all the other mice. He loves music, stories, and a certain princess. When tragedy strikes, he becomes the unlikeliest hero and goes on a quest to bring light into a very dark place.

This book is whimsical, heartfelt, and surprisingly deep — I was rooting for Despereaux the whole way through. The Tale of Despereaux a book that reminds kids (and adults) that bravery doesn’t mean you’re not scared — it means you keep going anyway.

Because of Winn-Dixie

This is probably Kate DiCamillo’s most well-known book — and it still holds up. It’s the story of Opal, a girl who adopts a stray dog one summer. Through that scruffy dog, she makes friends all over town and starts to understand her own family story.

I loved Because of Winn-Dixie as a kid, but as an adult, I connected to Opal on a much deeper level — especially the way she processes her feelings about her mom and dad. This one is funny, tender, and just feels like summer in a book.

Flora & Ulysses
This one had us laughing out loud. Flora is a self-proclaimed cynic who witnesses a squirrel get sucked into a vacuum cleaner — and come out with superpowers. What follows is an adventure full of comic panels, ridiculous moments, and some surprisingly heartfelt reflections about love and hope.

I do want to mention — Flora can be pretty sharp with her mom and other adults. And honestly, that gave me pause at first, because I don’t want that kind of behavior to be celebrated or modeled as an acceptable way to speak to grown-ups.

So we used those moments to stop and talk about why might Flora be acting that way… and chatted through better ways for her to express her feelings. It ended up being a great lesson (for all of us) about how to communicate frustration in a way that’s still respectful.

And you know what? Those conversations didn’t slow us down — they actually made Flora & Ulysses more meaningful, because instead of laughing at her sass, we were learning from it.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Edward is a porcelain rabbit — who is beautiful, but also selfish. When he gets lost, he ends up going on this long, heartbreaking journey, passed from owner to owner, and eventually learns to love along the way.

This one is bittersweet and made for some quiet, thoughtful discussions. Some of my kids loved The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane — others thought it was a little too sad. But that’s the beauty of a read-aloud: it invites kids to sit with big feelings and talk about them together.

The Tiger Rising

This is a short book, but wow — it’s heavy. Rob, the main character, finds a caged tiger in the woods, and the tiger ends up symbolizing all the emotions he’s been keeping bottled up since his mom died.

For me, The Tiger Rising was one of the tougher reads — not because it isn’t good, but because it deals so directly with grief and anger. But my kids surprised me by really loving it. It gave us space to talk about how important it is to let ourselves feel and express emotions instead of bottling them up.

The Magician’s Elephant
This one felt like a fairytale. A fortune teller tells a boy that an elephant will lead him to his long-lost sister — and, sure enough, an elephant mysteriously appears during a magic trick gone wrong.

The Magician's Elephant is quiet, whimsical, and full of hope, though it didn’t grab my students quite as much as some of the others. But if you love lyrical writing and gentle, magical stories, this one might be perfect for you.

Okay, now for the fun part — the favorites lists!

My top three picks:

1. The Beatrice Prophecy — This was by FAR my favorite.
   
   

2. The Tale of Despereaux —Y’all,  I completely fell in love with that little mouse.
   
   

3. Because of Winn-Dixie — I was surprised by how much harder Opal’s story hit as an adult than it ever did when I was a kid.
   
   

My students’ top three picks:

1. The Beatrice Prophecy — We all agreed this was #1.
   
   

2. Flora & Ulysses — They loved the humor and comic-book style.
   
   

3. Number 3 was a tie between Edward Tulane and The Tiger Rising — which made me laugh because those were my two least favorites! But that’s the magic of reading with a group — every book hits differently depending on where your heart is.
   
   

I think that’s one of the reasons Kate DiCamillo’s work is special. Her books aren’t just stories — they’re springboards for conversations about courage, forgiveness, grief, and kindness.

So if you’ve read any of these, I’d love to know which ones were your favorites. Or if you’re just getting started, tell me which one you’re picking up first! That’s all for now. Take care, stay curious, and I’ll see you next time! 🌿