From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. comes a story of discovering who you are and deciding who you want to be.

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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are and deciding who you want to be. While fans often ask best-selling author Kate DiCamillo to write more about their favorite characters, she has never been compelled to revisit the world of a previous novel until now. In October 2018, DiCamillo will return to unravel the story of Raymie s friend and beloved ranchero Louisiana Elefante. In its 2016 review of Raymie Nightingale, the New York Times noted that Louisiana is one of DiCamillo s most singular and arresting creations and that she delights on every page. Fans of Louisiana can now look forward to reading Louisiana s Way Home. When Louisiana Elefante s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-ofthe-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana s and Granny s heads. But that is a story for another time.) ON SALE OCTOBER 2, 2018 HC: $16.99 ($19.99 CAN) Age 10 and up 240 pages About the new book, author Kate DiCamillo says: While I had no intention of writing another novel about those rancheros, Louisiana s voice was so strong and insistent, and her need to tell her story was so profound, that I gave in. And boy, am I ever glad that I did. I loved spending time with her again. Candlewick Press will mark the release of DiCamillo s eighth novel as a global publishing event with a robust international marketing and publicity campaign and extensive author touring.

2 KATE DICAMILLO Kate DiCamillo s writing journey has been a truly remarkable one. She grew up in Florida and moved to Minnesota in her twenties, when homesickness and a bitter winter led her to write Because of Winn-Dixie her first published novel, which became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. The Tiger Rising, her second novel, was also set in Florida and went on to become a National Book Award finalist. Since then, the best-selling author has explored settings as varied as a medieval castle and a magician s theater while continuing to enjoy great success, winning two Newbery Medals and being named National Ambassador for Young People s Literature. She now has almost 30 million books in print worldwide. Now, for the first time ever, Kate DiCamillo is returning to the world of a previous novel to tell us more about a character whom her fans already know and love. In Louisiana s Way Home, set two years after the events of National Book Award finalist Raymie Nightingale, she picks up the story of Raymie s friend Louisiana Elefante, who uncovers difficult truths about her past and makes choices that will determine her future. Kate DiCamillo s books themes of hope and belief amid impossible circumstances and their messages of shared humanity and connectedness have resonated with readers of all ages around the world. In her instant #1 New York Times bestseller The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, a haughty china rabbit undergoes a profound transformation after finding himself facedown on the ocean floor lost and waiting to be found. The Tale of Despereaux the Newbery Medal winning novel that later inspired an animated adventure from Universal Pictures stars a tiny mouse with exceptionally large ears who is driven by love to become an unlikely hero. The Magician s Elephant, an acclaimed and exquisitely paced fable, dares to ask the question What if? And Kate DiCamillo s second Newbery Medal winner, Flora & Ulysses, was released in 2013 to great acclaim, garnering five starred reviews and an instant spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Born in Philadelphia but raised in the South, Kate DiCamillo now lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week. Photo by Catherine Smith Photography

3 Marketing and Publicity Campaign Global English Language publication and marketing campaign National trade and consumer advertising campaign, including in the New York Times and USA Today, on NPR, and in Discovery Girls Extensive trade, school, and library advertising campaign National publicity campaign, including interviews in prominent print and broadcast consumer media Satellite radio tour Deluxe press kit and online materials Branded key chains for promotional giveaway Book group discussion guide and teachers guide Extensive ARC distribution and prerelease blogger campaign Full-color poster with activities on back Counter standee and high-impact 12-copy floor display for retailers Filmed reading and commentary with Kate DiCamillo Book trailer Ongoing social media promotions on Goodreads, Twitter, and dedicated author Facebook page Updates to dedicated author site ( Ten-city author tour to commence October 2018 Featured author at BEA, BookCon, and ALA 2018 MEDIA CONTACT: Tracy Miracle, Senior Executive Director of Publicity, Marketing, and Key Campaigns (617) Illustration copyright 2018 by Amy June Bates

4 NEW IN PAPERBACK #1 New York Times bestseller National Book Award Finalist Fraught with adventure, danger, and a miracle or two, the escapade reveals how love and compassion can overcome even the highest hurdles. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Poignant, insightful, and ultimately uplifting. School Library Journal (starred review) Once again, DiCamillo demonstrates the power of simple words in a beautiful and wise tale. Kirkus Reviews (starred review) DiCamillo once again shows that life s underlying sadnesses can also be studded with hope and humor. Booklist (starred review) Here DiCamillo returns triumphantly to her Winn- Dixie roots. The Horn Book (starred review) A fine, funny, meticulously crafted novel. Shelf Awareness (starred review) Newbery winner DiCamillo at her best. People Magazine A book to savor, to read and re-read. The Huffington Post HC: PB: A triumphant and necessary book. The New York Times Book Review This coming-of-age story is a fairy tale for our times. The Washington Post A wistful, tender, funny novel. The Wall Street Journal A crystalline ode to childhood friendship that shines as brightly as anything that DiCamillo has written. Chicago Tribune Raymie Nightingale reminds adults about the profound depth of childhood feelings. Time Magazine Raymie s earnestness is impossible not to fall in love with. Entertainment Weekly A gem. BookPage It is predictably unpredictable: a hallmark of DiCamillo s brilliant writing. New York Journal of Books DiCamillo... wryly captures the adventure and confusion of childhood with a gut-wrenching lack of sentimentality and a razor-sharp wit. The Star Tribune Modest and tour de force don t usually go together, but they perfectly describe this quirky but melancholy coming-of-age novel. San Francisco Chronicle Raymie Nightingale is striking. Orlando Sentinel A moving novel that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Providence Journal Sad, sweet, funny, charming, and wise. Parents.com Unique and deeply appealing. A Mighty Girl blog

5 OTHER AWARD-WINNING NOVELS BY KATE DiCAMILLO New York Times Bestseller With its rhythmic sentences and fairy-tale tone, this novel yields solitary pleasures but begs to be read aloud. Hearing it in a shared space can connect us, one to one, regardless of age, much like the book s closing image: a small stone carving, hands linked, of the elephant s friends. The Washington Post Reading like a fable told long ago, with rich language that begs to be read aloud, this is a magical story about hope and love, loss and home, and of questioning the world versus accepting it as it is. Kirkus Reviews (starred review) PB: National Book Award Finalist The author delves deeply into the psyches of her cast with carefully choreographed scenes, opting for the economy of poetry over elaborate prose.... DiCamillo demonstrates her versatility by treating themes similar to those of her first novel with a completely different approach. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Together [the characters] learn about trust, friendship, and feelings as they plot to set the tiger free. In the process, they learn another valuable lesson, one that readers won t soon forget. Dallas Morning News PB: Boston Globe Horn Book Award Winner New York Times Bestseller One reading is hardly enough to savor the rich philosophical nuances of DiCamillo s story. I think I will go read it again right now. The New York Times Book Review This choice is destined to become a classic. Dallas Morning News When Edward s journey ends, the reader will be wishing this story could go on and on. The Washington Post PB:

6 OTHER AWARD-WINNING NOVELS BY KATE DiCAMILLO PB: Newbery Medal Winner New York Times Bestseller [DiCamillo] sets the stage for a battle between the forces of Darkness and Light in The Tale of Despereaux, and the book is a terrific, bravura performance. The New York Times Book Review Unexpectedly complex in the relationships between its characters, DiCamillo s fable, engagingly illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering, delivers a carefully orchestrated, but not overstated, testament to the power of love and forgiveness. San Francisco Chronicle The author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising here shifts gears, demonstrating her versatility while once again proving her genius for mining the universal themes of childhood.... I must tell you, you are in for a treat. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Newbery Honor Winner New York Times Bestseller Poignant and delicately told. The New York Times Book Review DiCamillo doesn t shy from bad things, and while she validates a child s sense of grief and loss, she also holds open life s possibilities. Minneapolis Star Tribune In this exquisitely crafted first novel, each chapter possesses an arc of its own and reads almost like a short story in its completeness; yet the chapters add up to much more than a sum of their parts.... This bittersweet tale of contemporary life in a small southern town will hold readers rapt. Publishers Weekly PB: HC: PB: Newbery Medal Winner National Book Award Finalist New York Times Bestseller Full of Ms. DiCamillo s dry, literate wit and bursting every so often into actionpacked comic-strip sequences illustrated by K. G. Campbell... a funny, eccentric novel. The Wall Street Journal Kate DiCamillo s newest book... is that rarest of all treasures, a truly inventive and appealing children s middle-grade novel. The Boston Globe As with her previous big-hearted novels, DiCamillo proves once again that astonishments are hidden inside the most mundane being, and gives us another fantastic story. The Washington Post Beautifully written.... The accompanying illustrations and cartoons are enchanting, and the remarkable DiCamillo demonstrates she has storytelling power to spare. Chicago Tribune