Dean Koontz: What I’m Giving

December 11, 2013

In this special series, we asked writers we admire to share a book they’re giving to their friends and family this holiday season. Check back daily to see the books your favorite authors are gifting.

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Kate DiCamillo has written several wonderful books — among them The Tale of Despereaux, The Magician’s Elephant, Because of Winn-Dixie — all of which would make wonderful gifts. If I had to choose just one, it would be The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Ms. DiCamillo is known as a writer for children and has won numerous awards in that field, including the Newbery Medal, but she is a storyteller of such grace and charm that her books provide as much pleasure for adults as for children. Children will never feel that she is writing down to them, and adults will never feel that her writing is too simple, for it is in fact complex in theme and rich in emotion. Few writers have ever made me laugh out loud and, in the same book, moved me to tears, but Ms. DiCamillo does both, book after book.

Read the full essay @ Powells Books Blog.