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For Writers

Buddy died, and Beverly buried him, and then she set off toward Lake Clara. She went the back way, through the orange groves. When she cut out onto Palmetto Lane, she saw her cousin Joe Travis Joy standing out in front of his mother's house....

This is how Kate DiCamillo begins her newest children's book--"Beverly, Right Here"--called the best book of her (DiCamillo's) career.

There's much to admire in these lines; you sense the writer is doing her work with a small smirk on her face. Who is Buddy; what is the emotional impact of the burial? The way DiCamillo skips right past the emotions--right to the orange groves--sets up a small mystery right away. And what caused the death? Was this a sudden event?

There's also the sense of a journey--a literal journey. We're "setting off," "going the back way," "cutting through the orange groves." The novelist Ann Patchett reads DiCamillo for inspiration--and I think what she loves is the kinetic aura of DiCamillo's storytelling. When you're writing for kids, you can't have long, meandering monologues. (Patchett named one of her recent characters "DiCamillo," and this seems to be a tip of the hat.)

Lastly, as always in DiCamillo, there is just the sense of fun with words, fun with sounds: "Joe Travis Joy," "Palmetto Lane," "Lake Clara." This is someone fond of the English language.

"Beverly, Right Here" is next on my list, or close to next. There's no shame in purchasing something intended for a third grader. Happy Reading!
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