An extraordinary new novel of friendship by Kate DiCamillo, author of the celebrated debut novel BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE. Walking through the misty Florida woods one morning, twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger a real-life, very large tiger pacing back and forth in a cage. What s more, on the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his. As they learn to trust each other, and ultimately, to be friends, Rob and Sistine prove that some things like memories, and heartache, and tigers can t be locked up forever. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

DiCamillo's second novel may not be as humorous as her debut, Because of Winn-Dixie, but it is just as carefully structured, and her ear is just as finely tuned to her characters. In the first chapter, readers learn that Rob lost his mother six months ago; his father has uprooted their lives from Jacksonville to Lister, Fla.; the boy hates school; and his father's boss, Beauchamp, is keeping a caged wild tiger at Beauchamp's abandoned gas station. The author characterizes Rob by what he does not do ("Rob had a way of not-thinking about things"; "He was a pro at not-crying"), and the imprisoned tiger becomes a metaphor for the thoughts and feelings he keeps trapped inside. Two other characters, together with the tiger, act as catalyst for Rob's change: a new classmate, Sistine ("like the chapel"), who believes that her father will rescue her someday and take her back to Pennsylvania, and Willie May, a wise and compassionate woman who works as a chambermaid at Beauchamp's hotel. The author delves deeply into the psyches of her cast with carefully choreographed scenes, opting for the economy of poetry over elaborate prose. The climax is sudden and brief, mimicking the surge of emotion that overtakes Rob, who can finally embrace life rather than negate it. DiCamillo demonstrates her versatility by treating themes similar to those of her first novel with a completely different approach. Readers will eagerly anticipate her next work. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Kate DiCamillo was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania on March 25, 1964. She is a Newbery Award-winning children's author.

As a child, DiCamillo suffered from chronic pneumonia. At the age of five, DiCamillo along with her mother and brother, moved to the small-town of Clermont, Florida for the warmer climate due to her health.

DiCamillo graduated from the University of Florida with a minor in English. At the age of thirty, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and worked for a book warehouse on the children's floor. Working there for four and a half years, she fell in love with children's books and began writing. DiCamillo wrote the 2001 Newbery-honor book, Because of Winn-Dixie, which was a product of her homesickness for Florida and her desire to own a dog. In 2005, Because of Winn-Dixie was released as a film by 20th Century Fox.

In 2004, DiCamillo won the Newbery Medal for her book, The Tale of Despereaux. This book was also made into a movie and released by Universal Pictures in December 2008.

<30> Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.