Raymie Nightingale
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Walker Books
Book 1 of Three Rancheros Series
Age 10+
General Fiction Romance & Relationships Stories Family & Home Stories
New York Times bestselling author Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving yet witty story of an unforgettable summer friendship. For fans of Jacqueline Wilson, David Almond and Katherine Rundell.
In her seventh novel, international bestselling author and twice winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal Kate DiCamillo tells a masterful story that blends pathos and humour. Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father – who has run away with a dental hygienist – will see Raymie’s picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton, but she has to compete with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante with her show-business background and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship – and challenge them to come to each other’s rescue in unexpected ways.
Creators
Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most well-regarded storytellers, author of The Tale of Despereaux and Flora and Ulysses, both of which have been awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; and the bestselling Mercy Watson series. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis, USA, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.
Reviews
Acquisition announcement with Kate DiCamillo feature
Publishers Weekly
Cover reveal
Entertainment Weekly
Featured/recommended
Star Tribune
Featured/recommended
Bustle (blog)
A new novel from the two-time Newberry Medal winner is always an event, and this is her most autobiographical work to date. […] Warm, witty and wise, this beautifully realised bildungsroman is highly recommended.
The Bookseller
New from the double Newbery Medal winner, I’m so excited to read this. […] Expect pathos, quirky humour and a touch of magic.
The Bookseller
DiCamillo’s prose is resolutely unflashy. […] But in her simple writing there is the weight of acuity, seen in her ability to inhabit the perspective of a child fumbling to understand ‘the list of impossible, unanswerable questions” that she has about the adult world. […] In Raymie Nightingale there is no fantasy, but the story has an air of fable. By the end the heroine does not make sense of the adult world – but, like the reader, she sees it more clearly.
The Daily Telegraph
DiCamillo’s prose is resolutely unflashy. […] But in her simple writing there is the weight of acuity, seen in her ability to inhabit the perspective of a child fumbling to understand ‘the list of impossible, unanswerable questions” that she has about the adult world. […] In Raymie Nightingale there is no fantasy, but the story has an air of fable. By the end the heroine does not make sense of the adult world – but, like the reader, she sees it more clearly.
The Daily Telegraph
DiCamillo manages to convey themes of loss and belonging, or transience and strength despite the extreme lightness and simplicity of the phrasing. Each word carefully chosen, each sentence crafted to perfection. This is the ultimate stripped prose. There’s not much description in the book, but where it appears, it sparkles like a pageant dress […] It’s a privilege to put books like this in the hands of children. Letting them soak up pared down yet excellent writing, so that they can discern what works and what doesn’t, and learn how to be excellent wordsmiths themselves. With the backdrop of a rather quirky little story.
Minerva Reads
…sweet and funny […] This is very, very special, and I marvel at the mind of anyone who can come up with these ideas.
Bookwitch blog
A moving story about friendship, family and the ties that bind. […] A delight.
South Wales Evening Post
The writing is wonderful, emotions are expressed eloquently and with a turn of phrase that feels original and fresh in relatively short chapters. The author has a kindly humour that runs through even the saddest sections of the story giving it a balance suitable for its target audience. At times this is poignant but it never becomes depressing as our little band of friends learn to cope and form a friendship that by the end of the book the reader believes has become a lasting one. I enjoyed this so much I am tempted to re-read it and that doesn’t happen often. Highly recommended.
The Bookbag
a moving and funny story about friendship, courage and determination
Newbury Weekly News
Oh my glory this book is divine!
Children's Books Daily
My only criticism of this book is that it made my face hurt, having read the thing cover to cover with an enormous cheese-eating grin. Raymie Nightingale and her fellow Little Miss Central Florida Tire pageant contestants, Louisana Elefante and Beverly Tapinski are some of the most wonderful children’s characters I’ve ever read. Hopelessly unaware, adorable and doomed to become the best of friends, theirs is a ridiculous story that leaves you begging for more.
Booktopia Bookshop
With extraordinary skill, DiCamillo has woven a story of incredible depth, with reflections on life, death, friendship and the state of ones soul, and yet it does not drag the reader down in complexity and content. As in all of her works, each written word is carefully considered, and only those that are utterly useful make the cut. DiCamillo books are a privilege to read
Childrens Book Daily
A very thoughtful story especially for tweens and upwards.
Wonderous Words
