Kate DiCamillo won the Newbery Medal for both The Tale of Despereaux and Flora & Ulysses. The Tale of Despereaux won in 2004, while Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures won in 2014, making DiCamillo one of the relatively small number of authors to receive the medal twice.
The Tale of Despereaux follows a brave mouse whose love of music, storytelling, and a human princess leads him into danger. DiCamillo said the idea began with a child’s request for a story about an unlikely hero. Flora & Ulysses, a comic adventure involving a girl and a squirrel with seemingly superhuman abilities, was partly inspired by an injured squirrel she encountered.
A common mix-up is confusing DiCamillo’s Newbery wins with Because of Winn-Dixie, her first published novel. That book was a 2000 Newbery Honor, not a Medal winner. The Newbery recognizes the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children; it is not awarded for sales or popularity alone.