the story is not a pretty one. there is violence in it. And cruelty. But stories that are not pretty have a certain value, too, I suppose. Everything, as you well know (having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself), cannont always be sweetness and light.
Kate DiCamilloAlison [McGhee] and I have known each other since the summer of 2001. One evening we were sitting around talking about how we wished we had a good story to work on. Alison said: Why don't we work on a story together? I said: A story about what? And Alison said: A story about a short girl and a tall girl.
Kate DiCamilloNo one cared what she wanted. No one had ever cared. And perhaps, worst of all, no one ever would care.
Kate DiCamilloAnd so he was reading the story as if it were a spell and the words of it, spoken aloud, could make magic happen.
Kate DiCamillo