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Newbery medal acceptance.

Article Excerpt
About thirty miles west of Orlando is a small town called Clermont, and in that town is a library called the Cooper Memorial Library; and when I was seven years old, the librarian there, a certain Miss Alice, stepped out of her office one day and stood beside me and put her hand on my shoulder and spoke the following words with a great deal of force and volume.

"Kate," Miss Alice said to the person at the circulation desk, "is a True Reader! Therefore, the four-book maximum will be waived for her! She may check out as many books at a time as she likes!"

Miss Alice's hand trembled on my shoulder as she said these words. Or perhaps my shoulder trembled beneath her hand.

I cannot say. All I know for certain is that her words, spoken so passionately, so fiercely, shaped me and helped me define who I was.

Who was I? I was a True Reader!

I know, emphatically, that Miss Alice's words are a part of the miracle of my presence here tonight.

I also know, emphatically, that it is a miracle that I am here tonight at all.

And, in keeping with the nature of miracles, I am properly awed by it. I cannot explain it. I can, however, joyfully point to the many people who are a part of the miracle: Kara LaReau, my patient and daring editor who read the first seven pages of this book and said exactly the words I needed to hear: "More, please"; everyone at Candlewick Press who believed in my small mouse; Timothy Basil Ering, who brought the mouse to life; my mother, who read to me; my friends, who listened to me. Thank you.

And to the Newbery committee: thank you,...