Kate DiCamillo is the beloved author of many books for young readers, including the Mercy Watson and Deckawoo Drive series. Her books Flora & Ulysses and The Tale of Despereaux both received Newbery Medals. A former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, she lives in Minneapolis. Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of many books for young readers, including The Circus Ship and Big Truck, Little Island, and the illustrator of the Mercy Watson and Deckawoo Drive series. He lives in Maine.
As always DiCamillo never lets her audience's age keep her from using (and subtly explaining) the perfect word: Eugenia exhibits schadenfreude at Mercy's apparent demise, and the smell of butter is ubiquitous in the Butter Barrel candy factory. Van Dusen's stylized, gouache artwork plays upon the story's inherent humor and quirky characters. . . As the final book in the beloved Mercy Watson universe, this will lure fans like a certain pig sniffing out buttered toast. —Booklist (starred review)