The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
“Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul-stirring as it is delicious.” — BOOKLIST (starred review)
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other’s lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
From the master storyteller who brought us BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE comes another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable characters, with twenty-four stunning black-and-white illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering. This paperback edition pays tribute to the book’s classicdesign, featuring a rough front and elegant gold stamping.Kate DiCamillo, author of the Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, spins a tidy tale of mice and men where she explores the “powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous” nature of love, hope, and forgiveness. Her old-fashioned, somewhat dark story, narrated “Dear Reader”-style, begins “within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse.” Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic, unmouselike spirit that leads the unusually tiny, large-eared mouse to the foot of the human king and the beautiful Princess Pea ultimately causes him to be banished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled dungeon.
The first book of four tells Despereaux’s sad story, where he falls deeply in love with Princess Pea and meets his cruel fate. The second book introduces another creature who differs from his peers–Chiaroscuro, a rat who instead of loving the darkness of his home in the dungeon, loves the light so much he ends up in the castle& in the queen’s soup. The third book describes young Miggery Sow, a girl who has been “clouted” so many times that she has cauliflower ears. Still, all the slow-witted, hard-of-hearing Mig dreams of is wearing the crown of Princess Pea. The fourth book returns to the dungeon-bound Despereaux and connects the lives of mouse, rat, girl, and princess in a dramatic denouement.
Children whose hopes and dreams burn secretly within their hearts will relate to this cast of outsiders who desire what is said to be out of their reach and dare to break “never-to-be-broken rules of conduct.” Timothy Basil Ering’s pencil illustrations are stunning, reflecting DiCamillo’s extensive light and darkness imagery as well as the sweet, fragile nature of the tiny mouse hero who lives happily ever after. (Ages 9 and older) –Karin Snelson
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars great, but the movie was better
I read this after I saw the movie… the movie ended more satisfyingly… the end here is as if the author got tired suddenly.
Still, it was a nice read… from the movie, I was and remain a tremendous Despereaux fan…. I would give the DVD to someone first before I would give them the book, though.
It is a good book for children. Not too scary, and, I suppose, with a pleasant satisfying-enough ending.
5 Stars wow just wow
If you love fiction you will love this book. I read it once and now i’m reading it again. the author has out done it… again
1 Stars A Tale Failed to Deliver Message
“Love is ridiculous. But love is also wonderful. And powerful.”
That’s what Ms. Dicamillo intended to deliver in her book “The Tale of Despereaux”. Unfortunately, this message starts to blur as the plot unfolds gradually, and finally the story leaves the reader in a fog of sadness, disappointment and confusion.
Despereaux, a lovable, courageous mouse who ridiculously fell in love with a beautiful princess, was unintentionally overshadowed by the poor, tragic girl, Miggery Sow.
She was abandoned and sold by her father “for a tablecloth, a hen, and a handful of cigarettes”; she was so badly abused by her buyer “Uncle” so frequently that her painful ears “became about as useful to her as pieces of cauliflower”; miserably, under the author’s pen, she was also fat, lazy and “her head stayed small”.
All of these didn’t seem horrible enough to her, the author abused her further by keeping ridiculing her ruthlessly through the demeaning narration with details in a sweet tone. How could she?! What’s the purpose of all such cruelty to the poor girl? Serving as entertainment? I can’t believe it.
Oh, if the world is dark, as Ms. Dicamillo said in her book, I would rather sit with my daughter outside watching the stars in the sky.
4 Stars The Tale of not-so-disappointing
Kate’s books are always so refreshing, simple and well written. The tale of Despereaux is proof - although my favorite is The Magician’s Elephant, this book was a great read. Very insightful with many wise words. Would highly recommend and read again!
5 Stars Deapereaux - The Tale of Great Writing!
I wanted to begin this review with a favorite passage from Kate DiCamillo’s Newbery Award Winning book, but there were too many. How could I possibly pick one…or two…or twenty!
Besides, you already know the story…scrawny, big-eared mouse gets rejected by his family, falls in love with a princess, sent to a dungeon amid an overwhelming love for Princess Pea. Villaneous rats, “death by soup,” a silly, reactionary king, blah, blah, blah. So, I won’t go into that.
I do want to mention my only problem with this book. I became so enthralled with the writing, I had to remind myself of the story. About two-thirds through, I began to make comparisons to…dare I say it? Oh, why not? To Kill A Mockingbird. There. Call me crazy, but that’s how the perfectly-tuned voice of DiCamillo struck me.
Despereaux is not only a great book for young readers, a great book for parents/grandparents to read to young ones, if you’re an author, or planning to be one, read this book and study the ease, the wit, the charm and the total connection with the reader.
The Magician’s Castle
The Magician’s Castle (Cynthia’s Attic)
WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty
Filed under: Winning Book Reviews