The Tale of Despereaux

by Kate DiCamillo

This is a fun story about Despereaux, the unlikeliest of characters. Despereaux is a mouse, a mouse that his family believes will amount to nothing. He just doesn’t act like a mouse, and Despereaux loves to read romance stories. Living in a castle, he soon discovers and falls for the Princess Pea, much to the angst of her human father, the king. Despereaux is shunned from the mice into the rat infested dungeons of the castle. The book continues with a story of one particular rat, Chiaroscuro, who loves light and, Miggery Sow, a girl who wishes to be a princess more than anything. Their stories come together and intertwine by the end of the book in a delightful twist.

2004 Newbery Winner
Suggested for ages 9 and up

-Reviewed by Jen

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