The Tale of Despereaux
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| Author | Kate DiCamillo |
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| Illustrator | Timothy B. Ering |
| Cover artist | Davis Right |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Despereaux |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Candlewick Press |
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Publication date
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August 25, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 276 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 50693525 |
| LC Class | PZ8.D525 Tal 2003 |
The Tale of Despereaux is a 2004 Newbery Medal winning fantasy book written by Kate DiCamillo. The main plot follows the adventures of a mouse named Despereaux Tilling, as he sets out on his quest to rescue a beautiful human princess from the rats. The novel is divided into four "books" and ends with a coda. Each "book" tells the story from a different character's or group of characters' perspective: Despereaux, Roscuro, Miggery Sow, and finally all of them combined.
In 2007 the U.S. National Education Association named the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children", based on an online poll. Teachers also made it a summer reading project. In 2012 it was ranked number 51 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal – the second of three books by DiCamillo in the Top 100.
In 2008, the book was adapted as an animated film of the same name.
A noble mouse named Despereaux saves a princess.
Book one tells a story about a small, sickly mouse born in a castle whose name is Despereaux. He was born very small with large ears and his eyes open. Despereaux, unlike other mice, spends lots of time reading. He particularly enjoys a book about how a knight saves a princess and they live happily ever after. One day while reading he hears music. He follows the sound and is led to Princess Pea and King Philip. He sits at the king's feet to hear the music and falls in love with the princess and speaks to her, but the king led the mouse away because mice were related to rats, which are outlawed. Furlough, his brother, sees this and tells his father, Lester Tilling. Lester calls the mouse council; Furlough goes to collect Despereaux . The mouse council orders Despereaux to be sent to the dungeon because talking to a human is forbidden. In the dungeon he meets Gregory, the jailer, who saves him because Despereaux tells Gregory a story.
Book II talks about a rat named Roscuro who, unlike the other rats, loved the light and was less vicious and cunning than the other rats. Finally, he decided enough was enough and went into the light. He climbs onto a chandelier, which is above a banquet. However, he falls into the queen's soup, and the queen, whose habit was to state the obvious, said, "There's a rat in my stew," before dying. The princess, now hostile to Roscuro, orders him to leave. Roscuro, angry, desires revenge against the princess. The king, upset, bans the use of spoons, soup, and bowls.
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Wikipedia