The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Illustrator: Timothy Basil Date of Publication: 1999 ISBN: Number of Pages: 269

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Average
GENRES: Fantasy, Adventure
THEMES: Prejudice, Loyalty, Coming of Age, Good versus Evil

SUMMARY:
Despereaux Tilling is a mouse in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. He is not an ordinary mouse and because of this he is shunned by the mouse community and sentenced to life in the dungeon.

Roscuro the rat lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. He is not a typical rat!

Miggery Sow is a slow-witted serving girl who was sold by her father (for a tablecloth and cigarettes) to a life of slavery and abuse. She wants nothing more than to be a princess.

Princess Pea is kidnapped by Roscuro and his accomplice, Mig. It is up to Despereaux to save her. With only a needle and thread, Despereaux sets out to battle the evils of the dungeon. While trying to rescue his beloved Pea, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption.

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...

• loves fairy tales and twists on them
• enjoys fine, award-winning writing
• likes a brave hero and a bunch of interesting minor characters
• enjoys stories with animals in them
• likes a good quest tale
  

WHAT ELSE?
This book won the 2004 Newbery Medal as the best novel for children written in the United States in the previous year. The author has also written a number of other stories, including the award-winning Because of Winn Dixie, which has been made into a movie.

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