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Kate DiCamillo

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The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread Paperback – December 8, 2015

by Kate DiCamillo (Author), Timothy Basil Ering (Illustrator)

4.7 6,785 ratings

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A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal–winning tale.

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.
With black-and-white illustrations and a refreshed cover by Timothy Basil Ering.

Reading age

7 - 10 years, from customers
Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Grade level

2 - 5
Lexile measure

670L
Dimensions

5.19 x 0.75 x 7.64 inches
Publisher

Candlewick
Publication date

December 8, 2015
ISBN-10

0763680893
ISBN-13

978-0763680893
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Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

Miggery Sow heard, perfect and true, every single word the rat Roscuro uttered.
Highlighted by 8,105 Kindle readers
“So?” shouted Cook. “What good will that do us when the rest of him has disappeared into the pantry?” “I don’t know,” said Mig. And she braced herself as Cook advanced upon her, intending to give her a good clout to the ear. “I don’t know.”
Highlighted by 5,385 Kindle readers
“Back to the light,” that was what Gregory whispered to him when he wrapped Despereaux in his napkin and placed him on the tray.
Highlighted by 2,895 Kindle readers

From the Publisher

adventure; animal fantasy; chivalry; fairy tales; love; courage; friendship; hero; mice; princess


	Because of Winn-Dixie	The Tiger Rising	The Magician's Elephant

Customer Reviews	13,494	3,724	2,252
Price	$6.40	$5.32	$8.89
Read more of Kate DiCamillo's classic bestselling novels!	One summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries—and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. In fact, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie.	Twelve-year-old Rob Horton is stunned to encounter a tiger—a real-life, very large tiger—pacing back and forth in a cage. On the same extraordinary day, he meets Sistine Bailey, a girl who shows her feelings as readily as Rob hides his.	When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live?


	The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane	Flora and Ulysses	Ferris

Customer Reviews	10,129	4,353	84
Price	$6.78	$7.35	$15.19
	Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost...	It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman is the just the right person to step in and save him.	Ferris Wilkey's summer before fifth grade is sheer chaos. How can she satisfy a ghost, help her family, and stop a raccoon invasion? As grandma says, “Every good story is a love story,” and Kate DiCamillo has written one for the ages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising here shifts gears, demonstrating her versatility while once again proving her genius for mining the universal themes of childhood. . . . I must tell you, you are in for a treat.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A charming story of unlikely heroes . . . This expanded fairy tale is entertaining, heartening, and, above all, great fun.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul stirring as it is delicious.
—Booklist (starred review)

The melodramatic voice of the narrator glides through DiCamillo's entirely pleasing tale . . . And so unwinds a tale with twists and turns, full of forbidden soup and ladles, rats lusting for mouse blood, a servant who wishes to be a princess, a knight in shining—or at least furry—armor, and all the ingredients of an old-fashioned drama.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

DiCamillo "sets the stage for a battle between the forces of Darkness and Light in The Tale of Despereaux, and the book is a terrific, bravura performance."
—The New York Times Book Review

There is a classic charm to this picaresque tale of an idealistic mouse suffering unrequited love for a princess; that and a pace that lends itself to reading aloud will make this novel a favorite among those ready for some gentle questing.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

DiCamillo tells an engaging tale . . . Many readers will be enchanted by this story of mice and princesses, brave deeds, hearts 'shaded with dark and dappled with light,' and forgiveness.
—The Horn Book

Soul stirring and charming.
—Booklist

Newbery-Honor winning DiCamillo creates the perfect read-aloud with delightful, fanciful characters.
—Child's Best of the Year

This old-fashioned tale is overflowing with good and evil, light and dark, scary adventures, and a happy ending. Ideally read aloud.
—Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year

Chill winds call for hot cocoa and a good book. The Tale of Despereaux serves up 52 chapters bursting with adventure.
—Washington Parent

I give this book the highest rating: five out of five stars.
—Newsday

Unexpectedly complex in the relationships between its characters, DiCamillo's fable, engagingly illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering, delivers a carefully orchestrated, but not overstated, testament to the power of love and forgiveness.
—San Francisco Chronicle

"Reader, it is his destiny — just as it is for The Tale of Despereaux to become another timeless classic in the once-upon-a-time genre.
—Orlando Sentinel

This charming adventure by the award-winning author of Because of Winn-Dixie is a story of love, courage and following your heart.
—Detroit Free Press

Read the book aloud. Few recent texts have been designed for that, with multiple plots ticking on, divided into 52 small chapters. And don't forget the coda, a tiny but deft apologia of the imagination.
—Chicago Tribune

This charming fairy tale brims with delightful characters.
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

Here once again, loss brings characters together, misfits find a place in the world, and darkness and light swirl together in a not easily divisible mix.
—Star Tribune

The Tale of Despereaux "has DiCamillo's modern sensibilities, her wry humor, and crystalline prose."
—Miami Herald

The story is just plain fun to read, but it also explores deeper and darker aspects of parent-child relations, including betrayal, the need for forgiveness and the power of love.
—Houston Chronicle

Super Summer Reads: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. A smaller-than-usual mouse falls in love with music, stories, and a Princess named Pea.
—Woman's Day

A heartwarming and rewarding read, The Tale of Despereaux cheers uniqueness, boos conformity, urges readers to overlook seeming differences, and inspires hope.
—Teacher Magazine

With its old-fashioned, fairy tale qualities and whimsical pencil drawings by Timothy Basil Ering, the book is definitely a departure for DiCamillo, but one readers are sure to love.
—Book Page

. . . DiCamillo's new fantasy novel is charming, by turns sad, sweet, and mildly scary.
—Voice of Youth Advocates

Sly style and brilliantly-crafted characters will reward the reader . . .
—The Five Owls

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One: The Last One

This story begins within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse. A small mouse. The last mouse born to his parents and the only one of his litter to be born alive.
“Where are my babies?” said the exhausted mother when the ordeal was through. “Show to me my babies.”
The father mouse held the one small mouse up high.
“There is only this one,” he said. “The others are dead.”
“Mon Dieu, just the one mouse baby?”
“Just the one. Will you name him?”
“All of that work for nothing,” said the mother. She sighed. “It is so sad. It is such the disappointment.”
She was a French mouse who had arrived at the castle long ago in the luggage of a visiting French diplomat. “Disappointment” was one of her favorite words. She used it often.
“Will you name him?” repeated the father.
“Will I name him? Will I name him? Of course, I will name him, but he will only die like the others. Oh, so sad. Oh, such the tragedy.”
The mouse mother held a handkerchief to her nose and then waved it in front of her face. She sniffed. “I will name him. Yes. I will name this mouse Despereaux, for all the sadness, for the many despairs in this place. Now, where is my mirror?”
Her husband handed her a small shard of mirror. The mouse mother, whose name was Antoinette, looked at her reflection and gasped aloud. “Toulèse,” she said to one of her sons, “get for me my makeup bag. My eyes are a fright.”
While Antoinette touched up her eye makeup, the mouse father put Despereaux down on a bed made of blanket scraps. The April sun, weak but determined, shone through a castle window and from there squeezed itself through a small hole in the wall and placed one golden finger on the little mouse.
The other, older mice children gathered around to stare at Despereaux.
“His ears are too big,” said his sister Merlot. “Those are the biggest ears I’ve ever seen.”
“Look,” said a brother named Furlough, “his eyes are open. Pa, his eyes are open. They shouldn’t be open.”
It is true. Despereaux’s eyes should not have been open. But they were. He was staring at the sun reflecting off his mother’s mirror. The light was shining onto the ceiling in an oval of brilliance, and he was smiling up at the sight.
“There’s something wrong with him,” said the father. “Leave him alone.”
Despereaux’s brothers and sisters stepped back, away from the new mouse.
“This is the last,” proclaimed Antoinette from her bed. “I will have no more mice babies. They are such the disappointment. They are hard on my beauty. They ruin, for me, my looks. This is the last one. No more.”
“The last one,” said the father. “And he’ll be dead soon. He can’t live. Not with his eyes open like that.”
But, reader, he did live.
This is his story.

Chapter Two: Such A Disappointment

Despereaux Tilling lived.
But his existence was cause for much speculation in the mouse community.
“He’s the smallest mouse I’ve ever seen,” said his aunt Florence. “It’s ridiculous. No mouse has ever, ever been this small. Not even a Tilling.” She looked at Despereaux through narrowed eyes as if she expected him to disappear entirely. “No mouse,” she said again. “Ever.”
Despereaux, his tail wrapped around his feet, stared back at her.
“Those are some big ears he’s got, too,” observed his uncle Alfred. “They look more like donkey ears, if you ask me.”
“They are obscenely large ears,” said Aunt Florence.
Despereaux wiggled his ears.
His aunt Florence gasped.
“They say he was born with his eyes open,” whispered Uncle Alfred.
Despereaux stared hard at his uncle.
“Impossible,” said Aunt Florence. “No mouse, no matter how small or obscenely large-eared, is ever born with his eyes open. It simply isn’t done.”
“His pa, Lester, says he’s not well,” said Uncle Alfred.
Despereaux sneezed.
He said nothing in defense of himself. How could he? Everything his aunt and uncle said was true. He was ridiculously small. His ears were obscenely large. He had been born with his eyes open. And he was sickly. He coughed and sneezed so often that he carried a handkerchief in one paw at all times. He ran temperatures. He fainted at loud noises. Most alarming of all, he showed no interest in the things a mouse should show interest in.
He did not think constantly of food. He was not intent on tracking down every crumb. While his larger, older siblings ate, Despereaux stood with his head cocked to one side, holding very still.
“Do you hear that sweet, sweet sound?” he said.
“I hear the sound of cake crumbs falling out of people’s mouths and hitting the floor,” said his brother Toulèse. “That’s what I hear.”
“No . . . ,” said Despereaux. “It’s something else. It sounds like . . . um . . . honey.”
“You might have big ears,” said Toulèse, “but they’re not attached right to your brain. You don’t hear honey. You smell honey. When there’s honey to smell. Which there isn’t.”
“Son!” barked Despereaux’s father. “Snap to it. Get your head out of the clouds and hunt for crumbs.”
“Please,” said his mother, “look for the crumbs. Eat them to make your mama happy. You are such the skinny mouse. You are a disappointment to your mama.”
“Sorry,” said Despereaux. He lowered his head and sniffed the castle floor.
But, reader, he was not smelling.
He was listening, with his big ears, to the sweet sound that no other mouse seemed to hear.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick; Reprint edition (December 8, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0763680893
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763680893
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 10 years, from customers
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 670L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 2 - 5
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.19 x 0.75 x 7.64 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Children's Mouse & Rodent Books
- #79 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
- #92 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 6,785 ratings

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Kate DiCamillo

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Kate DiCamillo’s writing journey has been a truly remarkable one. She grew up in Florida and moved to Minnesota in her twenties, when homesickness and a bitter winter led her to write Because of Winn-Dixie — her first published novel, which became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. The Tiger Rising, her second novel, was also set in Florida and went on to become a National Book Award finalist. Since then, the best-selling author has explored settings as varied as a medieval castle and a magician’s theater while continuing to enjoy great success, winning two Newbery Medals and being named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She now has over 40 million books in print worldwide.

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Benjamin A.

Mouse to the Rescue

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

Amazing book!!!!! I had to read it for a school book report and loved it.

A little mouse named Desperaeux Tilling)s?( is that how you spell it? whatevs) seemed very unusual when he was born. He lives in castle with the rest of his family. One day he snuck out of his mouse hole and to listen to the king play music. While he is listening , he falls in love with the princes named Pea. He lets the princess hold him and talks to her when she starts crying. That is violating two HUGE mouse rules. For this,he is sent down to the dungeons where te rats live and rats EAT mice. When he is sent down there, he persuades Gregory the jailer to save him from the rats. He finds his way back out of the dungeons but gets caught by the cook and she chops of his tale! Then he finds out that Pea , the princess, has been taken down to the dungeons by a rat and maid( the made does it because she wants to become a princess but you'll learn about that when you read the whole book). He goes back dowm there but is captured by the rats but still saves princess. There is a lot more to the book but that is what the book is mainly about. I absolutely LOVE this book and highly recommand it to others. Definitely 5 STARS!!

4 people found this helpful

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Tonia

Captivating

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024

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I remembered this book from my childhood so I bought it for my 5th grader who isn’t much of a reader. The short chapters really motivated him to keep going and pretty soon I would find him picking up to read when it wasn’t his designated reading time. My 7th grader read it as well and loved it! It’s a keeper!

3 people found this helpful

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JG

Exactly as pictured and signed by author.

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024

Verified Purchase

My youngest is reading this in her 3rd grade class and she specifically asked for the book. Got it for her birthday she'll be excited to also see it's an author signed copy. Good story as well as I've listened to parts of it in her class.

2 people found this helpful

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Sebastian Mudry

One of my favorites of all time!

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2023

Verified Purchase

This story is a gift to readers from adult through childhood. (Those who refuse to read 'fairy-tales' don't know what they're missing . . . ) B&W drawings are 'a-hoot'. The tale 'ends' w/a meaningful coda.

One person found this helpful

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Mark Culbertson Jr.

The Best Book Ever (EDRD 303)

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2009

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Kate DiCamillo's- The Tale of Despereaux : Book Review
Mark Culbertson, Gini Taylor, Janie Wells & Ashley Wood

"Reader you must know that an interesting fate awaits everyone, mouse or man, who does not conform."
-Stated by the "Narrator from The Tale of Despereaux

[...]
( here is a cute pic, but I couldn't get it to copy and paste)

Magical lands where mice are able to talk and become friends with a princess, that's the world that Kate DiCamillo offers in The Tale of Despereaux. According to Wikipedia.com, Kate wrote this story for a friend's son, who asked her to write a story about a hero with big ears. Despereaux is a mouse with big ears and a big imagination to match, as the reader will soon find. As in most of her books Kate takes the reader on a journey of awe and mystery.
The Tale of Despereaux is an inspiring story of trial, triumph, and overall a transformation of character. "The story of a mouse, a princess, some soup and a spool of thread" is very inspirational, imaginative, intriguing and innovative. Although Despereaux, the main character, was different from the other mice that surrounded him, he used his uniqueness to overcome obstacles and change the lives of others, and ultimately had a big influence on his own self esteem. His daring feats throughout the story shows an underlying message of courage and ultimately proved that being who you want to be, and proceeding with your dreams will in the end be useful, not only to the primary person, but also to those surrounding them. It is a great story for children to read when trying to understand personal differences and uniqueness. Although the book is a fantasy, children can relate Despereaux's story to their lives easily.
The book was well written it was easy to stay focused and caught up in what was happening in the book. When explaining what things looked like, she was very descriptive, for example describing the way the king slept," The king slept in his giant bed with his crown on his head and his hands on his chest, dreaming that his wife, the queen, was a bird with green and gold feathers who called his name, Phillip, Phillip, Phillip, without ceasing."
This is a great book and everyone should read it. It brings you out of this world and takes you into a fantasy world with castles, kings, talking mice and rats, as well as a princess. You get caught up in this book and then you find that you can't put it down. The adventures of Despereaux will keep you reading because you will want to see if he succeeds in accomplishing what he had set out to do. You will be rooting for him to overcome the many obstacles that seem to always find their way to him.
There is an interesting story of how Kate DiCamillo became the author of this exciting tale. She was asked by her son's best friend to write a story for him. He wanted the story to be about "an unlikely hero, with exceptionally large ears." When she asked him what happens to this character, he replied "That's why I want you to write the story, so we can find out."

Works cited:
DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux. April, 2006. Candle Press.

Kate DiCamillo. Retrieved September 16, 2009. Last updated September 12, 2009, from Wikipedia: [...]

3 people found this helpful

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Alice

Beautiful

Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2023

Verified Purchase

I've had my first copy of Despereaux ever since elementary school (20 years ago!) and I've read it over and over again. Because of this, it's gotten very worn. With the 20th anniversary I figured it was time for a replacement, and DiCamillo delivers once again, with her signature to prove the authenticity and love!

The original story of Despereaux, Pea, Roscuro and Mig is still as beautiful as ever, and the new story at the end of the book was a surprise and delight to read. I won't go into spoilers, but it made me happy and very curious and I hope to see even more stories set in this world of mice, soup, and princesses.

One person found this helpful

Hugo

Excelente libro

Reviewed in Mexico on October 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

Aunque decía de uso, realmente está en excelente estado, las hojas no están dobladas.

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shubhrangsu dutta

wonderful lessons from a small mouse

Reviewed in India on December 9, 2023

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Excellent read with twists and turns. My kid and me both enjoyed this thoroughly. I would highly recommend it for kids and grown ups.

Schulze

Zauberhafte Geschichte

Reviewed in Germany on July 10, 2023

Verified Purchase

Wirklich, eine Geschichte, die alles hat, was eine gute Geschichte braucht: Spannung, Trauer, Liebe, Freude, Angst. Ich habe das Buch auf Empfehlung der Youtuberin The Cottage Fairy (die eine hohe Affinität zu Büchern hat) gekauft. Das Buch ist wohl für Kinder, ich finde es aber in vielen Twists so tiefsinnig, dass ich es auch für Erwachsene unbedingt empfehlen würde. Der Erzählstil ist sehr angenehm - die Autorin spricht den Leser immer wieder sehr nett an und das Englisch ist m.E.in jeder Hinsicht gut bewältigbar.

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Maria Claudia Marchesotti

Dolcissimo

Reviewed in Italy on March 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

Un libro di una dolcezza che scalda il cuore

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