The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread - Softcover

DiCamillo, Kate

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844289931 ISBN 13: 9781844289936

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd, 2015

Synopsis

A heartwarming young adventure story, winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal.

A deftly crafted fairy tale adventure story from a New York Times bestselling author, twice winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal. Here, reader, is the tale of a tiny, sickly mouse with unusually large ears; a mouse who takes his fate into his own hands. It is the tale of a beautiful, flaxen-haired princess who laughs often and makes everything around her seem brighter. It is the tale of a poor, deaf serving girl who entertains foolish dreams of splendour. It is a tale of impossible love, of bravery and of old-fashioned courage. And, reader, it is a tale of treachery – unlimited treachery…

About this title

Review

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

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo is the author of many beloved books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux and Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, both of which received a Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; and the bestselling Mercy Watson series. Kate DiCamillo, current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature in the US, lives in Minneapolis. In addition to illustrating The Tale of Despereaux, Timothy Basil Ering is the illustrator of Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson and Finn Throws a Fit by David Elliott, and the acclaimed author-illustrator of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone and Necks Out for Adventure! and The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger. He lives in the USA in Kingston, Massachusetts, with his wife and sons.

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844289931
• ISBN 13: 9781844289936
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Ering Timothy Basil
• Number of pages: 272