This children's novel tackles some dark themes (child abandonment, unrequited love, slavery, child abuse, depression, class privilege and desperation) with a light touch. Despereaux is a small mouse addicted to tales of chivalry, who loves a princess, and must set off on a quest to rescue her. The experiences of Despereaux and the other characters show the reader why they act the way they do in the face of tragedy, despair, and vengeance. It sounds like lugubrious negative reading, but it is written with such a light touch that it comes across more like a fairy tale. It is destined to be a classic. Don't miss it! The reading level is probably best for upper elementary middle school readers. My 11-year-old son thoroughly enjoyed it. ( )

Desperaux Tilling is a little mouse who is in love with light, music, and the Princess Pea. Desperaux finds himself intertwining with a rat named Roscuro and a serving girl named Miggery Sow. Desperaux is on a mission to save the Princess Pea. He'll need courage, bravery, and a red thread.

I was really excited to read The Tale of Despereaux. It’s a Newberry Medal book and now a movie, so I thought for sure it would become a new favorite.

I read it in about 2 1/2 days. I liked how the chapters were short. It’s a cute story, but to be honest I felt it was lacking…and a bit boring.

I thought it would be an irresistible tale, but it was sad and depressing. I mean Despereaux is born and his family immediately doesn’t like him and casts him off. His mother more interested in her make-up.

His father condemns him to death in the dungeon as part of the Mouse Council and his own brother leads him to the dungeon where the rats are to kill and eat him. Why the sentence of death? He talked to the princess.

The queen dies after seeing a rat in her soup. The rat, Rscouro, gets a disgusted look from the princess and then sets out a plan for revenge.

Miggery Sow is a little girl whose mother dies and then her father sells her to a man, whom she must call Uncle, for a hen, a red tablecloth, and some cigarettes. Her “uncle” then hits her against her ears after nearly every response, giving the poor girl cauliflower ears and loss of hearing.

It wasn’t just the depressing events that was disappointing, but the build-up for the story didn’t go anywhere. Despereaux saved the day, but then everything kind of just ended. For me it was like, “This is it?”

Needless to say, I was disappointed.

I did like how DiCamillo spoke to the reader regularly and explained certain things. What was interesting was how she referred to the themes of light and dark as part of the characters and themes in this book. To a certain extent I liked that, but at times it seemed empty and other times forced. As if the author was reaching for something and didn’t quite catch it.

I really wanted to love this book. I thought it’d be amazing, but…didn’t happen. Some people say to those who don’t like it “Oh, it’s for children. You should think of it like that,” but remember what C. S. Lewis said, “Any story worth reading at ten should be worth reading at fifty.”

A fairy tale like no other. The underdog becomes the knight in shinning armor; the bad guys repent and find redemption. This book highlights the struggles between fitting in and being an individual. Though the main characters are a mouse and a rat, there is never a moment when the reader cannot relate to the struggle. It is honest and dark but filled with light and ends happily ever after. ( )

At first glance, the story seems short and simple, almost too much so, but as each character represents an archetype of real people in many social structures, it’s easy to see that a beautiful allegory is being painted. Despereaux is the every man of any middle class of a society, and his daring to enter the world of the royalty, the upper-echelon, is most notable when the king says that he ought not play music for a bug because then the world would not be right. Despereaux’s bravery is a challenge to the every man that no matter how big the problems are, it’s important to fight for the things that you love.

Chiaroscuro represents the bottom rung of society, those who live in the filth and darkness, and are scorned for their position. The king, acting again as a catalyst, mentions that rats belong in the dungeon because they are rats. However, Chiaroscuro’s desire to become something more than a rat, or what a rat represents, burns so strongly that he becomes embittered and twisted, stopping at nothing to try to get revenge.

Miggery Sow’s story is that she has risen from the destitute to a position of power, from being a slave to working in the castle, but her laziness won’t take her any further, and her avarice clouds her judgment. It’s her challenge to recognize where she is at fault and to remedy the situation that she has caused, seeking rather to go about fulfilling her dreams by peaceful measures instead of violent ones.

Princess Pea is the upper echelon, those with the power or the money or, as is often the case, both. Along with forgiving the violent reactions of those below her, it is ultimately she that has the ability to change the overall power structure to bring everyone together. Miggery Sow, although she won’t be able to fulfill her dream of becoming a princess, has a friend and has found her place in society; Chiaroscuro can step into the light, can be part of the world that is beyond his caste; and Despereaux is invited to eat soup at the table with the king and the princess, sitting at the place of honor with all of the other mice watching.

Overall, it’s a quick, fun read, and Dicamillo’s tone is inviting and playful. It’s perfect that she addresses the audience throughout the narrative and clearly defines the big words that she uses throughout. It’s a great bedtime story for younger children, but largely the audience will fall into the 7-8 realm.

-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com ( )