Tales of Desperaux (2003)

read by a classmate. She appreciated how innocent it was, and how everyone was good in the end. Refreshing for 6-9 year olds who see so much negative in today's society.

This is one of my all time favorite books. Despereaux speaks to the small hero in us all. A must read for all elementary students. ( )

This is a great book. I love how it is broken down into the four 'chapters' that all take place in different times but it still keeps you connected. The narrators remarks throughout the story are funny and add a great level of interest to the overall story as well as help to keep it all connected. The characters are fun and engaging and I think a lot of people can relate to the feelings of Desperaux and he feels different from the rest of his family. This is a great book for readers of all ages and I would love to use it as part of the curriculum if I was taught English. ( )

The thing that I like most about this book is that it's an easy and compelling read that opens up discussion for some serious topics. Furthermore, the entire book carries hope through some dark events. Also, as an interesting spin, even though there appear to be some bad characters, they still have some good characteristics. It makes all of the characters more human (even if they're not actually human). While a tale of fantasy set in a fictional time and place, there are very real connections to our own lives. The serious topics such as selling into servitude, physical and emotional abuse could also be used to discuss these very real topics in our own lives. Students who are often lacking information in this area could be given resources for who to talk to and where to go in real life situations. If a teacher wanted to be really adventurous in the connections to the real world, discussion could be had about human trafficking in our world today. This would be time appropriate as well since last November new legislation was voted into California law regarding human trafficking. ( )

Reading The Tale of Despereaux to my children (age nearly 5 and 6) was the best reading experience we have had so far and the first that was a "real" enough book that I'm entering it in my library.

The language in the story is beautiful, the plot keeps you moving along--enough that is predictable that you can follow it, but also many surprises and twists. It is a good introduction to nonlinear storytelling, as each of the successive parts begins earlier than the first and then they all converge together. And the characters are all flawed, but ultimately a combination of hope, forgiveness, storytelling and the metaphorical and literal light win out. But not in a complete happily-ever-after way, but in a complex and mixed way.

In all of these ways, it is a good antidote to the black-and-white good and evil and the happily ever after of Disney. It taught my children about virtues and faults, while fully entertaining all of us.

It looks like most of Kate DiCamillo's other chapter books are a little old for them, but that won't stop me from reading them on my own. ( )

Decidedly odd style with frequent asides to the reader. Clunky but sweet story of an unlikely mouse hero. ( )

Read this book. It is lovely and wonderful and if you don’t read it you will regret it. The tale of an unlikely hero with large ears, a rat who loves light, the Princess Pea, and Miggery Sow. (Jan 2008) ( )

Despereaux was born different. He's super-small and his eyes opened right away. And as he grows older, he's decidedly un-mousy in his behavior. In fact, he falls in love with Princess Pea. What will he do for her?

I was drawn into this dreamy fairy tale from the first page. I can't say that I fell in love with any of the characters; that doesn't really seem to happen in true fairy tales. But I did fall in love with the book and all the gently-taught lessons it contained.

There are lessons about individuality vs conformity, courage, honorable defiance, love, forgiveness, loyalty, envy, and judgment. And they're all presented so subtly that kids probably won't realize they're learning anything.

There were several quotes I loved that will show you the heart at the center of this story.

"Reader, you must know that an interesting fate (sometimes involving rats, sometimes not) awaits almost everyone, mouse or man, who does not conform."

"The sound of the king's music made Despereaux's soul grow large and light inside of him."

"Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light."

"Reader, do you think it is a terrible thing to hope when there is really no reason to hope at all? Or is it (as the soldier said about happiness) something that you might just as well do, since, in the end, it really makes no difference to anyone but you?"

I loved this little fairy tale with a big heart and recommend it. It would be perfect for parents to read aloud with their children. ( )

I expected to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. The author's voice (she keeps addressing "Gentle Reader" or something like that) grated on me and the tale didn't engage my attention. I guess my project to read all the Newbery Medal winners will have to be altered to "at least try a spoonful." I got about a quarter of the way through and had no desire to go farther. Your results may differ. ( )

Review to Follow ( )

This book was really cute—a great story and a great little audiobook!

I'm not sure what else to say. The ridiculously long title kinda says what the book is about—a very unusual mouse who falls in love with a princess... It was really cute. ( )

Summary:
This book was about a mouse that was smaller than the other mouse. He saw the Princess and fell in love. Because of falling in love with the Princess he was sentenced to die in the cellar of the King's palace. He was such a nice mouse, the guard of the cellar helped him escape only to find out the Princess had been taken. The mouse set out on an adventure to save the Princess.

Personal Reaction:
This was a great read. I loved how the writer made the mouse seem so human in her writings. I enjoyed how the writer also seemed to talk to the readers throughout the book to make sure no one reading would get lost in the story. This book had me wishing at the end that the mouse was a human so he and the Princess could live happily ever after.

Classroom Extension:
1. I would use this book to get my students interested in reading and in fairy tales.
2. I would use this book to show my students the power of friendship.

I enjoyed DiCamillo's book Because of Winn-Dixie, and I've been meaning to read this for a long time, esp. when it won the Newbery. It was a sweet, charming fairy tale spun with humor and warmth. I think it would be a lovely read-aloud for 3rd - 4th graders, maybe even 2nd. ( )

Awww. Cute...

It did seem to be a bit threadbare at times. But I think that's because the comparison to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is inevitable since they're both faux-Victorian fairy tales, and Valente's writing style is so ornate compared to practically anyone else's. ( )

This was very cute. I want to read it to my kids, when they exist. It was charming in a way that some kid's books miss the mark on. Not too saccharine, but full of hope and love and adventure. ( )

This is a delightful story/fairy tale of an extraordinary mouse Despereaux, a rat , Roscuro both with human like traits, feelings and stories. Another character is a girl Miggery Tilling. The setting is in a castle.Their three stories and lives intertwine deeply causing the reader to be drawn in with its fun, sincere, emotional and delighful story. The author engages the reader by speaking to them directly in her writing further engaging them in this story. The theme of this book is staying true to yourself and overcoming perfidy, which occured with each of the characters. This would be a delighful class read aloud and provide great character inferential questions and discussions. It would make for a great story for textual and character analysis . Finally, comparing characters and their traits and identifying the with the theme would be valuable to students.

"The world is dark, and light is precious. Come closer, dear reader. You must trust me. I'm telling you a story." This is how The Tale of Despereaux begins and you are completely enchanted until the very end. DiCamillo has written a modern-day fairy tale, the story of a mouse that is not like other mice, with his love of music, books, and the princess. The story of a rat that lives in the darkness but is enchanted by light. And the story of a slow-witted servant girl who simply wishes to be a princess. Their stories all come together as the author directly tells you, the reader, this intertwining story in beautiful and thoughtful language. While I loved all of her books, this was by far my favorite (a mouse that loves to read – how can you go wrong?). The movie? Don’t bother!

Read more on my blog at www.watchingthewords.com! ( )

With four small seperate stories told from different view points, one mouse becomes an unlikely hero in a wonderful fantasy, with an enchanting princess. I like this book because there are four stories that are going on that all lead up to one ending, it touches on heavy topics and deception but theres always a choice between good and evil. I recommend this book for children ages 7 and up.

The Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread ( )

The story could be better. The ending is anticlimactic. The illustrations are poorly reproduced and hard to see. It's a wonderful book, though, written in a style that's both whimsical and earnest. ( )

What an enjoyable read! DiCamillo does an outstanding job describing the characters, and I love the way she includes the reader in the story, as if they are there. I think kids would really enjoy this book and relate to all of the characters. One of the best children's books I've read in a while! ( )

Occasionally, I wish a book written for children would be taught in high school and college courses, a book for whose sake I would persuade those readers that disdain children's books to just read it. I believe that the majority of quality literary writing is found in books intended for adults, but sometimes, a book written for an audience of eight or nine year olds has as much craft and impact as some of the acclaimed greats. The Tale of Despereaux is a book that I would argue deserves such a place of esteem.

The story on the surface is simple, but carries depths of meaning that a child doesn't need to fully plumb in order to enjoy the tale. It begins with the birth of a mouse, Despereaux. Despereaux is not like other mice: he has ears that are too large, and a soul that is too sensitive. Instead of eating books, like a regular mouse should, he reads them. Instead of avoiding humans, like a normal mouse would, he speaks to them. In fact, he falls in love with one, the Princess Pea. Despereaux is a castle mouse, and he reads fairy tales, and he falls in love with a princess. However, this sweet story is a horror to his fellow mice, including his father and mother and his brother, Furlough. They don't hear music, just noise. And they don't believe in love, but in following the rules. When Despereaux's brother sees Despereaux being touched by a human, he reveals it to his father, who shares it with the Council, who come to their usual decision - that Despereaux must be banished from mouse society.

Perhaps this punishment doesn't sound that bad, but it is far worse than it appears. The mice send their outcasts to the dungeons, wearing the red thread of death, where the rats will eat them to the bone. Despereaux, thankfully, doesn't die. He is saved by Gregory the jailer in exchange for a story. Actually, it is fortunate that Despereaux goes to the dark depths below the castle, because he learns of Roscuro's plans to kidnap Princess Pea and bring light down into the dark. The story backs up to tell us Chiaroscuro's tragic tale, how he was the only rat to love light, but when he ventured upstairs to see the light and the people and the Princess, he caused a horrible accident merely from the fact that he was a rat, and his heart was broken. As a result, he wanted vengeance, and Despereaux is in the right place to learn about his evil plot. Roscuro's plan will only work with the help of a human, and he finds one, a young girl gullible enough to manipulate to the rat's own ends. The story then backs up again, to tell us about this girl, Miggery Sow, who was brought to the castle as a servant. She has her own very sad back story; her father sold her after her mother died, and her master boxed her ears so continually that he made her near deaf. Her life didn't have one speck of light in it, until she saw Princess Pea riding her horse across the country side one day. With her glittering crown and beautiful dress, she inspired a hope in Miggery Sow, a girl who lived without hope before. Miggery wanted to become a princess. Roscuro convinces her that he can make her dream a reality, Miggery believes him and agrees to help kidnap the princess, and only Despereaux the mouse (with a little help from Princess Pea) can stop them and help untangle all the accumulated grief.

With so much sadness, you might expect the book to be a heavy read, but quite the contrary. DiCamillo brushes her subjects with humor and hope. She delivers the weightier ideas with such a delicate touch that the burden feels light. Both adults and children will laugh at certain passages, but adults will laugh with a bittersweet chuckle, with that clench in the heart, knowing that despite the comedy injected into the situation, a true sorrow lies in the thought of an unloved girl sold by her father, a rat who is scorned by the light he loves, and a mouse who is sent to a horrible fate by his kind, escorted to his death by his own brother. Moments of beauty and hope are mixed with tragedy, but the author knows that humor helps to ease the heart break.

Another tactic that DiCamillo uses to balance the atmosphere of the book is the narrator. The narrator is third person omnisicient, but frequently breaks the fourth wall by addressing the reader directly. As a result, a camaraderie develops between the narrator and the audience, and the narrator actually becomes a character in the book, one that can deliver judgments and sympathize with the characters when no one else does. The narrator also helps the young audience grasp the themes of the book, about the power of love and hope and light, and how those ideas are connected and more powerful than opposing forces, such as darkness, or following rules without any heart. The book also deals with themes of being true to your nature, and an embrace of differences, keeping in mind that there is a distinction between what is right and moral and what is not, and that is a matter of the heart, not of outward appearance. And, of course, the chance for redemption and healing. Even more, this book is about words. All readers should read this book, because it celebrates the power of language and stories. Despereaux reads the books instead of eating them, and it saves his life which he buys for a story. Roscuro is branded by a word, which causes his disillusionment, and that causes the Queen's death. Miggery Sow can't ever hear words right, because of her ruined ears, and her miscommunications make her easy prey to Roscuro. Even the narrator is involved with the wordplay, as she constantly uses impressive vocabulary words to describe important plot points and themes, and then defines the words to the audience in terms of the story. Such powerful ideas are packaged in a charming story that is part fairy tale and part heart-pounding adventure, and all wonderful.

Despereaux may work within the constraints of the children's book format, but most literature is bound by rules of some kind. How the story operates withing those parameters determines the quality of the literature, and this book is phenomenal. The author sculpts breathing characters and incorporates powerful themes, working at multiple levels, so that children will relish the story, and adults will catch the deep reverberations of meaning underlying this tale of a mouse, a rat, a maid, and a princess. The story does end on a note of hope, as is more typical in children's literature, but I say that we can use a few more books with happy endings that feel organic and not saccharine sweet or forced. The style, the plot, the messages, the imagery - everything is gathered and presented in a tight tapestry of excellent writing, and that is why this book deserves to be regarded with as much respect as literary books meant for adults. ( )

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. I personally didn't care for this story because I am too much of a realist...if one's into princesses, love, and fantasy, it's probably good! I think this may tie in nicely to lessons on diversity for third to fourth graders because Despereaux demonstrates capability despite differentiation. ( )

Despereaux is not a knight in shining armor, but this tiny mouse proves that size does not equal valor as he braves dangers that would surely kill a lesser hero. His uniqueness causes great consternation among his family and the community of the castle mice he lives with resulting in an unjust condemnation. Caring more for the safety and happiness of the castle’s princess than for his own life, Despereaux is determined not to let the perils of the dungeon thwart his attempt to rescue her. Told through the eyes of multiple characters, DiCamillo cleverly plays with the chronology of this fairy tale fantasy to explain the importance of each character’s inclusion and point of view. DiCamillo’s interplay between humans and animals clearly depicts emotional scenes of acceptance and rebuke, allowing readers to become embroiled in the tale’s thrilling action. Ering’s endearing full-page pencil illustrations elucidate intense moments of the plot, adding to the suspense. Readers from third through sixth grade will be charmed by the anthropomorphic animals and embolden to cheer for the underdog as they carefully wind their way through the twisting and unpredictable tale. ( )

Ali Qutab
Mr. Bronson
October 12th 2012
Book review
Final Draft

The Tale of Despereaux is a story of Despereaux Tilling, a little mouse with big ears and how that he is the bane of his family’s existence. In this book, little Despereaux falls in love with the young princess who lives in the same castle Despereaux struggles to live in. In this book, Despereaux is motivated by stories of knights and princess through books in the library (which he was supposed to eat) to “honor” the princess. However, the king is unhappy with this, and so are the mice. Therefore, Despereaux is sent to the dungeon (by his own brother and family), which is the home of all rats in the castle.
Another story of the book is based on Miggerey, a young girl who was traded for a tablecloth by her own father. In this story of the book, Miggerey is also motivated by the princess, and wants to be one herself, but conditions lead her somewhere else. The story of a rat named Roscuro is yet another story of the book in which Roscuro is also motivated by the life of a (well, not a princess) but a king, and therefore wants to be a descendent of the king, or even a king himself. However, the event of Roscuro falling into a bowl of soup, killing the Queen (the mother of princess Pea) blocks his way down such a path. Well, that’s everyone/thing.
In my opinion, this book is an illustriously layered book with many robust events. The reason this book is greatly acclaimed is due to it's events and settings being very desultory yet collide by the end of the book. The collision of the events into one story was not as loud as many other stories with such collisions, if Dicamillo hadn't had the ability to connect the most random of events ( in this book, various "books") throughout a story, this book wouldn't have been as intimidating.
However, the book didn't have a designative main character, even though Desparaux was the (so called) main character. In addition, The Tale of Desparaux lacked in a descriptive ending, so I think Dicamillo should've thought out the conclusion of the story. In my opinion, drinking soup is not a very well thought out ending to a book, however the event represents another deep layer of the story due to it's representing of letting go of the past and moving on (because the soup killed queen and lead to the increase in ego of the mouse, Roscuro). Most importantly, the side comments and motivation of Dicamillo throughout the book was a overused technique and got annoying to me at times. A book read may never go to waste, therefore, I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.