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Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Aug 2003, 272 pages
Paperback:
Apr 2006, 272 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
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The beloved author of Because of Winn-Dixie enlightens us with a tale of adventure, despair, love, and soup. Ages 8+. Read the first 3 chapters exclusively at BookBrowse.
Kate DiCamillo introduces a hero for all time!
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. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
From the master storyteller who brought us Because of Winn-Dixie comes another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable characters, featuring twenty-four stunning black-and-white illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering, in an elegant design that pays tribute to the best in classic children’s books and bookmaking traditions.
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 ...
The John Newbery Medal
2004
There are an awful lot of children's books out there about mice including such classics as Stuart Little and the Redwall series. In fact, one could be led to believe that the children's book market was saturated when it comes to stories about rodents - but think again! The Tale of Despereaux is a very charming story about a very charming mouse with lots of twists and turns and old-fashioned chivalry, perfect for 7-12 year olds, and great to read aloud...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
The last few years have been golden for Kate DiCamillo, and rightly so.
Her run of success started with
Because of Winn Dixie in 2000, followed by the not so successful,
The Tiger Rising. The came
The Tale of Despereaux in 2003, Mercy Watson To The Rescue in
2005 and the very wonderful,
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane in 2006.
She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Clermont, Florida, and
currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She says that "I hate to cook and love
to eat. I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt
to three lovely children (Luke, Roxanne, and Max) and one not so lovely dog
(Henry)."
Tim Ering illustrated Despereaux. His artwork has ...
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