The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
- Downloads：1323
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-29 06:54:32
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kate DiCamillo
- ISBN：0763680893
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Daniel Nelms
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Fun family read aloud for the kids
Josephine Briggs
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This is a cute story， but not for every child。 Under seven would be to young and frightening。 Older kids would be o。k。 There are violent， disturbing parts， some people die。 The story begins with the birth of the hero， Despereaux。 He is tiny， big ears， doesn't act like a mouse。 He doesn't like to skitter and hide。 He roams the palace and learns to read。 He fell in love with Princess Pea， her father is the king。 Princess Pea is so beautiful， sweet and kind。 A young girl everyone would love。 But De This is a cute story， but not for every child。 Under seven would be to young and frightening。 Older kids would be o。k。 There are violent， disturbing parts， some people die。 The story begins with the birth of the hero， Despereaux。 He is tiny， big ears， doesn't act like a mouse。 He doesn't like to skitter and hide。 He roams the palace and learns to read。 He fell in love with Princess Pea， her father is the king。 Princess Pea is so beautiful， sweet and kind。 A young girl everyone would love。 But Despereaux is a mouse， Princess Pea a princess。The book is divided into four sections introducing different characters。 A rat， Chiarousuco， nickname Roscuro， born and raised in the dark dungeon of the castle。 Rats hate light， much of this book is about dark and light。 Roscuro is introduced to light and finds he loves it and wants to be always in light。 He is a rat and cannot change。Then comes Miggery Sow， named after her father's prize winning， favorite pig。 She is sold to a man after her mother dies。 The man is happy with a hen， a red tablecloth and some cigarettes， happy to be rid of Miggery。 She was bought by a man who was cold， abusive and unkind。 She sees the beautiful princess and wishes she could be a princess。 Then she goes to work at the castle。 A fat child she is more than lazy， wants to be a princess， so envious of Princess Pea。The book does teach lessons。 Be yourself， but be all you can be。 Be forgiving toward those who wrong you。 Enjoy being alive， enjoy how the world lightens from dark to light。 Ms Dicamille comments on the story which I enjoy reading。 Mr Ering illustrates parts of the book。 。。。more
Natasha Allday
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I had to abandon this book halfway。 Initially I was delighted to use this book as a readaloud to my seven-year-old son， but it got progressively more disturbing。 The language is lovely， with beautifully written text。 I loved the direct address to the reader and rich language， which can be hard to find for younger readalouds。There are too many themes of death， violence， child abuse and so on。 When we got to the poor girl sold in to slavery who was beaten to disfigurement and deafness we pulled st I had to abandon this book halfway。 Initially I was delighted to use this book as a readaloud to my seven-year-old son， but it got progressively more disturbing。 The language is lovely， with beautifully written text。 I loved the direct address to the reader and rich language， which can be hard to find for younger readalouds。There are too many themes of death， violence， child abuse and so on。 When we got to the poor girl sold in to slavery who was beaten to disfigurement and deafness we pulled stumps。 My son asked me if I would ever sell him to a stranger and that was the final straw… I gather the film version lightened the tone significantly so we may attempt that。I did see some positive reviews from adults from neglected backgrounds who related to the characters and I appreciate that there is an audience for every book。 However， these themes are nor necessary for my son and just cause anxiety。 He is already a sensitive and empathetic person and I avoid exploiting this with overly heavy texts。 。。。more
Elease
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Delightful read-aloud for my 10- and 8-year-old children。 Not a huge fan of the dualism （e。g。， "There is light and dark in each of us" thought line）， but that just gave me something to talk about with the kids！ Delightful read-aloud for my 10- and 8-year-old children。 Not a huge fan of the dualism （e。g。， "There is light and dark in each of us" thought line）， but that just gave me something to talk about with the kids！ 。。。more
Laurabeth
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Just as strange as I remembered it being from junior high。 Mice literature is anything but boring。
Steven Jones
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This is one of the best "bedtime story" books I've ever read with my kids！ DiCamillo's writing style lends itself well to a dramatic reading。 My kids cajole an extra chapter out of me every night。 This is one of the best "bedtime story" books I've ever read with my kids！ DiCamillo's writing style lends itself well to a dramatic reading。 My kids cajole an extra chapter out of me every night。 。。。more
Ruth
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This book was very easy to follow and I loved how it showed different view points of characters， showing the reader where they came from and how they change throughout the story。 Being set on a fairy tale， I think it was a different kind of genre that I would most certainly read again。 Despereaux and his adventure was super fun to read about and all the obstacles in front of him， too。
Emma Robison
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A nice little childhood favorite re read to listen to for nostalgia’s sake and it’s earned every star what a good book！！
Dan Madrid
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Loved this book growing up
Jason Pawlak
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A slow yet enchanting story。 It was a nice and surprisingly gruesome tale that our 2nd grader is reading at school。 It’s interesting that she enjoys the story so much because she typically shoes away from stories of battle conflict or death。 The characters were simple and well understood。 Great lessons on bravery， empathy， and forgiveness。
Shay
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My heart。 The nostalgia。 The storytelling。
Marie
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Both my kids loved this one and so did I。 What a story
Beverly Adkins
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10 year oldI liked this book because it was a great story。 I liked the author way of telling the story。 I'm 10。years old。 10 year oldI liked this book because it was a great story。 I liked the author way of telling the story。 I'm 10。years old。 。。。more
RJ
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This book was so cute。 The story of a brave mouse， crazy rat， and random princess。 Oh let’s not forget MiG！ cute story I would recommend this to early readers for sure
Katherine Zinke
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A sweet and thoughtful story！ I’m not a huge fan of asides to the reader， but enjoyed it nonetheless。
Lauren Millard
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My kids say “Five Stars！” They liked the nice ending and I liked that the book explained new vocabulary and it was an adventure of a story
Susan
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What a neat little book， I'm not sure if it is a children's， young adult or adult book。 So I'm putting it with my adult books。 If you haven't read this book， you need to get a copy of it， whether it be borrowed from your public library or from a book store。 A really cool， fun and easy read， very entertaining。 What a neat little book， I'm not sure if it is a children's， young adult or adult book。 So I'm putting it with my adult books。 If you haven't read this book， you need to get a copy of it， whether it be borrowed from your public library or from a book store。 A really cool， fun and easy read， very entertaining。 。。。more
Tyler
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I enjoyed Kate DiCamillo's books as a kid， and I've found that I can still enjoy them as an adult。 Her writing style keeps me on the edge of my seat and immerses me in her storyline。 The Tale of Desperaux has all the classic tropes of a "Once upon a time" style fairytale while also keeping your attention by filling it with so much more emotion， suspense， character building， and redemption arcs than you would find in a typical fairytale。 This book and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane chang I enjoyed Kate DiCamillo's books as a kid， and I've found that I can still enjoy them as an adult。 Her writing style keeps me on the edge of my seat and immerses me in her storyline。 The Tale of Desperaux has all the classic tropes of a "Once upon a time" style fairytale while also keeping your attention by filling it with so much more emotion， suspense， character building， and redemption arcs than you would find in a typical fairytale。 This book and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane changed my life as a kid and left me with good memories even into adulthood。 I'm glad I still feel the same whimsy I did when reading them a decade ago。 。。。more
Madelyn
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The Tale of Despereaux was such a good book。 The plot keeps me and the edge of my seat and wanting to know what happens next。 I never thought that a story of a young mouse would be very good but the story of his struggles related to me， like not fitting in and being different。 This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves fiction， action， and maybe even fairy tales。 I highly recommend this book because it challenged me as a reader and got me thinking about being more confident in who I am。
M
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Bleak
Your Friend， the YA Reader
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I recently re-discovered this book that shaped my childhood。 I read it in （I think） second grade， when I was in the advanced reading group in my class。 I remember being happy I was trusted to read it because I recognized that it dealt with a lot of big themes and was very emotionally touching。 I think all kids should read this book because it really can change your life。 Side note-I didn't catch on until just recently that Kate DiCamillo wrote both this and Because of Winn Dixie lol。 I recently re-discovered this book that shaped my childhood。 I read it in （I think） second grade， when I was in the advanced reading group in my class。 I remember being happy I was trusted to read it because I recognized that it dealt with a lot of big themes and was very emotionally touching。 I think all kids should read this book because it really can change your life。 Side note-I didn't catch on until just recently that Kate DiCamillo wrote both this and Because of Winn Dixie lol。 。。。more
anna
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THIS MOUSE WILL KILL YOUR GRANDMA BECAUSE HE IS TOO CUTE。 A MUST READ FOR READERS OF ALL AGES！
Katie （Hiding in the Pages）
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This charming tale of a mouse in a castle was adorable。 Despereaux defied all odds of survival and the adventures he had in the castle and the way several stories converged was entertaining。 What a sweet children's story。 This charming tale of a mouse in a castle was adorable。 Despereaux defied all odds of survival and the adventures he had in the castle and the way several stories converged was entertaining。 What a sweet children's story。 。。。more
Lyn Ducich
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I can't write a review to save myself。 BUT！Read this book！ You will like it。It's not a waste of your time！ I can't write a review to save myself。 BUT！Read this book！ You will like it。It's not a waste of your time！ 。。。more
Katie Brown
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Listened to the Kate DiCamillo On Being episode and cried my little eyes out。 Could not wait to finish my silly adult books and read this perfect story。 Guess I’ll be reading all her other novels now！！
Marguerite
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Hadn't heard of Kate DiCamillo before this was recommended by author and bookstore owner Ann Patchett。 This is the third book of hers I've read。 Although it deals with serious and somber topics （Death！ Vermin！ Poverty！ Betrayal！）， I think the grandkids would enjoy it。 DiCamillo breaches the fourth wall and addresses readers throughout the book， but it just makes the book more enchanting。 Hadn't heard of Kate DiCamillo before this was recommended by author and bookstore owner Ann Patchett。 This is the third book of hers I've read。 Although it deals with serious and somber topics （Death！ Vermin！ Poverty！ Betrayal！）， I think the grandkids would enjoy it。 DiCamillo breaches the fourth wall and addresses readers throughout the book， but it just makes the book more enchanting。 。。。more
Jen
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This was a fabulous work of literary fiction。 I could spend hours analyzing the literary devices and themes that were woven into this book。 I loved the author's approachable storytelling style and language。 She didn't shy away from challenging vocabulary for young readers， but occasionally addressed the reader directly， which gave enough explanation and/or context to assist comprehension。 This was also a really fun way of allowing the reader to engage with the storytelling process and the author This was a fabulous work of literary fiction。 I could spend hours analyzing the literary devices and themes that were woven into this book。 I loved the author's approachable storytelling style and language。 She didn't shy away from challenging vocabulary for young readers， but occasionally addressed the reader directly， which gave enough explanation and/or context to assist comprehension。 This was also a really fun way of allowing the reader to engage with the storytelling process and the author herself。 I read this aloud to my preschooler， but he definitely didn't pay much attention and it became a story for me to enjoy while he just listened to my voice and fell asleep。 （Which is worthwhile on its own merit）。 I look forward to sharing this with him again when he's older。 。。。more
Alex Wiegel
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Kinda boring， 🫤 but I did read it when I was in 3rd grade。 😅 So sad though！ 😭
Lois
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A children story with a very good lesson: sometimes a person must not conform to rules but do what his/ her conscience guides them to！
Shelley
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