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The
Tale of Despereaux
By
Kate DiCamillo
The Tale of Despereaux is a fun, heartwarming story
of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. The tale begins within
the walls of a castle where Despereaux, the unlikely hero of the story, is born.
Very small, with over-sized ears, and born with his eyes open, Despereaux is
considered odd by his mouse peers. One day the sound of music leads him to the
Princess Pea, with whom he falls deeply in love. When word gets out that
Despereaux has broken the most important mouse rule—never reveal yourself to
humans—he is banished to the dungeon by his own family to be tortured and killed
by the rats! In another strand of this story, we meet Miggery Sow, a peasant
girl who is sold into service by her own father. Mig’s desire to be a princess,
a rat’s desire for revenge, and Despereaux’s quest to save the kidnapped
Princess Pea bring an interesting cast of characters together in a delightful
tale about light and dark. The author, Kate DiCamillo, has created some truly
memorable characters in this witty, suspenseful narrative, in which she
addresses the reader directly. Woven throughout the story is the power of love,
hope, and forgiveness, leaving the reader to decide, “Is there such a thing as
happily ever after?”
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Literature Unit
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