The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

DiCamillo, K. (2003). The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Plot Description: Despereaux is not like normal mice. He does not enjoy scurrying or looking for crumbs, but would rather read books or listen to music. One day while following the magical sound of music he happens upon Princess Pea and falls deeply in love. He is then sentenced to the dungeon by the mice council for disobeying the rules and coming in contact with a human. In the meantime Roscuro is plotting his revenge against the princess and has convinced Miggery to help. They both kidnap the princess and hide her in the dungeon with the plan of keeping her there forever. Despereaux hears of the plan and is able to overcome his fear of the dungeon and rescue the princess.

Genre: Fantasy


Age Group: This book would be appropriate for grades 4-10.


Series Information/Similar Books: Because of Winn-Dixie, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Tiger Rising and The Magician’s Elephant all by Kate DiCamillo

Personal Thought: At the end of most chapters the author speaks directly to the reader asking them to think about certain things which really engages the reader and pulls them into the book.

Subject/Themes: Revenge, Friendship, Mice, Love

Awards: Newberry Award 2004


Character Description: Despereaux is a small mouse with big ears who was born with his eyes open. He is different from the other mice because he does not like to scurry or collect crumbs but would rather listen to music and read.


Gregory is the jailer who lives in the basement with the rats and prisoners. He has a rope connected to his leg so he can find his way around in the darkness.

Chiaroscuro (aka Roscuro) is a rat that is also different than most because he loves the light rather than the dark. While upstairs one day in the castle he falls in the Queen’s soup causing her to die.

Miggery Sow is a twelve year old girl whose mother died when she was six. Her father sold her for a hen, a handful of cigarettes, and a red table cloth to a man who berated and beat her for years. She is not the brightest crayon in the box but has a burning desire to become a princess.

Annotation: Despereaux’s behavior is unusual for a mouse and the mouse council has sentenced him to life in the dungeon. Read along to see if he is able to survive and save the love of his life, Princess Pea.

Miscellaneous Information: This book was made into a Motion Picture and was released in 2008.