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

A #1 New York Times bestseller!

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.
With black-and-white illustrations and a refreshed cover by Timothy Basil Ering.

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272 pages

Average rating: 8.15

26 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

anaemilync
Feb 21, 2025
10/10 stars
I love this movie. I loved this too. "The light came to rest directly on Despereaux's big ears sticky up from behind the spool of thread. "Ho," said Cook, "whose ears are those?" Cook Andre's p. 228 in this book. It is so cool this reminds me of Dumbo.
Mrs. Awake Taco
Nov 13, 2024
8/10 stars
A cute little story about a whole slew of misguided, sad people who help each other be a little less misguided and sad.

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