4. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press, 2003)

Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

GENRE: Fantasy / Fairy Tale

HONORS: Blue Hen Book Award, Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award, Cochecho Readers’ Award, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award, Garden State Children’s Book Award, Golden Archer Award, Great Lakes Great Books Award, Indian Paintbrush Book Award, John Newbery Medal, Kentucky Bluegrass Award, Land of Enchantment Book Award, Maine Student Book Award, Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, Minnesota Books Awards Finalist, Mitten Award Honor, Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature Finalist, Parents’ Choice Award Silver, PEN Center USA Literary Awards Finalist, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Second Place, Rhode Island Children’s Book Award, Sequoyah Book Award, Volunteer State Book Award, White Ravens Award, Young Reader’s Choice Award

REVIEW:

When a mouse falls in love with a princess, he will do anything to save her, including risking his own life in the rat-infested dungeon.  The Tale of Despereaux is divided into four books, shifting between the stories of the large-eared runt mouse Despereaux, the light-loving rat Roscuro, and the abused and nearly deaf servant Mig.  The novel begins by telling about Despereaux’s birth and his inability to follow the rules the head mice have created.  While exploring the castle, Despereaux meets Princess Pea and, instantly falling in love with her, he talks to her.  His brother reports the transgression to the mouse council, causing Despereaux to be sent to his death in the dungeon.  Luckily, Despereaux meets the jailer, Gregory, and he helps get him to safety.  Meanwhile, with a grudge against Princess Pea, Roscuro hatches a plan to trick Mig into luring Pea down into the dungeon, assuring Mig that she will be able to trade places with her and become the princess.  When Despereaux overhears the plan, he realizes that it is up to him to save the princess, but he must venture back into the dangers of the dungeon to do it.

OPINION:

This fairy tale of an unconventional “knight in shining armor” and his love is an enjoyable book all the way through.  The explanation of the characters’ stories helps make the motivation for kidnapping the princess clear and readers will be able to sympathize with Mig because of the hard life she has experienced.  Even the villain of the story, Roscuro, is not completely evil, but rather forced into his situation based on a traumatizing event that happened to him.  The book reads very well, making it ideal for children in younger grades, as well as older readers.  I particularly liked the way the author directly addressed the reader, making it easy to read the book aloud and discuss the statements with the listeners.  Also, the repeated use of the word “Reader” emphasizes the importance of reader involvement in the relationship between author and reader.  Although directed toward younger tweens, older tweens with a love of fairy tales and the fantasy genre will appreciate the heroic antics of Despereaux.

IDEAS:

This book would be great in a library display of Newbery Award Winners, as well as a display of different types of fairy tales.  Also, it would be a welcome addition to a display on books with animal main characters.