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

By Kate DiCamillo, Timothy Basil Ering (Illustrator)

The Tale of Despereaux draws the reader into an enchanting account of a smaller-thanusual mouse in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. With character and plot far more complex than the traditional fairy tale, separate stories introduce Despereaux, condemned for talking to the princess; the evil rat, Roscuro, who loves light and soup; and Miggery Sow, a farm girl with royal aspirations. Their fates are threaded together as Despereaux undertakes a hero's quest that culminates in mice, rats, and humans living almost happily ever after.


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