The Tale of Despereaux
Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
Age 7+
Fantasy & Magical Realism
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.
Creators
Kate DiCamillo is the author of many beloved books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux, which received a Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; and the bestselling Mercy Watson series. Kate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis, USA.
In addition to illustrating The Tale of Despereaux, Timothy Basil Ering is the illustrator of Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson and Finn Throws a Fit by David Elliott, and the acclaimed author-illustrator of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone, Necks Out for Adventure! and The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger. He lives in the USA in Kingston, Massachusetts, with his wife and sons.
