The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
by Kate DiCamillo
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kate DiCamilloIllustrator: Timothy Basil Ering
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04-11
ISBN: 0763625299
Number of pages: 272
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Candlewick
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780763625290
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
Book Review: good idea, poorly executed
Summary: 1 Stars
The hardcover version of this book is beautifully put together, with it's mouse-torn pages and wonderful illustrations. Unfortunately, the story did not live up to it's binding. "Despereaux" follows the lives of a handful of characters who, mostly through no choice of their own, live with unfortunate circumstances. Throughout the story, the characters are beaten down even more, mentally and/or physically. It's not until the last few pages that the author attempts to resolve the issues, but at that point the reader has been bombarded with so much negativity that the point of the story is lost, and it's hard to feel any satisfaction from the ending.
I can understand what the author was trying to do - the whole light verses dark theme - but I feel it was poorly executed. Perhaps she was trying to relate to too many real-life situations her readers might be going through - illness, physical differences, abuse, abandonment, stereotypes, racism, perfidiousness (the author's favorite), etc - but I trust that young readers can empathize and relate without having each situation explicitly represented. Perhaps she could have cut back a few and achieve the light and dark balance she was trying to attain.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not the type of person that wants a candy-coated happy ending in all my stories, in fact I'm a sucker for a good tragedy. I'm not the type of person that thinks we should shield children from the realities of real-life - the unfounded hatred and violence, and unfortunate situations, that occurs. I am, however, a person born with a rare syndrome and have had health challenges my whole life, and also struggled with looking 'different' because of it - I think I know a thing or two about finding light in life. If that is the goal of this story, it fails to capture it.
More The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread reviews:
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Summary of The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
"Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul-stirring as it is delicious." - BOOKLIST (starred review)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.
From the master storyteller who brought us BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE comes another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable characters, with twenty-four stunning black-and-white illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering. This paperback edition pays tribute to the book's classicdesign, featuring a rough front and elegant gold stamping.
Kate DiCamillo, author of the Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, spins a tidy tale of mice and men where she explores the "powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous" nature of love, hope, and forgiveness. Her old-fashioned, somewhat dark story, narrated "Dear Reader"-style, begins "within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse." Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic, unmouselike spirit that leads the unusually tiny, large-eared mouse to the foot of the human king and the beautiful Princess Pea ultimately causes him to be banished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled dungeon.
The first book of four tells Despereaux's sad story, where he falls deeply in love with Princess Pea and meets his cruel fate. The second book introduces another creature who differs from his peers--Chiaroscuro, a rat who instead of loving the darkness of his home in the dungeon, loves the light so much he ends up in the castle& in the queen's soup. The third book describes young Miggery Sow, a girl who has been "clouted" so many times that she has cauliflower ears. Still, all the slow-witted, hard-of-hearing Mig dreams of is wearing the crown of Princess Pea. The fourth book returns to the dungeon-bound Despereaux and connects the lives of mouse, rat, girl, and princess in a dramatic denouement.
Children whose hopes and dreams burn secretly within their hearts will relate to this cast of outsiders who desire what is said to be out of their reach and dare to break "never-to-be-broken rules of conduct." Timothy Basil Ering's pencil illustrations are stunning, reflecting DiCamillo's extensive light and darkness imagery as well as the sweet, fragile nature of the tiny mouse hero who lives happily ever after. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson
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