The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread Hardcover – August 25, 2003

I am retired, after 60+ years in service to our Country. I purchased this book for reading enjoyment, and I was not disappointed at all. A book about truth, sacrifice, being a hero, and commitment. Everyone under 18, and older that 10-12 years, should read for an education into the 'REAL' facts of life. My grandchildren are still quite young now, but I will make sure they receive this book for their Kindle as a gift.

This book is unlike anything I’ve read in a long time. Hauntingly beautiful, profound themes… interweaves philosophy, psychology, and medical in a smart main character against heavy odds. A slow burn first half unravels in the second half in a way you’ll be questioning what’s real and what’s not. Still thinking about the ending. Looking forward to more by this author!

Born in a huge castle, Despereaux was a too-small mouse who only wished to love and live happily ever after. His family didn't understand him. The Mouse Council banished him to his doom in the castle dungeon to be eaten by rats. And through it all he didn't give up on loving the Princess Pea. Unfortunately, Despereaux's path would cross that of Roscuro, the rat who cause the death of Princess Pea's mother by falling into a bowl of soup, and Miggery Sow, a young girl sold by her father and abused by the man who bought her (clouted on the ear till she grew near-deaf). Through it all, despite the threat of certain death or being lost forever in the darkness of the dungeon (if the rats don't find him and eat him first!), Despereaux holds true to his love.Kate DiCamillo is also the author of THE TIGER RISING, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, two Mercy Watson books (about an adventure-seeking pig for younger readers), and the upcoming THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE. She's won the Newberry Award for both BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX. BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE was also made into a movie of the same name.THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX is the perfect book to read aloud to young pre-readers. Despite the author's flip-flopping back and forth in time to bring to life the supporting characters and backstory, those listeners will have no problem staying up with every move the tale makes. In fact, the telling grows even stronger because they can actually see the difficulties that lie ahead for Despereaux even before the mouse hero does. Added to that is Dicamillo's narrative when she gently addresses the reader and craftily pulls the reader and the listener more tightly into the grasp of her story.Magic truly takes shape on the pages of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX. A Newberry-award winner, the book is probably on the shelves of most school libraries and is an Accelerated Reader book. Recommended to anyone who likes to read aloud to children, or to anyone who likes to be read to. Despite the thickness of the book, the story is over well before the reader/listener is ready to step away from it.

A couple of reviews say that parents started reading this to their kids and stopped in the middle because of darkness, and they say the darkness is inappropruate. As someone who actually finished the book, I disagree. I had this story read to me as a young child, I read it again on my own when I was an older child, and as an adult I re-read it while thinking about sharing it with the next generation. This story lead me to think about empathy for people who hurt me, difficult moral choices, and forgiveness. It was a very good and positive influence on me.Parents, when a book's title translates to "The Tale of Despair," you can expect it to be a story that addresses despair.Parents, if you want to excercise your right to choose what media to expose your children to, you should look at the content BEFORE you start sharing it with your child. If you start reading this story and stop in the middle because the despair scares you, the message will be: "Life is hopeless. Bad things happen and they just get worse, and you should give up on the possibility of a happy ending." If you read the book all the way to the end, the message will be: "Even when you are surrounded by despair and darkness, there is value in reaching for the light." You can choose whether or not you want to share this story with your children, but choose one way or the other, don't expose them to the darkness and then deny them the light of the resolution. If you start, you have to finish.

The book was a hit with my 7-8 yr olds

I grew up watching the movie on PBS kids. I never read the book. Being almost 40 yrs old I decided to cave in and read it. I am in love with this book and I couldn't put it down. I got it on sale and it's the hardcover edition as well.

I'm sure that some readers of The Tales of Despereaux will find some elements objectionable and violent. Still, when one looks at many of the overall lessons that DiCamillo is trying to convey, I found great value in this novel. Not everything in society is perfect, and the author pits the kind hearts of Princess Pea and Despereaux against the evil of the rats Roscuro and Botticelli. Even Princess Pea is conflicted with her disgust for Roscuro and his despicable deeds, knowing that revenge will not bring her mother, the queen, back.Another valuable life lesson involves how the mice in Despereaux's family thought he wouldn't amount to anything. DiCamillo and Despereaux teach us that sometimes first impressions are sadly mistaken. While there's plenty of silliness that kids will enjoy (A mouse falling in love with a princess), there is a fast-moving and unpredictable plot.As a former elementary or parent, this story will provoke many great discussions with children as they learn that things are not always what they seem. I think the novel works best as either a read-aloud or as a story that a parent and child could read and discuss together.