being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread
By: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by: Timothy Basil Ering
Level: J
The Tale of Despereaux begins in Book One with the birth of Despereaux, a mouse. It tells how he is not like other mice and gets in trouble. In Book Two, the story goes into the past to follow a rat named Chiaroscuro, who is not like other rats because he loves the light. After Roscuro’s adventure, in Book Three, the story goes back in the past again to follow the story of Miggery Sow. Finally, all three stories come together to interact with each other. The recursive path of the story will appeal to younger youth, as each story is its own. For older readers the story was still charming but a bit tedious.
