The Tale of Despereaux

by Kate DiCamillo

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. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

Ages: 8, 9, 10
Interest Level: Grades 3 - 5
Grade Level Equivalent: 4.7
Lexile Measure: 670L
DRA: 50
Guided Reading: U
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Number of Pages: 267
Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Science Fiction and Fantasy

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo Newbery Medal winner Kate DiCamillo wrote her first book, Because of Winn-Dixie , because she was homesick for Florida, where she grew up. She discovers, rather than creates, her very lifelike characters.