The Tale of Despereaux : Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

Enjoyed by readers of age: 12 to 17

Read the most by: boys and girls

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. Aimed at children aged 7 and over, this book is a funny, moving, old-fashioned fairy tale in three parts.