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Kate DiCamillo’s middle grade fantasy novel The Tale of Despereaux (2003) chronicles the adventures of Despereaux, an exceptionally tiny mouse who becomes the biggest of heroes in the fictional Kingdom of Dor. The novel won the Newbery Medal in 2004 and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2008. Plot Summary.
The Tale of Despereaux is a children's fantasy novel by American writer Kate DiCamillo, published in 2004. The story follows Despereaux Tilling, a brave, music-loving mouse, as he tries to rescue a human princess named Pea from a group of rats.
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The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo is divided into four sections, each focusing on a different character. The first section, A Mouse is Born, begins with the birth of a tiny mouse within the walls of a castle in the Kingdom of Dor. The mouse is the last of his litter and the only one born alive. Certain he will die too, his mother, Antoinette...
Now wearing the red thread of death, Despereaux is pushed down the stairs that lead to the dungeon. He begins to tell himself a story to keep up his courage. The jailer, Gregory, hears him and picks him up. Gregory says he has never saved a mouse before, but he promises to save Despereaux, as long as the mouse tells him a story. Stories, Gregory sa...
Section two, Chiaroscuro, begins a few years before Despereauxs birth, with the birth of a rat named Chiaroscuro and called Roscuro. As a young rat, Roscuro nibbles on Gregory the jailers rope, and to deter the rat, Gregory lights a match in Roscuros face. While most rats avoid light, Roscuro stares straight into the flame until the light danced ar...
Roscuros friend, Botticelli Remorso, counters that for rats, the purpose of life is to make others suffer. When a new prisoner is brought to the dungeon, Roscuro, following Botticellis urgings, attempts to make the man suffer. First, Roscuro talks to the prisoner in an attempt to gain his trust. The man tells Roscuro of the great guilt he feels for...
At the Mouse Council meeting, Lester explains that Despereaux sat at the kings feet, that he let the princess touch his head, and that he appeared unafraid. The members of the council listen with their mouths open and their whiskers sagging. They are horrified.
The mice in black stop, shocked that Despereaux would want to speak to a human. One of them says, You cant learn, can you? and Despereaux recognizes his voice. One of the mice taking him to the dungeon is his...
Hearing this, Despereauxs heartbeat quickens, but he does not faint again. He asks who the man is and learns he is Gregory, the jailer. Gregory has been keeping watch over the dungeon for many years, and in some ways he is a prisoner himself. Despereaux asks if Gregory will let him go, and Gregory says there is no freedom in the dungeon. Those who ...
Afterward, Botticelli says the light was hideously ugly, but Roscuro calls it beautiful. He says he wants to go upstairs. I must see more light. I must see all of it, he...
The Queen adores soup. She loves it so much that she orders it for every meal and every banquet at the castle. Cook, who loves the queen almost as much as the queen loves soup, has worked hard to raise soup from the level of mere food to high art. On the day Roscuro falls into the queens bowl, Cook has done an especially brilliant job. The ingredie...
King Philip, Queen Rosemary, and Princess Pea ride up the road on horses. Each one wears a golden crown, and they all wear flowing jeweled robes that reflect the light. Men...
Louise, the head servant at the castle, has a hard time finding a job Mig can do. Mig cannot be a lady in waiting because she tries on the dresses instead of helping noblewomen put them on. She cannot be a seamstress because she accidentally sews the clothing to her frock. She cannot be a chambermaid because she stands around gasping at the beauty ...
"The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo is a heartwarming and enchanting children's novel that tells the story of a brave and tiny mouse named Despereaux. Set in the magical and whimsical world of a kingdom, this timeless tale weaves together themes of bravery, love, and forgiveness.
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