Who Knew a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread Could be Such an Adventure

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo is an adventure story about a brave little mouse with over sized ears who loves music and the princess Pea, a servant girl named Miggery Sow who is sold by her father and only wants one simple thing: to be a princess, and a rat named Roscuro who does not want to be in darkness anymore, but rather in the light where he is not necessarily what one wants to see. The book is divided into four books; the first three follow the individual characters, while the fourth ties the characters together and places them into each others life where they belong.

Before Reading: This book is told using an omniscient narrator. Ask students to research to find out what that means. How do you think this will effect reading?

After Reading: Discuss the genre of the book. The Tale of Despereaux has been called a fairy tale. In what ways is it a fairy tale? In what ways is it not a fairy tale? Also, continue to talk about the style that DiCamillo used and how she often directly comments to the reader. What effect did that have on the story? How does that compare to how you thought it would be?

Watch The Tale of Despereaux (2008) movie and discuss the similarities and differences.

Vocabulary: adieu, outlaw, satisfied, dungeon, empathy, furlough, perfidy, portentous, ominous, aspirations, covert, diabolical, despicable, and remorse

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Discussion Questions

What Would it be Like to Have Despereaux as a Pet?

Because of Winn-Dixie and Tiger Rising are two other books by Kate DiCamillo