The Tale of Despereaux Deluxe Anniversary edition

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The Tale of Despereaux Deluxe Anniversary edition

Author(s)

Kate DiCamillo

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

September 19, 2023

ISBN

978-1536228670

Buy This Book

Celebrate twenty years of Despereaux with a splendid anniversary edition—including a bonus original short story from Kate DiCamillo and a new piece of art by Timothy Basil Ering.

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

For this beautifully designed twentieth-anniversary edition, the author has written a brand-new short story, “The Tapestry at Norendy,” inspired by the world of Despereaux and presented with a new black-and-white illustration by Timothy Basil Ering.

Editor review

1 review

Mouse to the rescue

October 30, 2023

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

What I liked:
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Tales of Despereaux with a unique bonus story at the end of the book. The Tales of Despereaux special edition has excellent hand-drawn illustrations to accompany the tale of this mouse who should not have lived. Along with Despereaux, we have a poor child whose dad has sold her away, and she wants to become a princess one day. When either of these characters was born, no one asked them what they wanted, and they both were expected to live the life they had been born into. Midge is sold away by a father who did care for a horrible man who treated her like dirt, and Despereaux, a tiny mouse who should not lived.
Final Verdict:
The Tale of Despereaux, in a way, is a classic tale of an underdog who is destined to be different, who may be a hero in the making, and who is not expected to survive. Midge gets caught in a desperate plot with a rat to make her diluted dreams of being a princess come true. Though it all works out like most classic stories do in the end, there are many lessons to be learned along the way, making it the perfect addition to a library for young readers. When we read, we know things.