The Tale of Despereaux is a children’s fantasy book written by Katie DiCamillo and illustrated by Timothy B. Ering. It won a Newbery Medal in 2003. The story is about a mouse named Despereaux trying to rescue a Princess. The Tale of Despereaux has four stories within it that are called books; the first tells of Despereaux's beginning, the second tells about Chiaroscuro, the third is about Miggery Sow, and the forth brings all of the characters together.
Good fantasy tells the truth about life which this book most certainly does. First of all, the book tells how it is okay to be different. For example, in Despereaux’s case, he was an oddball among the mouse community from the time he was born. He had a small body and huge ears. As he grew, he didn’t have the same tale as other mice and even liked to read books instead of eat them. However, being that he was different, and had large ears, he was able to listen to the music that the king played for his daughter, Princess Pea, which caused him to meet and fall in love with her. Secondly, the book teaches about loneliness and how it can be overcome with friendship which is also a real life issue. This was shown through Princess Pea’s feelings of loneliness after her mother's death until she became such close friends with Despereaux. Third, the book demonstrates that not everyone is lucky enough to have a perfect home life growing up; however, everyone has the choice to rise above that and make a better life for themselves and their future. Take Miggery Sow for example; she was mistreated as a child. Miggery’s mother died and her father sold her to a man that she had to work for getting nothing in return. The man actually beat her and made her almost deaf. Miggery was rescued from slavery and ended up becoming friends with the Princess Pea.
This book captured the essence of readers’ deepest emotions, dreams, hopes, and fears through the excellent use of characters. First of all, Despereaux had a dream of saving the Princess Pea. His quest caused readers to be hopeful that he would succeed in rescuing her. Also, when Princess Pea was kidnapped it instilled a sense of fear for her safety and hope for her rescue in readers. Being that Botticelli, the evil rat wished for the princess to die and plans on feeding her to his army of rats, he brought about a strong fear as well. Furlough Tilling, who was one of Despereaux's older brothers tried to teach Despereaux to be afraid of things and was disappointed in his little brother for not being like the rest of the mice. Disappointment in a family member often triggers very deep emotions.
The author helped me suspend my disbelief by making the characters seem so realistic. The characters were all very well developed and their lives and attributes were meticulously planned out and described. Also, the characters participated in real life conflict that would actually affect real humans and not just animals. The feelings that the characters had and their actions were as if they were humans.
The book fits our textbook’s description of a well written book because it has powerful language, memorable characters, a compelling plot, and is very believable. The powerful language used in the book is what draws readers into the intensity of the plot. The language was very intriguing and the descriptive words made things more easily understood. The characters were very memorable because each one had an interesting background and specific character traits. The plot was compelling because there was always an interesting event taking place. Also, the plot kept readers wanting to know more to find out details and conclusions such as if Despereaux would ever rescue Princess Pea. The story would be believable if animals really could talk. It was believable for a fantasy story however, because it had real emotions, ideas, and conquests that humans often encounter in life.
Children would benefit from reading this book in a few different ways. First of all, they would simply enjoy reading such an entertaining story. Second, they would learn from the different emotions and struggles that the characters face and see the beauty in those being overcome. Third, children could learn from the book how friends can be where you least expect them in life and bring such joy just when it is needed.
The theme, plot, style, and characters in the book all came together to make it as wonderful as it was. First of all, the theme was excellent. There were several different themes to the book such as the importance of hope, the happiness having friends brings, and how struggles can be overcome. However, I feel like the main theme of the book was to never give up and believe in yourself. This is because most all of the characters in the book came from troubled backgrounds; however, in the end, they all came together and we happy after a journey of believing in themselves and looking toward a better future. Plot is what happens in a story. I believe the book had an episodic plot. This is because the entire book was a series of small episodes. It told in separate parts of the book about different issues. There were more than one types of conflict involved in the plot; person versus person and person versus society were the two most noted. Style is the words the author chooses and how he or she puts them together. The words in this book were put together in many interesting ways such as precise vocabulary, figurative language, and even dialogue. Style is also supposed to be appropriate to the plot, theme, and characters, both creating and reflecting the mood of the story which definitely takes place in The Tale of Despereaux. There are several important characters in the book which I have already discussed. The characters each play an important role different from the others yet equally necessary to make the book as meaningful as it is to readers.
Rebecca Lukens has an inspirational quote that states, “Words are merely words, but real literature for any age is words chosen with skill and artistry to give the readers pleasure and to help them understand themselves and others.” This quote can be compared to The Tale of Despereaux. First of all, the words chosen for the book were most certainly chosen with skill artistry. Secondly, the book has given many readers pleasure over the years. Third, reading the book helps individuals understand themselves and others better through the many life lessons that can be taught from reading it; the characters encounter various struggles and overcome them.
The Tale of Despereaux is an excellent children’s book. The fact that it won a Newbery Medal is no surprise. I would recommend the book to children as well as adults. Being that the book can be entertaining for all ages is one of the reasons it has been such a success. The characters of the book are unforgettable. It can be assumed that everyone that reads the book will be greatly pleased with the work of Katie DiCamillo.
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