Illustrator: Timothy B. Ering
Awards: Newbery
Genre: Modern Fantasy (Newbery)
Grade Level: 4-6 grade
When Despereaux was born, his family noticed that he was unusual. He was short and had extremely large ears. He was also born with the ability to hear special sounds and read. One day, he is drawn to the music that the king is playing and eventually finds himself falling in love with his daughter, Princess Pea. Despereaux breaks every rule of being a mouse. He reveals himself to the princess, allows her to touch him, and even speaks to her! When the mouse council finds out, they decide to send him to the rat dungeon to be executed. In the dungeon, he befriends a rat who promises to rescue him if he will tell him a story. The second section begins with a rat names Roscuro, who is fascinated with light. This is when the reader learns that a rats purpose is to make others suffer. He wanders through the castle one day when the royal family is having a party. He falls from the ceiling and lands in the queens soup! He speaks to the queen and she dies from shock. Roscuro takes the spoon back to the dungeon with him. Revenge gets the best of him and he makes it his goal to hurt the princess. The king is so distraught that he bans all soup and soup related utensils. He even declares all rats as outlaws. This section ends with the rat plotting his revenge on Princess Pea. The third part is about a girl named Mig who is left motherless at age 6. Her father sells her for cigarettes, a tablecloth, and a hen. The father was previously seen in an encounter with Roscuro. Mig has to live with an abusive man who she calls uncle. Mig dreams of becoming a princess, but ends up the mistress in the castle.
The illustrations are all black and white sketches, which help set the dark tone of the story. They are infrequent, but provide readers with an idea of what the characters look like.
This story is better for older students, as it addresses many complex situations such as abandonment, death, and even abuse. Despite the mature elements, I love the writer uses the characters to tie all three stories together. Students can discuss and learn how to address bullying through Despereaux.
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