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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark."
Despereaux is a tiny mouse who discovers the power of stories, as well as hope, love, and forgiveness. A disappointment to his family, he doesn't really fit in. The magic words "once upon a time" inspire Despereaux to venture into the human world, where he meets (and falls desperately in love with) Princess Pea.
Chiaroscuro is a rat who longs for the light, but turns to darkness after his heart is broken. When he joins forces with the unfortunate Miggery Sow, a dull-witted girl who longs to be a princess, only Despereaux can save Princess Pea from a terrible fate.
The "Dear Reader" style makes this an excellent read-aloud to share with children.
As always, DiCamillo tells a lovely story that will touch your heart. Highly recommended for kids from 1-92!
Despereaux is a tiny mouse who discovers the power of stories, as well as hope, love, and forgiveness. A disappointment to his family, he doesn't really fit in. The magic words "once upon a time" inspire Despereaux to venture into the human world, where he meets (and falls desperately in love with) Princess Pea.
Chiaroscuro is a rat who longs for the light, but turns to darkness after his heart is broken. When he joins forces with the unfortunate Miggery Sow, a dull-witted girl who longs to be a princess, only Despereaux can save Princess Pea from a terrible fate.
The "Dear Reader" style makes this an excellent read-aloud to share with children.
As always, DiCamillo tells a lovely story that will touch your heart. Highly recommended for kids from 1-92!
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was the book that made me first fall in love with reading.
I’m writing this review 19 years later and it still warms my heart and does exactly what it sets out to do, to remind us that “stories are light” in the darkness.
I’m writing this review 19 years later and it still warms my heart and does exactly what it sets out to do, to remind us that “stories are light” in the darkness.
Excellent children's book. Do not let your children see the movie if they haven't read the book. The book is 100 times better.
A bittersweet tale of love, loss, and finding love again.
To say Despereaux was the runt of the litter would have been an understatement. A small mouse, born with big ears and eyes wide open, was a mystery and scare to the mice that lived in the castle. Further worry came when Despereaux began to go against mouse ways and began to read in the library, walk of two feet and fall in love with Princess Pea. This abandonment of mouse ways leads to Despereaux's banishment to the dungeon with the dreaded rats, and it appears inevitable that he will certainly die. But, when a plan to hurt the princess falls on his extra large ears, Despereaux takes after the knights in his favorite book and decides to take it upon himself to save the princess! I liked the story of Despereaux because it's a cute story of bravery from a seemingly not brave character, or a character that wouldn't be expected to be brave. The one thing I really didn't like about the book is that so much of it happens and the resolution of the book is very brief and the ending is super unsatisfying. In a classroom, I think this is a perfect book to use when talking about characterization, 1. There are lots of different characters to analyze, and 2. Lots of the characters change throughout the book so there is character development to be discussed. It is also a perfect example of the fantasy genre, I mean come on, a mouse who wants to be a knight? Cute, but not realistic.
I've put off reading this book for the longest time. I'm not a fan of talking-mice stories, especially when the mouse falls in love with a human girl. But DiCamillo's storytelling got to me. I like that she broke the 4th wall addressing the "Reader". I can see how kids are captivated - but there are few too many times where I thought, "Oh, really?" I know it's fantasy, but I prefer my books without rodents.
Wasn't a fan of this one. The narrator's asides to the reader were too cutesy & detracted from the story. The audiobook narrator botched it, with whatever sound Miggory Sow made before she spoke, some sort of "GAW!" that was extremely irritating. The plot itself was a bit absurd and not all that interesting.
Always wanted to read this as a kid. Finally got to listen to it. Cute and simple.
And....it got a little annoying in the Audible version when one character kept on exclaiming "Goll!" every five seconds or so.
And....it got a little annoying in the Audible version when one character kept on exclaiming "Goll!" every five seconds or so.