The Tale of Despereaux

Awards:

• Delaware Library Association Blue Hen Award (Winner)
• Maine Student Book Award (Winner)
• Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (Winner)
• Newbery Medal (Winner)
• Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (Winner)
• Gateshead Children’s Book Award (Short-listed)
• Parents’ Choice Award (Short-listed)
• West Sussex Children’s Book Award (Short-listed)

Reviews:

The author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising here shifts gears, demonstrating her versatility while once again proving her genius for mining the universal themes of childhood. . . . I must tell you, you are in for a treat. ~Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A charming story of unlikely heroes . . . This expanded fairy tale is entertaining, heartening, and, above all, great fun. ~School Library Journal (starred review)

Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul stirring as it is delicious. ~Booklist (starred review)

The melodramatic voice of the narrator glides through DiCamillo's entirely pleasing tale . . . And so unwinds a tale with twists and turns, full of forbidden soup and ladles, rats lusting for mouse blood, a servant who wishes to be a princess, a knight in shining—or at least furry—armor, and all the ingredients of an old-fashioned drama. ~Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

DiCamillo "sets the stage for a battle between the forces of Darkness and Light in The Tale of Despereaux, and the book is a terrific, bravura performance." ~The New York Times Book Review

There is a classic charm to this picaresque tale of an idealistic mouse suffering unrequited love for a princess; that and a pace that lends itself to reading aloud will make this novel a favorite among those ready for some gentle questing. ~The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books