Four main characters, Despereaux, the charming, tiny mouse who wasn’t expected to live and was coined a disappointment by his mother, Princess Pea who Despereaux falls desperately for, Roscuro, the dungeon rat who escapes the dark underground and becomes a pesky, lover of light; and Miggery Sow, the slow-witted peasant girl who wants to be a princess, all have stories that parallel and eventually meet. Despereaux is the main character, whose ears are too large, whose eyes opened too early, who reads instead of nibbles pages of books, and who loves music, is evocative, empathetic.
The stories of the characters are tied together in separate “books” of chapters within one clever, suspenseful narrative. An ideal book for author’s craft as the author addresses the reader throughout. A great book for teaching creative storytelling, the theme of darkness and light, and forgiveness.
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