• The Tale of Despereaux

  • Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
  • By: Kate DiCamillo
  • Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
  • Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,132 ratings)

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The Tale of Despereaux  By  cover art

The Tale of Despereaux

By: Kate DiCamillo
Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
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Editorial reviews

What is it about mice? Ever since Aesop paired a little rodent with a mighty lion, mice have been the stars of literature. Stuart Little, the gallant Reepicheep of the Narnia books, the heroes of Redwall - mice all.

Now comes Despereaux, and he does his fore-mice proud. This is a wistful story that is given a properly dreamlike reading by Graeme Malcolm. You can imagine him sitting by a crackling fire as he tells the tale of a misfit, sensitive mouse who falls in love with a princess and finds his place in the world.

At 3-1/2 hours long, this is the perfect listen for a family trip. It's the kind of story that parents will appreciate for the lessons it imparts - and children will cherish for its memorable adventures of a determined mouse.

Publisher's summary

This is the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in darkness but covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl with a simple, impossible wish. These characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and ultimately, into each other's lives.

And what happens then?

Listener, it is your destiny to find out.

Click here to see a full list of Newbery Medal Winners and Newbery Honor Books.
©2003 Kate DiCamillo (P)2003 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

  • Newbery Medal Winner, 2004, Most Distinguished American Children's Book

"A charming story of unlikely heroes....With a masterful hand, DiCamillo weaves four story lines together in a witty, suspenseful narrative that begs to be read aloud....This expanded fairy tale is entertaining, heartening, and, above all, great fun." (School Library Journal)
"Forgiveness, light, love, and soup. These essential ingredients combine into a tale that is as soul stirring as it is delicious." (Booklist)

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What listeners say about The Tale of Despereaux

Average customer ratings
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  • 07-28-18

family roadtrip story

the reader makes this story come to life with the voices he gives the characters. a classic story brought to life by an excellent narrator. my family listened intently to the whole story.

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Great Performance

What did you love best about The Tale of Despereaux?

The narration and love the narrator told the story. Definitely listen to this.

What did you like best about this story?

Could be enjoyed all ages

Which character – as performed by Graeme Malcolm – was your favorite?

Desperaux

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

nothing

Any additional comments?

nope

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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my very favorite stories!

Ms. Kate is a fabulous writer! Although this story is written for elementary students, there are many underlying themes that can be applied to our present society that make this a great story for high schoolers with language based learning difficulties.

I loved this book the first time I read it in 2004 for a literacy class. I really like the way the narrator talks to the reader/listener, which is so helpful to keep younger readers engaged.
Despereaux is a determined, bold, courageous beacon of hope, and a wonderful example of how sometimes you need to be a non-conformist!
The parallels between the 4 main characters are so well done, leaving the reader to ponder...what if we could all forgive and had the courage to pursue justice like Desperaux?

I definitely recommend this book for older 4th graders and up. It might be a bit scary for younger students due to the descriptions of the dungeon.
Mr. Malcolm has the smoothest reading voice...perfect for this story, with wonderful accents and vocal variations for each character.

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Loved

2 nights.., and stayed up way too late to finish, but well worth it! Quite a lovely story!

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It was super duper fun and exciting I

I recommend you to read this wonderful article and enjoy the happy and positive story

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Awesome Story and Reader

I highly recommend this for either children or adults who enjoy children's stories. Yes, it is a stereotypical fairytale, however the characters are engaging, well developed, and interesting; the author's writing style is great; and the philosophy is apropos to anyone's life. The subtleties of the writing will appeal to serious readers and those who just like a good story.

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Lovely

We really enjoyed the book. The narrator did a great job too. Thanks a lot.

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Such a fun read

I loved how this book was written and how they addressed the reader at times. Such a fun story.

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Great fun for the Family

We have been listening to books in the car and our boys enjoyed this adventure

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Adorable!

This story is adorable and uplifting and the narrator is wonderful! He gives the characters a good voice and just does a fabulous job overall.

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4 people found this helpful