The Tale of Despereaux Deluxe Anniversary Edition: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread (A Middle-Grade Novel of C [Hardcover]

Celebrate twenty years of Despereaux with a splendid anniversary edition—including a bonus original short story from Kate DiCamillo and a new piece of art by Timothy Basil Ering.

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three 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 one another’s lives. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

For this beautifully designed twentieth-anniversary edition, the author has written a brand-new short story, “The Tapestry at Norendy,” inspired by the world of Despereaux and presented with a new black-and-white illustration by Timothy Basil Ering.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.
—New York Times Book Review, The

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 tal$