Beyond the Book: Background information when reading The Tale of Despereaux

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, Timothy Ering

The Tale of Despereaux

Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

by Kate DiCamillo, Timothy Ering
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (86):
  • First Published:
  • Aug 1, 2003, 272 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Apr 2006, 272 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Beyond the Book

This article relates to The Tale of Despereaux

Print Review

The last few years have been golden for Kate DiCamillo, and rightly so.  Her run of success started with Because of Winn Dixie in 2000, followed by the not so successful, The Tiger Rising. The came The Tale of Despereaux in 2003, Mercy Watson To The Rescue in 2005 and the very wonderful, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane in 2006.

She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Clermont, Florida, and currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She says that "I hate to cook and love to eat. I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt to three lovely children (Luke, Roxanne, and Max) and one not so lovely dog (Henry)."

Tim Ering illustrated Despereaux. His artwork has appeared in books, magazines, theater sets, private murals, and fine art galleries. The invariably paint-splattered artist lives and works in Somerville, Massachusetts. You can read more about him at BookBrowse.

Filed under

This article relates to The Tale of Despereaux. It first ran in the April 20, 2006 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Hunter's Daughter
by Nicola Solvinic

Members Recommend

Who Said...

Be sincere, be brief, be seated

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Book
Trivia

  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

W the C A the M W P

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.