Saturday, February 23, 2008

Book 3: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo




Despereaux is different. The mice all over the castle whisper about how he was born with his eyes open, “he’s just not right!” they say. He isn’t like the other mice. Instead of constantly sniffing for crumbs, Despereaux reads books about a knight that rescues a princess and listens to the King play his guitar to Despereaux’s beloved, the Princes Pea.
The book’s central themes are love, forgiveness, and dark versus light. Throughout the book, DiCamill0 emphasizes the concept of love and its power. Love spurns our tiny hero to go into the darkness that is the dungeon and face death (in the form of rats) for the one he loves. While much of the book is dark and frightening, DiCamill0 makes it bearable by speaking directly to the reader about what may happen next. Her style makes to book even more enjoyable and unique.

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