Shelly's Book Blog

I went with my family to see the new Pixar movie, "WALL-E," this past weekend, and one of the trailers shown was for the movie version of Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal winning novel, The Tale of Despereaux. The movie is due out this holiday season, and the book won the Newbery in 2004.
This is not a long book, but like Sounder, it is a mighty one. The hero, Despereaux Tilling, is a very small mouse with big ears who cannot seem to fit in. Unlike other mice, he prefers reading stories and listening to music over scurrying and cowering with fear. He is a gifted mouse who longs for light and beauty, but the other mice -- even his own family members -- see him as a freak and consign him to the deep, dark dungeon of the castle where they all live. The story of how he finally overcomes the darkness is told simply, but also with charm and grace. Who wouldn't love a fairy tale with a cute, cuddly mouse as its hero? I hope kids will have a chance to read this book before seeing the movie, and I hope that the movie makers do justice to this entertaining and wise story.