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

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.

Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers. She is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis.

Timothy Basil Ering is the acclaimed author-illustrator of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone, Necks Out for Adventure!, The Almost Fearless Hamilton Squidlegger, and The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling, as well as the illustrator of many other books for young readers. He lives in Kingston, Massachusetts.