by Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Fantasy/AR 4.7
Newbery Medal
This twisted cinderella tale features a brave little mouse, a clan of wicked basement dwelling rats, a princess, a princess-wannabe, and assorted other villains and indifferent characters. The pace of the story keeps the suspense building while the characters come to life as sympathetic, detestable, and/or inspiring. As with most fairy tales, there are some harsh realities to deal with, including the betrayal of Despereaux by his own family paralleled by Mig's story, who was first sold by her father and becomes a servant to Princess Pea. Of course, all will end well for our main characters, but not before they show what they are made of.
