The Tale of Despereaux

by Kate DiCamillo

“And he’ll be dead soon. He can’t live. Not with his eyes open like that.” But, reader, he did live.

Love is ridiculous. But love is also wonderful. And powerful.

“Royalty,” the king said, “has many responsibilities. And one of them is not becoming involved personally with even the distant relatives of one’s enemies.

can you imagine your own father not voting against your being sent to a dungeon full of rats? Can you imagine him not saying one word in your defense?

“No,” said Despereaux. And this time, he did not whisper the word. “I am not sorry. I will not renounce my actions. I love her. I love the princess.”

“Kill him even if he’s already dead,” shouted Cook. “That’s my philosophy with mice. If they’re alive, kill them. If they’re dead, kill them. That way you can be certain of having yourself a dead mouse, which is the only kind of mouse to have.”