#74 in Middle grade
The Tale of Despereaux
- 267
- Pages
- about 5 h
- Reading time
- Film 2008
- On screen
- Newbery Medal
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Our view
“The Tale of Despereaux” is a fairy tale that takes children’s feelings seriously, as ready to sadden as to delight. A small mouse sets out to rescue a princess from the rats, and Kate DiCamillo admits real sorrow into the adventure without allowing it to take over. It suits children of around nine to twelve who already love books; some readers are moved to tears.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Tale of Despereaux is a 2003 children's fantasy novel by American author Kate DiCamillo. The main plot follows the adventures of a mouse named Despereaux Tilling, as he sets out on his quest to save a captured human princess from the villainous rats. The book won the 2004 Newbery Medal award and has been adapted into a film and a video game loosely based on the book, as well as a stage musical.
On screen
This book has been adapted for the screen once.
- FilmThe Tale of DespereauxIMDb
Adaptation data: Wikidata · On screen →
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.9 across 304 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 67% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Middle grade average of 8.0. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.1 | 54 | 18% |
| Hardcover | 7.9 | 250 | 82% |
Frequently asked
What age is The Tale of Despereaux for?
The Tale of Despereaux sits on the Middle grade shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 8–12. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 267 pages — shorter than 96% of the ranked books in Middle grade.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Middle grade — with scores between 7.9 and 8.0, closest to this book.
