The Tale of Despereaux
#2474.08 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2003 Reading commitment Low Kate DiCamillo Last reviewed 2026-09-25
Overview
Kate DiCamillo's 2003 novel is a fairy tale in four books about Despereaux Tilling, a very small mouse with very large ears who loves music, stories and the human Princess Pea. Condemned by the other mice for speaking to her, he is sent into the castle dungeon, where his story meets those of Roscuro, a rat who longs for the light, and Miggery Sow, a mistreated serving girl with an impossible wish. It won the 2004 Newbery Medal.
Comic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Tale of Despereaux (2003) core · 4.08 (215,427 ratings); A small mouse in love with music, stories and a princess named Pea, a rat who longs for the light, and a mistreated serving girl with an impossible wish find their lives entangled in a castle and its dungeon.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Tale of Despereaux? The Tale of Despereaux's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Tale of Despereaux finished? Complete (2003).
- How much reading does The Tale of Despereaux take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Tale of Despereaux ranked? #247 in this site's official ranking, based on 215,427 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #247?
Ranked #247 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.08 across 1 core book.
- Backed by 215k reader ratings.
- 0.01 behind #246, Saga of the Light Isles.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 215k ratings · Ranks #247 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Newbery Medal, 2004: won: The Tale of Despereaux
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Suggestions computed from what The Tale of Despereaux and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Little Witch Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.22
- James and the Giant Peach Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.04
- Howl's Moving Castle Fairy-tale retelling / Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.21
- The Sheep-Pig Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.06
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.08 across 215,427 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Tale of Despereaux (Kate DiCamillo) accepted 2026-09-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-25
Rule: Core Canon = The Tale of Despereaux (2003) only, standalone.