The Tale of Despereaux

Describe the introduction to this story.

Page 11 — In a castle in France; Despereaux was born and received his name from his mother for all the despairs of their lives; he’s the only mouse of the litter and the last mouse born to his mother; his mother’s favorite word is, disappointment; he opened his eyes and looked at the sun, which his family knew was strange

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Describe the main character.

Page 17 — His name is Despereaux; he’s tiny, has large ears and was born with his eyes open; he’s sickly, faints at loud noises; shows no interest in mouse things; he notices things that other mice didn’t care for

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Predict what Despereaux could hear?

Page 18 — Listen to your child’s answer

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What happened to Despereaux in this chapter?

Page 22 — He learned to read

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What did the author warn us about?

Page 25 — Despereaux will run into rats and need to be brave

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What did Despereaux hear and understand?

Page 26 — Music

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Why is it dangerous for a mouse to reveal itself to humans?

Page 27 — Humans don’t like mice

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Predict what will happen to Despereaux.

Page 32 — Listen to your child’s answer

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Why did Despereaux’s action of being revealed affect the entire mouse community in the castle?

Page 36 — It showed the humans they were in the castle

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What does the phrase, “I honor you” mean?

Page 40 — To act in a deliberate and respectable manner

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Who is Despereaux in love with?

Page 41 — Princess Pea

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Define perfidy.

Page 45 — an act or an instance of disloyalty

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Predict Despereaux’s fate.

Listen to your child’s answer

Summarize the trial.

Page 54 — Despereaux went before the Head Mouse; he admitted what he had done truthfully; he didn’t admit that he was wrong; he was going to be sent to the dungeon with the rats; he fainted

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Describe the interaction Despereaux had with the threadmaster.

Page 61 — The threadmaster put the thread around Despereaux’s neck and told him to be brave for the princess

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Why did Despereaux leave to the dungeon hopeless?

Page 65 — No one helped him

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Why did Despereaux think of the word “perfidy” as he tumbled into the dungeon?

Page 71 — His brother, family and community weren’t trustworthy and cast him out

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Who do you think the loud voice belonged to?

Page 75 — Listen to your child’s answer

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How does the rope save the jailer’s life?

Page 78 — To guide him through the dungeon mazes

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Why does Gregory want to be told stories?

Page 81 — He feels like they’re light and he lives in darkness

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Describe Roscuro.

Page 88 — A rat; Gregory caught him and showed him light so he now longs for it; thinks the meaning of life is light

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What do “real rats” do?

Page 90 — Torture prisoners emotionally and physically

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How is Roscuro not act like a rat?

He loved the light

Summarize this chapter.

Page 92 — A prisoner was sent to the dungeon; Roscuro was assigned the new prisoner, but saw the light from the door opening and closing; his friend told him to focus on the blanket that was given to the prisoners not the light

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Why did Roscuro decide he needed to go upstairs?

Page 102 — The blanket didn’t give him happiness; he knew he needed to go to the light

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Who was born when Roscuro went upstairs in the castle?

Page 103 — Despereaux

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What made Roscura realize he didn’t want to be a rat?

Page 109 — Princess Pea saying “rat” and everyone’s reaction to him

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How did the Queen die?

Page 112 — Roscuro fell in her soup and the shock killed her

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How did Roscuro’s heart break?

Page 113 — He saw Pea’s disgust and anger towards him

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Was it appropriate for Roscuro to seek revenge? Why, or why not? No;

Page 116 — listen to your child’s answer

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Define the word consequence.

Page 117 — A result or effect of an action or condition

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Why did Roscuro want revenge?

Page 120 — For the way Pea looked at him

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Describe Miggory Sow.

Page 125 — A girl who’s going to help Roscuro take revenge; a girl named for her father’s favorite prize-winning pig; born far away from the castle; her mother died when she was 6 years old; is the daughter of the prisoner Roscuro tortured and took the blanket from

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Why did Mig’s ears look like cauliflower?

Page 129 — The man who purchased her, frequently hit her in the ears

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Why is Mig’s life sad?

Page 129 — She wasn’t able to hear anymore; she was never listened to; her owner hit her and didn’t love her

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What has been awakened in each of our main characters?

Page 134 — Despereaux-love; Roscuro-light; Mig-hope

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Why couldn’t Mig be a princess?

Page 137 — She’s not born into royalty

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Explain how Mig came to become a servant in the castle?

Page 141 — The soldiers came to her hut to take away the soup supplies and Uncle and the soldiers took her with them since she was a slave

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Describe Princess Pea.

Page 147 — Kind, happy, looks for the good in people and things; her mother died from Roscuro falling in her soup; patient

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What job did Cook give to Mig? Why, or why not?

Page 154 — Take lunch to the jailer in the dungeon; she was lazy and not competent in the other tasks she was given

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Why isn’t Mig afraid of being in the dark dungeon?

Page 160 — She can’t hear anything

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Predict how Roscuro will get revenge? How will Mig help him?

Page 165 — Listen to your child’s answers

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How did Roscuro know Mig’s name?

Page 169 — She yelled it out when hollering for the jailer to come get his lunch

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What’s in the napkin Gregory put on the tray?

Page 171 — Despereaux

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What did Despereaux lose in this chapter?

Page 179 — His tail

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Why did Despereaux weep in this chapter?

Page 180 — He was sad about his tail, happy he was freed, happy he can save Pea

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Predict who the knight is in Despereaux’s dream.

Page 182 — Listen to your child’s answer

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What’s Roscuro’s plan to get revenge on the princess?

Page 187 — Mig will take her to the dungeon to be stuck there forever

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Do you think the plan will work? Why, or why not?

Listen to your child’s answer

What phrases does the author use to show that Pea was not afraid on page 193.

Page 193 — “She concentrated on containing the rage that was leaping up inside of her”; “…her eyes were defiant”; “She stared at the rat”

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How is Pea empathetic?

Page 198 — She was thinking about Mig while she held a knife in her back

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Has there been a time you’ve been empathetic?

Listen to your child’s answer

Why is empathy important?

We’re more understanding and have compassion when we can think about other people and what they’ve been through

Why did Despereaux need to find the king?

Page 203 — To tell him what happened to the princess

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Summarize this chapter.

Page 204 — Despereaux was looking for the king and found the Mouse Council meeting; he went into them and they thought he was a ghost; his father asked for his forgiveness and Despereaux forgave him; he demanded the Mouse Council to repent, they didn’t

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Why didn’t the king listen to Despereaux?

Page 214 — He thought all rodents are liars

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Were you correct in your prediction? Who is the knight in Despereaux’s dream?

Page 215 — He is

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How did Hovis help Despereaux in this chapter?

Page 221 — Gave him the spool of red thread and a needle

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What word would describe Despereaux in this chapter?

Page 223 — Courageous; determined; strong; hopeful, brave

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Why did Cook’s laughter hurt Despereaux?

Page 230 — He felt like she was making fun of him

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How did Cook help Despereaux in this chapter?

Page 233 — She didn’t kill him and instead gave him soup; she held the dungeon door open for him

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Summarize this chapter.

Page 238 — Despereaux’s pushing the thread down the stairs and it rolls too far, down to a rat

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Why did Despereaux trust the rat?

Page 244 — He didn’t have another choice

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Describe the dungeon now that Despereaux could see it?

Page 247 — There were human and mice bones, thread, tufts of fur; rats

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How did Pea get through to Mig?

Page 254 — Her compassion; asking what she wanted

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What do you think Mig cut?

Page 259 — Listen to your child’s answer

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What word describes Pea in this chapter?

Page 263 — Forgiving; compassionate; gentle; understanding

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Summarize the conclusion of this book.

Page 266 — Despereaux and Pea are friends; Roscuro can go back and forth from upstairs to the dungeon; Roscuro told Pea about the prisoner with the table cloth and she had him released; the prisoner treated Mig as a princess the rest of his days; Mig, Roscuro, Pea, the king and Despereaux are eating soup at the table; Antoinette, Lester and the threadmaster are peeking out of the curtain watching

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