The Tale of Despereaux, also known as The Tale of Desperaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread is a 2003 Newbery Medal winning children's fantasy book written by Kate DiCamillo. It tells the story of a mouse, named Despereaux, on a quest to rescue a beautiful human princess. The book was adapted into an animated film in 2008. The novel is divided into four books and a coda. Each book tells the story from the perspective of a different character.
