This document provides plot details and character information from the novel "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo. It contains over 60 questions and answers about key events and characters in the story, including: 1) Despereaux is a mouse born different from his siblings who falls in love with a human princess after hearing the king play music. 2) Despereaux is sentenced to the dungeon by the mouse council for breaking the rule against interacting with humans. 3) In the dungeon, Despereaux meets Roscuro, a rat who was born in darkness and tormented by other rats, including his friend Botticelli. 4) The document provides

1. The Tale of Despereaux
by
Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo
Lisa Ann Rodriguez
© 2013
Dr.Lisa.Rodriguez@gmail.com
2014
Oregon Battle of the Books
Selection

2. 2

3. What is the story about?
A mouse , a princess, some
soup, and a spool of thread
-title page

4. What was
Despereaux’s mother’s
favorite word?
disappointment
-p. 12

5. Why did his mom name him
Despereaux?
for the sadness and the many
despairs of the place
-p. 12

6. What is Despereaux’s
father’s name?
Lester
- p. 17

7. What were
Despereaux’s siblings
names?
Toulese (brother p. 12), Furlough
(brother p . 14), Merlot (sister, p.
14)

8. Who took Despereaux to the
mouse council?
Furlough
p. 49

9. What was
Despereaux’s mom’s
name?
Antoinette

10. What is Despereaux’s
last name?
Tilling

11. What is strange about
Despereaux when he is
born?
His eyes are open and his ears
are too big.

12. What was
Despereaux’s aunt and
uncle’s names?
Aunt Florence
and Uncle Alfred

13. How was Despereaux’s
health?
He was sickly. He coughed and
sneezed a lot and had
temperatures. He fainted at loud
noises.

14. What did Despereaux like to do
while his siblings ate?
Listen to music

15. How did Despereaux
describe the sound of
music?
It sounds like honey.

16. What did Furlough try to
teach Despereaux?
How to scurry

17. What did Despereaux
see in the castle that
amazed him?
The lights coming through the
stained glass window in many
colors.

18. Where did
Despereaux’s sister
take him?
To the library

19. Why did Despereaux’s
sister take him to the
library?
To teach him to eat paper.

20. What did Despereaux
read on the page of the
book in the library?
Once upon a time....
p. 23

21. Why didn’t the cook kill
Despereaux?
She was happy to see him in the
kitchen rather than one of the
kings men who would catch her
making soup.
p. 229

22. Why didn’t King Phillip
like rodents?
Because his wife died from heart
attack caused by a rat falling in
her soup.
p. 110

23. What was the king’s
name?
Phillip
p. 27

24. Why did King Phillip
outlaw soup?
Because his wife died when a
rat fell in her soup.
p.

25. How did Despereaux
free himself in the
dungeon?
He told Gregory the jailer a
happy story.
p. 80

26. What was Migory Sow’s
wish?
To be a princess
p. 136

27. What was King Phillip’s
daughter’s name?
Pea
p. 26

28. What did Princess Pea
do the first time she
saw Migory Sow?
She waved
p. 133

29. What was the
threadmaster’s secret?
That the red thread of death was
sacred and special but really it
was just thread.
p. 71

30. How did Gregory the
jailer die?
Roscuro chewed the rope so
Gregory got lost in the
dungeon.
p.

31. Who is the author of
The Tale of
Despereau?
Kate DiCamilo

32. When Despereaux saw the
light through the stained
glass window, where did he
think he was?
Heaven
p. 20

33. Why wouldn’t
Despereaux eat the
paper in the book?
It would ruin the story.
p. 24

34. What was the story
about in the book
Despereaux read?
A beautiful princess and the
brave knight that honors and
serves her.
p. 24

35. What awaits almost
everyone, mouse or
man, who does not
conform?
An interesting fate.
p.24

36. What made the sound
that sounded like
honey?
Music: King Phillip playing his
guitar and singing to his
daughter.
p. 26

37. What was the most basic and
elemental of all mouse rules?
Never reveal yourself to a
human.
p.26

38. What did King Phillip
think Despereaux was
at first?
A bug
p. 26

39. Why did King Phillip
think Despereaux was a
bug?
He was nearsighted.
p.26

40. What was the song
King Phillip sang for
Despereaux about?
stardust
p.26

41. What was the second
song King Phillip sang
for Despereaux about?
deep purple falling over sleepy
garden walls
p. 29

42. What incredible thing
happened when Despereaux
was listening to the King’s
music??
He fell in love with Princess
Pea
p.29

43. Love is....?
Ridiculous but wonderful!
p. 31

44. Who saw the Princess
touch the top of
Despereaux’s head?
Furlough
p.31

45. When Furlough saw Despereaux
standing at the foot of the king and
the princess touching his head, his
whiskers got_____?
As tight as bow strings
p. 31

46. What did Furlough do
when he saw
Despereaux with the
king and princess?
He scurried to tell their dad.
p.32

47. What does Lester think
is the reason for
Despereaux’s
behavior?
His wife’s French blood making
him crazy.
p. 33

48. What did Lester decide
to do about Despereaux
talking to the
Princess??
Call a special meeting of the
mouse council.
p. 35

49. What is the drum of the
council of the mouse
made of?
A thimble with a piece of
leather stretched across the
open end.
p. 35

50. How does Lester play
the drum to call the
mouse council?
One long beat with his tail, two
staccato beats with his paws.
p. 35

51. How did the Princess
describe Despereaux’s
ears?
Like small pieces of velvet.
p.37

52. Why did the King tell
Princess Pea to put
Despereaux down?
He’s a rodent...related to rats.
p.38

53. What was the last,
great, ancient rule of
the mice that
Despereaux broke?
He spoke to a human (the
princess)
p.37

54. What was the first thing
Despereaux said to the
Princess?
Please don’t cry.
p.37

55. What did Despereaux
say to the princess after
he told her his name?
I honor you.
p.38

56. How did the king react to
Despereaux speaking to the
princess?
He said rodents shouldn’t
speak to princesses. It would
make the world topsy turvy.
And that rodents know nothing
of honor.

57. What did Despereaux
drop that the princess
picked up?
His hankerchief
p.40

58. How many mice were in
the mouse council?
14: 13 honored mice and one
most very honored head
mouse.
p.41

59. What did the mice sit on
in the mouse council?
a piece of wood balanced on
spools of thread
p.42

60. What was the decision
of the mouse council?
To send Despereaux to the
dungeon.
p.42

61. When the mouse council
voted to send Despereaux to
the dungeon, what did his
father do?
cried
p.44

62. What was Despereaux given the
chance to do by the mouse council?
Deny his sins (talking to the
princess) or admit them and
renounce them so he could go to
the dungeon with a pure heart.
p.44

63. What does perfidy
mean?
Treachery or betrayal-but the
book didn’t say! It tells you to
look it up in the dictionary.
p.44

64. What were the words in
the book that
Despereaux wanted to
read?
Happily ever after.
p.46

65. What does Furlough think
Despereaux is doing to the
paper when he hears him
reading??
Talking to the paper
p.48

66. What did Despereaux
ask Furlough when he
came to take him to the
mouse council?
Do you know what love is?
p.48

67. What three things did
Despereaux do that he had to
confess at the mouse
council?
1) Sit at the foot of the king
2) Let the princess touch him
3) Talk to the princess.
p.55

68. Why didn’t Despereaux
renounce his actions?
He was in love with the
princess.
p.55

69. What reason did
Despereaux give for
breaking the rules?
music and love
p. 54

70. What does renounce
mean?
Repent, be sorry for what you
did.
p.55

71. What did Despereaux
do after he refused to
renounce his actions?
He fainted.
p.56

72. What was the sound of
the drum for going to
the dungeon?
Much more boom and less tat.
Boom-boom-boom-tat.
p.57

73. What did the
threadmaster do?
Tied Despereaux with red thread.
Then asked Despereaux if the
princess was beautiful.
p.58

74. What did the
threadmaster’s breath
smell like?
celery
p.58

75. What was the
threadmaster’s advice
to Despereaux?
Be brave
p.60

76. Why was Despereaux’s
mom so easy to spot in
the crowd?
She had put on a lot of
makeup.
p.62

77. What did they tell Antoinette
would happen to
Despereaux in the
dungeon?
The rats would eat him.
p. 64

78. What was the last thing
Antoinette said to
Despereaux?
Adieu (farewell)
p. 65

79. Who was one of the mice
with black hoods who took
Despereaux to the
dungeon?
His brother, Furlough.
p. 67

80. What was the thread tied to
Despereaux called?
The red thread of death.
p. 71.

81. What two words did
Despereaux keep saying in
the dungeon?
Perfidy and Pea
p.73

82. How did Despereaux help
himself to be brave in the
dungeon?
He started telling a story, starting
with “Once upon a time”....
p. 75

83. What did Gregory the jailer
have that was similar to the
red thread?
A rope around his ankle.
p.76

84. What was the difference
between the red thread of
death and the rope on
Gregory’s ankle?
The rope saved Gregory by
making sure he wouldn’t get lost in
the dungeon.
p. 76

85. What was Gregory holding that
Despereaux was staring at...the
same thing Roscuro was
mesmerized by?
The flame of a match.
p. 76

86. How long has Gregory been
in the dungeon?
For decades, centuries, eons,
eternities.
p. 76

87. Why can rats find their way
around in the dark dungeon?
Because it mirrors their own dark
hearts.
p. 77

88. Why did Despereaux say he
couldn’t die?
He loved the princess and had a
duty to serve her.
p. 77

89. What was the monument to
the foolishness of love in the
dungeon?
A pile of spoons, kettles, and soup bowls. The
king threw them all down in the dungeon so he
wouldn’t have to look at them.
p. 80

90. Why was Gregory willing to
save Despereaux?
Despereaux would tell him a story.
And stories are light in the darkness.
p. 84

91. What is Rosuro’s full name?
Chiaroscuro
p.85

92. Is Roscuro older or younger
than Despereaux?
Older. He was bornb several years
before Despereaux.
p.85

93. What did Roscuro find when
he was young, and what did
he do with it?
A rope, and he chewed it
p. 85

94. What did Gregory want
Roscuro to do?
Apologize for chewing his rope.
p.86

95. When Roscuro wouldn’t
apologize for chewing the
rope, what did Gregory do?
Burned his whiskers with the flame
from the match and then threw him
back into the darkness.
p. 86

96. What did Roscuro long for
and obsess about?
Light
p. 87

97. Who was Roscuro’s rat
friend?
Botticelli Remorso
p. 88

98. To Botticelli Remorso, what
is the meaning of life?
Torturing prisoners and making
them suffer
p.87

99. What did Botticelli do while
he talked?
Swung a heart-shaped locket on a
rope to hypnotize
p. 87

100. How did Botticelli tell
Roscuro to torture
prisoners?
Convince them you’re their friend.
Get them to confess their sins.
Promise forgiveness. Then deny
them what they want most.
p. 88

101. Why does Botticelli know
that more prisoners will
come to the dungeon?
Because there is evil in the world.
p. 90

102. Why did Botticelli want to
hypnotize Roscuro?
So he would act like a rat--
obsessed with suffering rather
than light.
p. 88

103. What did the prisoner bring
with him into the dungeon?
A red cloth
p. 92

104. Why didn’t Roscuro look
away when light entered the
dungeon?
He thought the light would enter
him and fill him.
p. 92

105. Why didn’t Botticelli want
Roscuro to go upstairs?
Rats don’t go upstairs..only mice.
p. 95

106. What did Botticelli make
Roscuro repeat?
I am a rat.
p. 95

107. What did Botticelli tell
Roscuro to do to the new
prisoner?
Take his red cloth
p. 98

108. Why was the man in prison?
For stealing 6 cows -- 2 Jerseys
and 4 Guernseys
p. p. 99

109. What was the prisoner’s first
crime?
Trading his daughter for a red
tablecloth, a hen, and a handful of
cigarettes.
p. 99

110. When his daughter was
crying for him, what did the
prisoner do?
He just kept walking and didn’t
look back.
p. 99

111. Why does the prisoner want
to keep the red cloth?
It’s warm and he likes the color. It
reminds him of what he did wrong.
p. 101

112. What was happening when
Roscuro first stepped from
the dungeon into the castle?
Despereaux was being born.
p. 103

113. When Roscuro went into the
banquet hall, who did he
see?
King Phillip, Queen Rosemary, Princess Pea,
20 noble people, a juggler, 4 minstrels, and all
the kings men
p. 103

114. What was the Queen’s
name?
Rosemary
p. 103

115. Where did Roscuro go in the
banquet room to see
everyone?
Into the crystal chandelier
p. 106

116. Who saw Roscuro hanging
from the chandelier?
Princess Pea
p. 106

117. What happened when
Princess Pea yelled, “A Rat!”
Roscuro fell into the Queen’s bowl
of soup
p. 108

118. What did the Queen more
than anything except the
King and Princess Pea?
soup
p.110

119. What kind of soup did
Roscuro fall into?
chicken, watercress, and garlic
p.110

120. What did the Queen say and
do when she saw Roscuro in
her soup?
She said, “There is a rat in my soup”.
Then she had a heart attack and
died.
p. 111

121. What did Roscuro see when
he looked back as he ran
out of the banquet hall?
The princess’s eyes filled with
disgust and anger
p. 111

122. What happened to Roscuro
when Princess Pea looked
at him with anger and
disgust?
His heart was broken
p. 111

123. What did Roscuro wear as a
crown?
The Queen’s royal soupspoon
p. 114

124. Since the queen died while
eating soup, what did the
king do?
He outlawed soup and everything
involved in making and eating it.
He also ordered every rat to be
killed.
p. 117

125. What did Roscuro do with
the scrap of red tablecloth?
He made it into a robe like a king’s
robe.
p. 118

126. What did Miggery Sow’s
ears look like?
Pieces of cauliflower from being
hit.
p. 120

127. How did Miggery Sow get to
the castle?
She came on a wagon with the
king’s soldier.
p. 120

128. Who was Miggery Sow
named after?
Her dad’s prize winning pig.
p. 125

129. How old was Miggery Sow
when her mom died?
6
p. 125

130. No one cared what Miggery
Sow....
wanted.
p. 126

131. What did Miggery Sow call
the man who bought her?
Uncle
p.128

132. Why did the man buy
Miggery Sow?
To cook and clean for him
p. 128

133. What happened to Miggery
Sow from being hit in the
ears so much?
She lost her hearing and couldn’t
understand a lot of things people
said.
p. 129

134. What did Miggery Sow see
on her 7th birthday?
What did Miggery Sow see
on her 7th birthday?
King Phillip, Queen Rosemary,
and Princess Pea riding on a white
horse.
p. 131

135. When Princess Pea saw
Miggery Sow, what did she
do?
She waved.
p. 131

136. When Miggery Sow saw the
princess going by, what did
she start to feel?
hope
p.133

137. What did Miggery Sow hope
for?
To be a princess and wear a
crown.
p.136

138. What did “Uncle” do when
Miggery Sow said she
wanted to be a princess?
He made fun of her. He put a
kettle on his head and danced
around saying it was a crown
p. 136

139. Why did the soldiers come
to “Uncle’s” house?
To get the spoons, kettle, and
bowls because soup was
outlawed.
p. 139

140. What did the soldier tell
“uncle” they should eat
instead of soup?
Cake with a fork.
p.140

141. Why did the soldier take
Miggery Sow?
It’s illegal to own another hman in
the Kingdom of Dor.
p. 140

142. What was the name of the
kingdom in the Tale of
Despereaux?
The Kingdom of Dor
p.140

143. What would Miggery Sow do
in the castle?
Be a paid servant.
p. 142

144. How old was Miggery Sow
when she became a servant
in the castle?
12
p.142

145. What was the first thing
Miggery Sow had to do as a
servant?
Deliver a spool of red thread to the
princess.
p.145

146. What did Miggery Sow need
to do when she greeted the
princess?
curtsy
p. 145

147. Why didn’t Miggery Sow go
into the room when the
princess said, “Enter”?
She couldn’t hear her
p.145

148. What happened when
Miggery Sow tried to curtsy?
She dropped the spool of thread,
slipped on it, and fell down
p. 147

149. Why did the princess need
more red thread?
Every spool kept disappearing
p.148

150. How old was Princess Pea
when her mom died?
12
p. 149

151. Who was the head of the
serving staff?
Louise

152. What did Louise never do?
laugh
p.151

153. Describe Mig after lived in
the castle for a while.
plump (chubby), lazy, not smart.
p. 152

154. What were the different jobs
Mig tried in the castle?
lady in waiting, seamstress,
chambermaid, cook’s helper
p.153

155. What did Mig do wrong as a
lady in waiting?
She was caught trying on the
gown of a visiting duchess
p.152

156. What did Mig do wrong as a
seamstress?
She sewed the cloak of a riding
master to her own frock and
ruined both.
p. 152

157. What did Mig do wrong as a
chambermaid?
She was sent to clean a room, but
spent the whole time looking
around.
p. 152

158. What did Mig do wrong as a
cook’s helper?
Dropped egg shells in the cake batter,
scrubbed the floor with cooking oil
instead of cleanser, sneezed into the
king’s pork chops
p.153

159. What job did Louise give Mig
since she messed up so
much?
Take Gregory the jailer his
noonday meal.
p. 153

160. Why wasn’t Mig afraid of the
dungeon?
She couldn’t smell or hear well.
p. 158

161. What made Roscuro come
to Mig?
The song she was singing about
wanting to be a princess.
p. 158

162. What did Mig call Gregory
the jailer?
Mr. Deep Downs
p.159

163. Why did Mig think Gregory
was ferocious?
He ate even the bones of the
chicken.
p. 160

164. What did Gregory say into
the napkin after he sneezed
into it?
“Back to the world of light”
p.164

165. Why was Mig able to hear
Roscuro speak?
The pitch of his voice was perfect
for her to hear.
p.166

166. When Mig met Roscuro,
how was he dressed?
The queen’s soupspoon on his
head and a piece of the red cloth
around him. p. 166

167. What did Roscuro do to
Gregory?
He chewed his rope, so he ended
up getting lost and dying.
p.169

168. How did Despereaux get out
of the dungeon?
He was hidden in the napkin on
the tray that Mig brought up

169. What happened when the
cook lifted up the napkin
from the tray?
Despereaux fellinto a cup of oil.
p. 171

170. What did Mig do to
Despereaux?
She told him to run, then she cut
off his tail instead of killing him. p.
178

171. Where did Despereaux hide
and sleep in the kitchen?
On a sack of flour in the pantry. p.
180

172. What did Mig take into the
Princess’s room?
Roscuro, a candle, and the kitchen
knife she used to cut off
Despereaux’s tail.
p. 184

173. Why didn’t Mig want to hurt
the Princess?
She wanted the princess to be her
lady in waiting.
p. 185

174. What was Roscuro’s real
plan?
To leave the princess in the
dungeon forever.
p.187

175. Why does the Queen give
the princess a taste of soup
in her dream?
So she will remember her.
p. 187

176. What did the Princess feel
when she saw Roscuro?
rage
p.190

177. Who buttoned the Princess’s
gown buttons on the back?
Roscuro - because Mig wouldn’t
put down the knife
p.194

178. What did King Phillip dream
about?
That his wife was a bird with green
and gold feathers that called his
name.
p. 194

179. What was the dark and the
light in the princess’s heart?
Dark - hatred for the rat
Light - empathy - caring of others’
feelings.
p. 197

180. What surprised Despereaux
about the cook?
That she was also heart-broken
about the princess being missing
p. 201

181. Why did the mouse council
think Despereaux was a
ghost?
He was covered in flour and still
wearing the red thread around his
neck
p.206

182. What did Lester do when he
saw Despereaux?
He told him he was sorry and that
he had destroyed the drum. He
asked for his forgiveness.
p.207

183. Why did Despereaux forgive
his dad?
To save his own heart--to stop it
from breaking in two.
p.207

184. What did the Mouse Council
do after Despereaux left?
Voted that they had NOT seen
what they had seen. Voted that
the visit did NOT occur.
p.208

185. Why did Lester cry?
Because he had been forgiven.
p.208

186. How did Despereaux have
the flour off his fur?
The king’s tears fell on him
p.212

187. Why didn’t the king trust
Despereaux?
He said they had already
searched the dungeon. Also
because Despereaux is a rodent
and, therefore, a liar.
p.213

188. Why was the suit of armor
empty?
It was waiting for Despereaux
(symbolically) to fill it
p.213

189. Who did the king hire to help
find Princess Pea? Who did
he trust?
Fortunetellers and a magician
p.213

190. Who did Despereaux go to
for help?
The Threadmaster with celery
breath.
p. 217

191. What is a quest?
An important but impossible task
p.217

192. What is Despereaux’s plan
to save the Princess?
Use the red thread to help them
find their way back out of the
dungeon.
p.218

193. What is the Threadmaster’s
name?
Hovis
p. 218

194. What did Hovis give
Despereaux?
The spool of red thread and a
needle to use like a sword.
p.219

195. Why did Hovis bite the red
thread off Despereaux’s
neck
Because he was going into the
dungeon because he wanted
to...not because he had to. .
p. 220

196. How many flights of stairs
did Despereaux have to roll
the spool of thread down?
three
p.222

197. How much did Despereaux
weigh?
2 ounces....1/2 of a normal mouse
p.220

198. What was the cook doing in
the kitchen when
Despereaux had to sneak
through?
Making soup
p.223

199. What did Despereaux hide
behind in the kitchen when
the cook heard him?
The spool of thread
p.227

200. Why was the cook happy to
see a mouse in her kitchen?
Because it wasn’t someone
catching her making soup.
p. 227

201. How did Despereaux feel
when the cook laughed at
him?
It hurt his feelings
p.228

202. When the spool of thread
rolled away from
Despereaux, where did it
land?
At the paw of Botticelli Remorso
p. 237.

203. What did Botticelli Remorso
smell?
soup, tears, flour, oil, and mouse
blood
p. 238

204. How did Botticelli try to trick
Despereaux?
He tried to hypnotize him with his
locket and to convince him to lead him
to the princess.
p. 242

205. What did Roscuro do with
Mig and the Princess?
He put them in a secret hidden chamber and
made them change clothes.
p.252

206. What did the princess ask
Mig that no one had ever
asked her?
What do you want?
p.253

207. What did Miggery Sow
REALLY want?
Her mom
p.253

208. Why did Mig refuse to chain
up the princess?
She realized Roscuro had lied to
her.

209. There is nothing sweeter in
this sad world than....
The sound of someone you love
calling your name
p.257

210. Mig tried to cut off Roscuro’s
head, but she missed and
cut off what?
his tail
p.261

211. What did Roscuro smell that
made him cry?
Soup
p. 263

212. Why did Roscuro bring the
princess to the dungeon?
He wanted some light and beauty
p.263

213. Why didn’t Despereaux kill
Roscuro?
The princess asked him not to.
p. 263

214. What did Pea have to do to
save her own heart?
Forgive Roscuro.
p. 263

215. What did Princess Pea
promise to Roscuro if he
would lead them out of the
dungeon?
soup
p.263

216. How did Roscuro bring light
into another life?
He told Princess Pea about the
prisoner with the red tablecloth
and she got him released.
p. 266

217. What happened to Mig at
the end?
Her father treated her like a
princess for the rest of his days.
p. 266

218. How did Despereaux live
happily ever after?
He and Princess Pea were friends
and had many adventures
p.266

219. Who was at the party at the
end of the story eating
soup?
King Phillip, Princess Pea, a serving girl with a
crown on her head (Mig), a rat with a spoon
his head (Roscuro), and Desperaux in the
place of honor.
p. 267

220. Who were looking at the
banquet at the end of the
Tale of Despereaux?
Antoinette, Lester, Furlough, and
Hovis.
p. 268

221. Who did the author, Kate
DiCamilo, want you (the
reader) to think of her as?
A mouse telling you a story like Despereaux told
to Gregory, to save you and herself from
darkness. Because stories are light.
p.270