Little Mouse Breaking the Rules

Have you ever been told what to do and what not to do because it's the way things have always been?  Well, a small mouse named Despereaux Tilling is a great example of breaking these rules.  He was born as a disappointment to the family.  He was small, had huge ears, and did not act how a mouse should.  He doesn't scurry off to find food; he's more distracted by reading and stories of knights and princesses.

When Despereaux break sacred rules, the Mouse Council sends him into the dark dungeon as a punishment, and to be at the mercy of the terrifying rats.  Despereaux later overhears the demise of his love and sets on a quest for rescuing her--which will require a large amount of courage and bravery, especially from a mouse like Despereaux.  Can a small mouse really go against fate, save the day, and become a hero?

Review:
I enjoyed how Despereaux went against everything a mouse was.  It's a great example of how one has to be who they really are, despite the fact that it's different from others.  What I didn't like about the book was that Despereaux fell in love very suddenly and appeared to be more infatuated with Princess Pea. Then again, it's a tween fantasy book that focused more on the quest than the relationship between Despereaux and his princess.  Perhaps the best part of the book, or the reoccurring theme in the book, was how DiCamillo expressed that each character each had some dark and light in them.  Many of the characters were realistic in this sense and weren't purely good or bad.

DiCamillo, K.  (2003).  The Tale of Despereaux (Ering, T.B., Illus.).  Cambridge: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 0-7636-1722-9
Grades 3-6
Art cover link from kidsblog.nationalgeographic.com

Witch Checklist

Calling all kids!  Calling all kids!  You know that nice lady in your neighborhood?  Or that kind teacher you always liked?  Um, well yeah...you just might not know them as well as you thought.  They could be witches.  Here's a checklist you should use to figure out if they're one.

1.  Did they have clubbed feet with no toes?

2.  Did they often scratch their heads and wore wigs?

3.  Did they think kids smelled worse than dog poo--yes, dog poo?!

If you can answer "no" for all questions, then congratulations, you're safe.  If you answered "yes" to at least one question, then I'm sorry, you may be in danger.  That lady or teacher may be a witch!  Do not go anywhere with them, I repeat, do not go anywhere with them.  Also, just to be safe, don't take baths--or at least, not as often as you do now.  It's harder for a witch to smell a kid that way.

If you want to know more about witches, please read The Witches by Roald Dahl.  It's about a seven year-old boy who recently lost his parents.  In order to cope with this grief, his Norwegian grandmamma has been telling him scary stories about witches--and they're all true!  And of course witches hate kids the most.  In fact, destroying kids is their life long goal.  And in a stroke of bad luck, somehow, the little boy ends up being stuck in an annual witch conference.  What will happen to him?  If you want to know more, please pick up this book and read.  But beware, you just might end up using that checklist every time you meet a strange lady.  

Review:

I had mixed feelings when I completed the book.  I felt somewhat disappointed but the longer I thought about it, the more I was able to focus on other good parts of the book.  For instance, my most favorite part of the book was the boy's relationship with grandmama.  Their love and belief in one another is touching.  The boy was very strong mentally and I also liked the description the author gives of the witches.  My imagination was humming with pleasure by the descriptive scenes Dahl wrote.  There was action, some spooky witches, love, courage, and a quest to stop these horrifying witches from harming kids.

Dahl, R.  (2007).   The Witches (Blake, Q, Illus).  New York: Puffin.

ISBN-13: 978-0-14-241011-0

Grades 3-6

Cover art link from penguin.com.au