The Soundtrack to 'The Tale of Despereaux'

In chapter thirteen, Perfidy Unlimited, Despereaux is being brought to the dungeon by his own brother.  Despereaux is begging to grant one last wish, “’I want to tell her what has happened to me.’ 

‘Geez,’ said the first hood.  He stopped and stamped a paw on the floor in frustration.  ‘Cripes.  You can’t learn, can you?’ 

The voice was terribly familiar to Despereaux. 

‘Furlough?’ he said. 

‘What?’ said the first hood irritably. 

Despereaux shuddered.” (68-69)

Start the song: “The Imperial March” (Darth Vader’s Theme Song)

In chapter nineteen, Light, Light Everywhere, Roscuro left the dungeon and goes upstairs to the light.

“’I,’ said Roscuro, spinning dizzily from one bright thing to the next, ‘I will never leave.  No, never,  I will never go back to the dungeon.  Why would I?  I will never torture another prisoner.  It is here that I belong.’

The rat waltzed happily from room to room until he found himself at the door to the banquet hall.” (104)

Start the song: “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”

… “And he made his way into the banquet hall.  He lifted his tail off the ground and held it at an angle and marched in time to the music the minstrels were playing on their guitars.

The rat, reader, invited himself to the party.” (105)

In chapter twenty-nine, Starts with the Cursy and finish with the Thread, Mig has a big job to do.

“On her first day on the job as a castle servant, she was sent to deliver a spool of red thread to the princess.” (145)

“She took the spool of thread from Louise and made her way up the golden stairs to the princess’s room, talking to herself as she went.” (146)

Start the song: “Clumsy” by Fergie (Piano Instrumental) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLDXfkzNJCg

“Here I am, off to see the princess.  Me, Miggery Sow seeing the princess up close and personal-like.  And first off, I must cursy because she is the royalty.” (146)

In chapter forty-eight, On the Tail of a Rat, Despereaux decides to follow Botticelli Remorso (a rat) into the darkness of the dungeon to find his princess.  As he holds onto Botticelli’s tail more rats come out of the darkness, they smell a mouse.

“If what was in front of Despereaux was too horrible to contemplate, what followed behind him was, perhaps, even worse: rats, a happy, hungry, vengeful parade of rats, their noses up in the air, sniffing, sniffing.” (247)

Start the song: Jaws Theme Song

“’Mouse!’ sang out one rat joyfully.

‘Yes, oh, yes, mouse,’ agreed another.  ‘But something else too.’

‘Soup!’ called out another rat.

‘Blood!’ sang a rat.

‘Blood,’ they all agreed together.

And then they sang: ‘Here, mousie, mousie, mousie!  Here little mousie!”  (249)

In chapter fifty, In which the Princess says His Name, Despereaux is led by Botticelli to the princess.

“’PRINCESS!’  Despereaux shouted.  ‘Princess, I have come to save you.” (258)

Start the song: Gonna Fly Now (also known as Rocky’s Theme Song)

“The Princess Pea heard her name.  She looked up.

‘Despereaux,’ she whispered.

And then she shouted it, “Despereaux!’

Reader, nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.

Nothing.” (258)