I always like movie trailers, the suspense of the clips that entice you to go watch the movie when it comes out.  I like to read the story the movie was based on before I go see it.  Such is the case of “The Tale of Despareaux” by Kate DiCamillo, YA SF DiC.

The unlikely hero, a mouse with big ears, wants to be more than his small stature will allow him to be.  He falls in love with a princess, which is not what mice should do, obviously.  The mouse council, which his father is on, punish Desperaux, sentencing him to face the rats.  I don’t want to go into the story anymore, but I will say the trailers for the movie have nothing to do with the book.  Always, always, always read the book first.  There was no chapter that had a cat in it, like the movie clips suggested.  Desperaux was never in school in the book. 

I still plan to go see the movie, but I am sure the book is better.