Despereaux was an oddity to his family and his fellow mice living in the castle of a king whose kingdom loved soup. He falls in love with the music and stories of the castle, and one day, the lovely Princess Pea. But trapped in a world where all the rats and soup are banned, Despereaux must go to save his love, and maybe a few suffering souls along the way.

Kate DiCamillo beautifully tells the story of revenge and forgiveness and of loss and pain through a masterfully used third-person omniscient perspective for the reader to feel the sheer comfort and power of story-telling as a whole. The Tale of Despereaux revolves not just around Despereaux, but also of a bitter rat by the name of Chiaroscuro, and a servent girl with cauliflower ears named Miggery Sow.

This book is a book for everyone 3rd grade and above. While a relatively simple style of writing and diction, The Tale of Despereaux is just the story to make anyone fall in love with literature. If you can, the I believe the best way to read this book is if its read aloud to or by you with another person!