We recently listened, on audio cd, to The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, who also wrote Because of Winn-Dixie.  We had read this book to the boys last summer, and enjoyed it so much, I decided to buy the cd from my favorite online book site, Half.com.  The book is for grades 2-7, but even my younger boys listened attentively the entire time to the story of a tiny mouse name Despereaux Tilling.

Winner of 2004 Newberry Medal, the story enlightens the reader about love, hope, perfidy, empathy, and remorse, entrancing them as the adventurous fairy tale unfolds.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.