On our long drives around the country, Mark and I love to read lively books. So, for the drive down and back from St. Louis, we found that The Tale of Despereaux fit perfectly for our purpose. It is a wonderful tale of a very small mouse in love with a princess. He fights against enormous odds and learns lessons of love, forgiveness, and individuality that are universal. We loved it and plan on reading it again and again... I hear they are also making it into an animated movie - can't wait!