Despereaux marveled at his own bravery. He admired his own defiance. And then, reader, he fainted. :( — Kate DiCamillo

"Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light."

Despereaux did not know it, but he would need, very soon, to be brave himself.

There is those hearts, reader, that never mend again once they are broken. Or if they do mend, they heal themselves is a crooked and lopsided way, as if sewn together by a careless craftsman.