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

The Tale of Despereaux is the story of an unlikely hero, a mouse, who falls in love with a princess and then must save her. It's a triumph of the human spirit, via a mouse.

I always write with music. It takes me a while to figure out the right piece of music for what I'm working on. Once I figure it out, that's the only thing I'll play.

There is nothing sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.

Reading is my passion.

I think we sent Tony Fucile pictures of ourselves, photos from like when we were seven years old. That's what he worked from. He captured exactly what we looked like. I'd love to do another one with Alison, not just for the joy of writing, but also for the joy of watching Tony bring it to life with his illustrations. I'm hoping at BEA, or ALA, I'll get to meet Tony and shake his hand and thank him.

Going out and not only meeting the kids, but meeting the teachers and the librarians and seeing the world, fills me up.