We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(1) Sea Level
The writing in The Tale of Despereaux is mostly simple, clear, and easy to follow. The language can occasionally become formal and stilted, not exactly like modern conversation. It is a chapter book, and often skips forward and backtracks in time, so you'll have to concentrate to keep up with what's happening when. The author gives some helpful asides when she's about to jump around chronologically.