Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Intimate Storytelling
The Tale of Despereaux has a first-person narrator who isn't a part of the story but acts as a kind of omniscient storyteller. However, the storyteller's voice is awfully familiar, as though he or she is telling a story to someone that they know very, very well. For example, the narrator frequently addresses the reader directly and even asks the reader questions throughout the story:
Reader, you may ask this question; in fact, you must ask this question: Is it ridiculous for a very small, sickly, big-eared mouse to fall in love with a beautiful human princess named Pea?
The answer is… yes. Of course it's ridiculous. (5.3-4)
With this kind of storytelling, the tone of the story is very intimate and like it's being told just for the reader instead of for a wider audience. It invites the reader to participate in the story.