Inspired by a family of field mice living on the author's back porch, The Linnet's Tale marries the imagination of animal classics like Watership Down with the contemporary appeal of Jan Karon's beloved Mitford series.

The narrator is Waterford Hopstep, a linnet raised by a field mouse family in the vibrant village of Tottensea Burrows. Waterford brings to life the romances, adventures, and dramas of an irresistible cast of village mice -- including Opportune Baggs, the inventor; the Fieldpeas (possessed of three beautiful daughters, Grenadine, Almandine, and Incarnadine); the widow Proserpine Pockets and her small son Farnaby; and Merchanty Swift, the bold mouse who becomes the hero of The Linnet's Tale.

Though brokenhearted when his beloved Pleasings Tatterstraw runs away with the charming French mouse, Henri de Rochefoot, Merchanty, a daring trader, goes on to become a mouse of some means. But when Tottensea Burrows comes under siege, Merchanty will risk it all to rescue his friends and neighbors and help them start life anew.

Illustrated with beautiful pen and ink drawings and featuring endpaper maps of Tottensea Burrows, an amusing glossary of field mouse vocabulary, and a guide to the cast of characters, The Linnet's Tale delivers delights on every page.