Whortle's Hope

Whortle's Hope is the second novel in the Deptford Mouselets Series by Robin Jarvis (published in 2007).

Synopsis
In the story, which takes place in the summer before the events of The Crystal Prison, it is almost the time of the Fennywolde games, when the young field mice compete to see who will have the honour of being the head sentry of the cornfield for the entire summer. Young Whortle longs to win the competition, but not if it means his friends are going to sabotage the other competitor's chances. He wants to win on his own merits, but soon realises winning isn't the most important thing as another mouse needs the prize more than he does.