一隻名叫Despereaux的小老鼠，因為有許多異於一班老鼠的怪異行為，所以被老鼠頭目們判定有罪，下放到地牢之中。在地牢中，有另一隻大老鼠Chiaroscuro，因為從水晶燈上掉進皇后的湯碗中下，嚇死了皇后，入獄後也在別人的仇視、鄙夷下成了邪惡心存報復的壞老鼠。

A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning tale. Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

With black-and-white illustrations and a refreshed cover by Timothy Basil Ering.