My Thoughts:
I always hesitate before reaching for a book from my childhood. What if it didn’t age well or I’ve grown well beyond it? I’m happy to report that Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh does stand the test of time! I loved this after re-reading it as an adult.
If you haven’t read this children’s classic, Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse, is beside herself. Her youngest, Timothy, has taken ill, and Mr. Ages, the wise old mouse who gave her medicine, cautions against moving him for some weeks yet. He’s just too weak to travel to their summer house by the river. But spring has arrived suddenly, and if Mrs. Frisby can’t find a way to keep Timothy safe, the farmer’s plow is going to destroy her home – with her beloved youngest inside it!
This is such a great book. Mrs. Frisby is a kind mouse, but life has been cruel to her. Her husband was killed by the vicious barn cat, leaving her to fend for her children alone. When she’s told by the owl to visit the rats for a way to save her son, she’s hesitant. The rats that live under the rosebush have always kept to themselves. Will they help a down on her luck mouse?
I love the characters in the book, especially Nicodemus and Justin. The rats fraught history and their determination to set up a farming community for themselves away from people is so engaging. Their willingness to assist Mrs. Frisby, and her courage to keep her family safe, resonated just as much now as it did when I was a kid.
I also learned that O’Brien’s daughter wrote two sequels. I had no idea! So they have been added to my TBR.
About the book:
Title: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
Author: Robert C O’BRien
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 236
Format: eBook
Source: My Local Library
Rating: 5 stars
From the back of the book:
Some extraordinary rats come to the aid of a mouse family in this Newbery Medal Award–winning classic by notable children’s author Robert C. O’Brien.
Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service.
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