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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
One of the best kids books ever and a treasure from my childhood. It was so delightful to share it, reading aloud, with my daughter, Gabby.
When Mrs. Frisby's youngest falls deathly ill, so ill he won't be able to move to the summer home or risk death, she has to turn to the rats on the farm. From them she will learn of their strange history and her husband's secret connection to them. Will their knowledge be enough to save Timothy?
Wonderful tale. Great intro to sci-fi for kids.
Wonderful tale. Great intro to sci-fi for kids.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As one of the reviewers on the back of this book wrote, the true success behind a successful fantasy is to make it seem that the events that happened couldn't possibly be unreal. That's one of the greatest feats about this book. The plot is solid, but I found the writing a bit dry. Otherwise, I would have given it another star.
I read this probably at the age my middlest child is now. I barely remembered any of it. This is one of the reasons I'm going back and reading some of these YA books (way not to pay attention, teen me, now I have to reread them all over again!).
I read this probably at the age my middlest child is now. I barely remembered any of it. This is one of the reasons I'm going back and reading some of these YA books (way not to pay attention, teen me, now I have to reread them all over again!).
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My mom read this aloud to me and my brothers when we were kids and I remember loving it.
As a Millenial with young, borderline hippie parents my movies in childhood were movies like The Secret of NIMH and Ferngully, and as I got older I learned that The Secret of NIMH was actually based on a book called Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, so of course it's been on my "I want to read that!" mental list. Overdrive has it as an audiobook, so I was finally able to "read" it (I own it in paperback too just haven't gotten to it). There are 2 sequels: Rasco and the Rats of NIMH and R.T., Margret, and the Rats of NIMH. Overdrive doesn't have either of them, but they are on my Thriftbooks wishlist and I'll probably by them next time I shop there.
Honestly, the first 2/3 of the book pretty much matched the movie. They changed her name to Brisby in the movie, and the book doesn't focus as much on her four kids, but her youngest son catching pneumonia, meeting Jeremy the crow, Mr. Ages the mouse doctor, and visiting the Owl for advice were all spot on. Once Mrs. Frisby/Brisby gets to the Rats in the rosebush is where the stories start to seperate
The book, of course, was great for the backstory of the Rats. You get to learn more about the experiments done at NIMH, how they learned, how they escaped, and their adventures to the rose bush. The movie has this weird magic amulet part and Nicodemus is this ancient rat, and neither of those things happen in the book. The Rats of NIMH are practically immortal genius rats who just want to build their own society without having to steal from humans or be experimented on.
I mean, who doesn't want that kinda life?
Honestly, the first 2/3 of the book pretty much matched the movie. They changed her name to Brisby in the movie, and the book doesn't focus as much on her four kids, but her youngest son catching pneumonia, meeting Jeremy the crow, Mr. Ages the mouse doctor, and visiting the Owl for advice were all spot on. Once Mrs. Frisby/Brisby gets to the Rats in the rosebush is where the stories start to seperate
The book, of course, was great for the backstory of the Rats. You get to learn more about the experiments done at NIMH, how they learned, how they escaped, and their adventures to the rose bush. The movie has this weird magic amulet part and Nicodemus is this ancient rat, and neither of those things happen in the book. The Rats of NIMH are practically immortal genius rats who just want to build their own society without having to steal from humans or be experimented on.
I mean, who doesn't want that kinda life?
A sweet and interesting take on what might happen to those lab rats we hear all about. The author really does think of everything!
I remember loving this as a kid but it doesn’t quite hold up. The story is good but slow and the language is formal. Can’t see myself recommending it to students.