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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book. I'd seen the Disney movie when it came out, but I was in that weird age when I wasn't adult enough to probably appreciate it, but not young enough to have it be one of the movies that sticks out in my memory.
Mrs. Frisby is a recently widowed mouse living with her four children in a cinder block on Mr. Fitzgibbon’s farm. Each summer the family leaves their field for another home to avoid having their house uprooted by the farmer’s spring plowing, but this year young Timothy has pneumonia and is too sick to safely make the move. Through a series of unlikely new relationships, Mrs. Frisby is introduced to and seeks help from a colony of rats (the rats of NIMH) who also live on the farm. Having previously escaped from a science laboratory, these genetically modified rats are highly intelligent and live with technological advancements unlike anything Mrs. Frisby has ever seen. After sharing their harrowing story with their new friend, the rats agree to assist Mrs. Frisby in what is certain to be an extraordinary rescue mission.
I chose this book, along with all of our 3rd-grade read-alouds, at the beginning of this school year and it was the book Charleston and I were least excited to read (mostly because the title and cover reminded us a lot of The Green Ember, which we read earlier in the year and neither of us enjoyed). However, this is not at all the high fantasy we feared it might be. Instead it is a sweet and adventurous story with some unexpected twists and lovely themes of friendship, loyalty, and courage. The book also presents some intriguing questions about the repercussions of technology, means of survival, the power of literacy, and the differences (and similarities) among species. Overall this was book was a very pleasant surprise as both a lovely and approachable story and a book that offered plenty to consider and discuss.
My Rating: 4 Stars // Charleston’s Rating: 5 Stars // Book Format: Print
I chose this book, along with all of our 3rd-grade read-alouds, at the beginning of this school year and it was the book Charleston and I were least excited to read (mostly because the title and cover reminded us a lot of The Green Ember, which we read earlier in the year and neither of us enjoyed). However, this is not at all the high fantasy we feared it might be. Instead it is a sweet and adventurous story with some unexpected twists and lovely themes of friendship, loyalty, and courage. The book also presents some intriguing questions about the repercussions of technology, means of survival, the power of literacy, and the differences (and similarities) among species. Overall this was book was a very pleasant surprise as both a lovely and approachable story and a book that offered plenty to consider and discuss.
My Rating: 4 Stars // Charleston’s Rating: 5 Stars // Book Format: Print
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The book contains much less glitz than the movie I remember seeing as a kid - Nicodemus is not a wizard, the rats' elevator is not a lantern, and Jenner the Bad Rat is mostly in the background. The book spends much more time at NIMH than the movie. Still, I liked the book for its own sake. Good and simple storytelling.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Obsessed to the whole civilized lab rats utopian genre.
Wild
Wild
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No