Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

by Robert C. O'Brien

I would like to say I actually read MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien when I was a child, but that isn’t true. I have heard about it for years, and I’ve seen the movie but it was until a couple of weeks ago that I read it. I loved it. It will be one that I read to my children. There is a very good reason why this story won a Newberry award. Though it is written for children between 8-12 it is suitable for all ages.

The movie THE SECRET OF NIMH does a fair representation of parts of the story but the novel is just that much better. The story follows Mrs. Frisby. She is a widowed mouse who has four small children. Her youngest son, Timothy takes ill with pneumonia, and she has to ask a friend of her late husband for help. Mr. Ages prescribes some medicine and tells her that Timothy can’t be moved. The only trouble is that they have to move because the farmer is going to till the field where they currently live. Mrs. Frisby is told to seek help from the rats that live in the rosebush. These are no ordinary rats and Mrs. Frisby learns that she didn’t know everything about her husband.

MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH has some really pretty artwork done by Zena Bernstein. The settings depicted are quaint and give an added life to the story. I highly recommend this story for everyone, especially if you are looking for something for elementary students to enjoy. The characters are endearing and the plot is something that really makes you care about what happens to them. You want them to succeed but you don’t know how they are going to do it, which is all part of the fun.