Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

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There are really two stories going on at once; O'Brien cleverly brings the two together slowly by revealing their connection detail by detail through an absorbing flashback. So I was pleased to find that it holds up well, and I still found it very entertaining (although it seemed a shorter).

The second complaint is that I'm not super happy that we don't know what happened to Justin the Rat either. not that bad where I want to save them or have one as a pet) Great characters and a mommy mouse that loves her family so much she will put her life in jeopardy to save them. In 2012 it was ranked number 33 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by School Library Journal.Frisby "a combination of science fiction and animal fantasy" that described "fantastic situations with scientific accuracy". Frisby made me realize how many strong single mother figures I had in stories and entertainment as a child. It helps that I am a devoted rat-dad, but I'd recommend it even for those who still harbor prejudices against these noble creatures. Unraveling as a story within a story, there are a lot of really interesting characters presented who each provide missing pieces for the “secret” storyline, and/or serve to better contextualize the greater world of sentient animals living on the farm.

I love it when the narrator is so good that the listening experience flows without any glitches from something annoying that the listener has to consciously ignore. A group of rats, led by one named Jenner, rejected this plan and left the nest at some point before Frisby's arrival.

Do not dismiss this formidable 1971 treatise about misunderstood animals by imagining a cute “Disney” tale.

If you like an intelligently written children’s book that provides some food for thought, you could do a lot worse. Racso and the Rats of NIMH (1986) tells the story of a city rat who runs away to join the new colony, befriending Timothy, while saving the colony from a flood along the way. Their increased intelligence and strength allowed them to escape from NIMH and migrate to their present location on the farm. I read this book as possibly a 10 year old and have never forgotten the rats, in the story-within-the story in the middle, learning to read the instructions inside their cages that led to their *SPOILER ALERT! I did think it was interesting that even in the world of rodents that the males held all the power and made all the decisions.

In both cases she is also given a time table and plenty of warning, helping her and the rats to make plans. Surprisingly thoughtful book about education, ethics, community and obligations to ourselves, our family, our tribe, and the larger world. My only critique would be that given the large cast of rodents (and birds) in such a small book, I was given just enough plot cheese to nibble on without ever really feeling full on complete character development. And the slowness of the story was accented by the slowness of the audiobook narrator and very long pauses.