Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (Aladdin Fantasy) (Paperback)

by Robert C. O'Brien (Author), Zena Bernstein (Illustrator) "Mrs. Frisby, the head of a family of field mice, lived in an underground house in the vegetable garden of a farmer named Mr. Fitzgibbon..." (more)
Key Phrases: Moving Day, Toy Tinker, Thorn Valley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
There's something very strange about the rats living under the rosebush at the Fitzgibbon farm. But Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with a sick child, is in dire straits and must turn to these exceptional creatures for assistance. Soon she finds herself flying on the back of a crow, slipping sleeping powder into a ferocious cat's dinner dish, and helping 108 brilliant, laboratory-enhanced rats escape to a utopian civilization of their own design, no longer to live "on the edge of somebody else's, like fleas on a dog's back."

This unusual novel, winner of the Newbery Medal (among a host of other accolades) snags the reader on page one and reels in steadily all the way through to the exhilarating conclusion. Robert O'Brien has created a small but complete world in which a mother's concern for her son overpowers her fear of all her natural enemies and allows her to make some extraordinary discoveries along the way. O'Brien's incredible tale, along with Zena Bernstein's appealing ink drawings, ensures that readers will never again look at alley rats and field mice in the same way. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
The rats of NIMH learn more than the scientists bargain for. They escape and embark on an adventurous mission of mercy to save the orphaned family of a brave fieldmouse colleague. A story that is as engrossing as it is unusual. (9-11 yrs) (Kirkus UK) --Kirkus Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Later printing edition (March 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689710682
• ISBN-13: 978-0689710681
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (333 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,542 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( O ) > O'Brien, Robert C.
  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs & Squirrels > Nonfiction
  #11 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs & Squirrels > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars their struggle is our struggle : who knew?, October 14, 2001

By	Orrin C. Judd "brothersjudddotcom" (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Hardcover)

One of the great delights of returning, in adulthood, to the literature that enchanted us in childhood is
the discovery of the great themes and subtexts to which we were oblivious then but which are so
obvious now. Mrs. Frisby is a perfect illustration of this phenomenon. When you are young you are
captivated by the animal adventure tale and your easy identification with the lowly mice.
But read it now and you realize the Biblical antecedents of the story, how the rats of NIMH, like Man,
are given the gift of knowledge by their creators and how this awakens in them a sense of morality.
We recall that the rats have determined to go off and live on their own, but it's all too easy to forget,
or never to notice, that the reason for their decision is that they are determined not to live by stealing.
Seeing clearly this additional component, that the rats have become moral creatures, makes their
struggle even more heroic and adds a depth to the story that makes it easy to see why this novel has
endured and struck a chord with readers, young and old, for some thirty years now. It is an altogether
deserving classic.

GRADE : A+

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Children's Lit., April 6, 2001

By	oddsfish (Winters, TX) - See all my reviews

This is one of my favorites (if not my favorite). Stories just don't come better than this one, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH will be around for a long time.

The story is about Mrs. Frisby who is a mouse with four small children. One them gets sick and is unable to move even though their home is about to be plowed. Mrs. Frisby is a typical mother; she will do anything to protect her children. In this case, she appeals to the mysterious rats that live under the rose bush. There, she learns all about these mysterious rats in the most interesting and entertaining flashback in children's literature.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is one of the best books that I have ever read. I read it in a day (when I was eleven) the first time, and I have read it three times since. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH will always have a special place on my extensive bookshelf, and it should definately be read by people for years to come.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wholesome read for any age, June 24, 2000

By	S. Khetan (Martinsville, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After some consideration, I decided this was my favorite book as a child. However, it can be enjoyed by people of any age. Through mice and other small personified animals, Robert C O'Brien built a tale that is impossible to put down or frown upon. When the youngest of a family of mice falls ill with pneumonia, he is forced to stay indoors. This presents a serious problem, since the family must soon move to their summer home or be plowed by the farmer's tractor who owns the field. The mother and head of the family, Mrs. Frisby, is forced to turn to a mysterious group of rats living under a rose bush for help. What Mrs. Frisby hadn't known, however, was the rats' connection with her late husband Jonathon Frisby...Hopefully, this short summary is intriguing enough to make you read this book. You won't regret it.