Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
Robert O'Brien
Atheneum, 1971
233 pages
Grades 3-5

Widowed Mrs. Frisby is in trouble. Her son, Timothy, is very sick and they are unable to move from their winter garden home to the summer abode by the pond. The farmer is gearing up to plow the field--and Mrs. Frisby's house with it. A chance encounter with a crow leads Mrs. F to the nest of the wise old owl, who sends her to speak to a colony of rats living under the rose bush. At first the rats are reluctant to speak to her, obviously hiding secrets, but once they learn that she is the widow of Jonathan Frisby, they open up and share their tale. They came from a laboratory where a team injected them with a serum, making them smarter, bigger, and with a longer lifespan than average rats. The super-rats escaped from the lab and now have concocted a big plan to leave the farm and form their own independent colony. They are willing to help Mrs. Frisby, but she must do a dangerous deed of her own, in turn discovering intel that will save the lives of her new friends.

I have loved this Newbery winning book since my fourth grade teacher read it aloud after lunch in the 1970's. Wondering if it has stood the test of time and if I should continue to recommend it, I gave it another go. Yes-I still love it! O'Brien writes a tight, adventurous animal/fantasy that is a predecessor to Avi's Poppy series and perfect for readers not quite ready for the Warriors. It is a bit dated, especially in terms of female presentation, but Mrs. Frisby is a bold and fearless character and this could have gone worse. The story harkens back to a simpler time and makes farm life attractive (especially with no pig slaughtering as seen in Charlotte's Web). Animal lovers will be a natural audience and the story may make folks more sympathetic to rats, though this has never worked for me. The language is rich and begs to be read aloud, just like my teacher did over fifty years ago. A sweet and gentle classic that is just the right length, perfect for long winter nights.