Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a sweet, imaginative, and beautifully written and narrated (I was listening to the audiobook version) middle grade fantasy novel with lovable characters. I especially liked reading about the scientific experiments from the perspective of lab animals.

However, I was a bit bored throughout the most of the book, especially its first half, and it annoyed me a little that the heroine doesn’t even get a first name as she is constantly referred to as "Mrs. Johnathan Frisby."

I've been rereading some favorite children's books, and this one held up really well.

This is quite honestly the best book. I've ready it maybe 15 times and it's always good.

May 2023: I discovered Hoopla has it on audio, so I listened to it.

How is it these rats can illuminate their entire underground nest with Christmas lights, but every year thousands of Americans cannot decorate their trees???

Non appena ho visto l'uscita ero in modalità: TAKE MY MONEY!
Ah, la mia infanzia ç_ç
Devo aver distrutto la cassetta a furia di riguardare il film. E non me ne pento affatto!
Tuttavia devo ammetterlo: pensavo che il libro fosse molto diverso rispetto la sua versione cinematografica e invece... le differenze sono minime. Certo, non c'è il ciondolo con la pietra rossa (che quando ero piccola era una grande fonte di meraviglia) e nemmeno la battaglia tra Justin e Cornelius (che nel libro non esiste a meno che non sia Jenner), ma per il resto il film è stato molto fedele.
Eppure c'è ancora un interrogativo che mi fa spremere le meningi.
Ma tra la signora Frisby e Justin c'era del tenero?
Lo so... I grandi dubbi amletici della vita.
In ogni caso è un libro che dovete assolutamente avere! Tralasciando la mia esaltazione, questo romanzo per l'infanzia tratta tematiche non indifferenti in modo molto tenue e adatto ai bambini.
E se non avete mai visto il film... per me siete morti!

This book captivated me from start to finish when I read it - for the first time - as an adult. It's such a beautiful story of courage and morality and heroism. It's hard to imagine anyone not being moved by "The Rats of Nimh" and its characters are well-developed and not easily forgotten. I thought about this book for days afterward, and I was sad when it ended.

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. The entire book's tone is one of being invited into a secret that only you, the reader, are accepted into. The science aspect is interesting and makes the animal characters even more realistic and memorable. I've read reviews about what the author's intention was, pointing to the various themes - from science playing with nature to self-determination to morality - present in the story. This ambiguity make "The Rats of Nimh" all the more interesting.

This one was just ok for me. I enjoy a story from an animal's perspective, so that part was cool. But the sci-fi aspect of this turned me off a bit. I love how the rats banded together to help the mice, and the backstory behind that (although that's the bit that brought in the sci-fi aspect).

I also alternated between reading and listening to this. Am I the only one who finds Barbara Caruso's narration prissy and annoying lol. Not sure, but I think when I go back to reread the first three Anne of Green Gables series, I will be sure to choose other narrations. There is just something about her voice that makes me feel like I'm on the floor in kindergarten class at story time. Just bugs me. Which didn't improve my rating for this one.

Anyway I'm glad I read it. I thought for sure I'd read it as a kid, but nothing in this rang any bells, so maybe I never did.

„Doamna Frisby și șobolanii de la institut” mi s-a părut o carte tare faină, care trece cu brio testul unui cititor adult: e inteligentă și plină de imaginație, foarte bine scrisă, cu un suspans bine dozat și o încărcătură emoțională puternică. Am citit-o cu mare plăcere (uneori, chiar cu sufletul la gură) și mă gândesc și acum la unele lucruri pe care le-am aflat de aici.

Robert O'Brien ne introduce într-o lume a rozătoarelor, și o face atât de veridic și cu atâta îndemânare, încât te trezești cu inima strânsă de grija unui biet șoricel de câmp, sau îți dai seama că șobolanii aceia atât de nesuferiți ți-au devenit simpatici.

De fapt, cartea are o sumedenie de personaje simpatice, unele chiar memorabile – în special doamna Frisby, întruchipare a înțelepciunii și a iubirii materne, a curajului și a spiritului de sacrificiu. N-ai cum să n-o iubești pe doamna Frisby, simbolul mamei ideale, de care se va atașa, probabil, orice copil care-i citește povestea.

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Own.

We read this as a family over the past several months. All of us enjoyed it pretty well.

We found a lot to discuss in this book: stealing, learning, dangers, friendships, service to others. We had some long after-dinner discussions. It was exciting that after all these years of dinner time read alouds and modeling how to interact with books to see our eldest daughter (9yo) make allusions and draw ideas together from the reading. She asked some good questions. Not all the time, but from time to time.

There's a review on Amazon that treats the rats as totalitarian/fascist, and I'm not sure I agree with that. I like the review very much, but I think the Rats of NIMH show an extreme, self-centered independence.

Rather than considering how they could serve others, they were so focused on their own plans and desires that they walled themselves off into their own world and could not love rightly. With all their intelligence and learning, they could not see the interdependence they had on others - Mr. Ages, Mr. Frisby, the Bonifaces, the Fitzgibbons, even the old owl. And without seeing the interdependence, they offered no support until asked. No thought.

I was intrigued that they considered following the ideas of the early European monastery to remove themselves from the world. The monasteries, yes, were a haven, but a haven for learning and service to the community. Their separation wasn't as extreme as the Rats intended.

I also wonder about future generations of Rats. They are going to leave almost everything behind - including their books and tools. Yes, working is good and having real work is important, but standing on the shoulders of our ancestors and their learning and ideas is an important part of advancing civilization. They learned that the prairie dog civilization stopped growing and advancing, they claimed to be interested in and learn from history, yet Nicodemus and the Rats leave behind all that they could teach from and build from for the coming generations. Why?

As a Christian, I read this and wonder about how I love others. Do I only serve when asked, or do I seek out needs and offer help and aid. Do I love my American Individualism more than I love God and love others? Some ideas to consider out of this worthwhile book.

I have questions.

This was a very scary animated movie, when I was about 10, so I read it with trepidation that it wouldn't live up to those memories. It was as scary in print as it was on film.

Highly recommended, but maybe not for very small children.

Lepa priča o hrabrosti, ali daleko iza filma po harizmi, mistici i osećaju velikih uloga. Za one koje vole dirljive klasike namenjene mlađoj publici.