The story had a slow beginning for me, but then it really picked up. Although the central theme was on Mrs. Frisby's struggle to relocate her home, there was also this larger backstory on how the rats of NIMH became so intelligent and their connection to Mrs. Frisby's family that I really got caught up in. I was a little disappointed though whenever Mrs. Frisby's story took to the backburner. Mrs. Frisby is such an admirable, brave character. She puts herself in harms way to save her children, just a lovely mom.

I enjoyed the mice and rats perspective on the world, like scavenging for food as the season's changed, trying to avoid Dragon the cat. But, the science of the experiments and the ways in which the rats learned to read were my favorite parts. Although, I can't help now thinking about the ethical treatment of animals for research purposes. And, how did I not know that NIMH stood for the National Institute of Mental Health? There was also all of these moral issues to reflect on, like how the modernization of the rats was turning into their downfall and how they wanted to move away from stealing off of others to live. Nicodemus was concerned that eventually the rats would be found and what would happen to them then?

"Why move? We've got a better place to live right now. We've got all the food we want. We've got electricity, and lights and running water. I can't understand why everybody talks about changing things." "Because everything we have is stolen."
"That's silly." " Is it stealing when farmers take milk from cows, or eggs from chickens?"


It's was also so easy to get caught up in the characters, lovely Mrs. Frisby, Mr. Ages, Nicodemus and Justin. Then add in the mystery behind Mrs. Frisby's husband, Jonathan, and overall I was very entertained.


Favorite quote “All doors are hard to unlock until you have the key.”

This book is great children’s literature, of the sort that is rarely seen today. Mr. O’Brien teaches the concepts of true heroism, of doing brave things when you are terrified, of sacrificing oneself for others. He includes the concepts of self-betterment through learning, and of the comfort of being loved. How friendships are forged. How communities are built.
Actually, it’s just the story of a mouse who is trying to care for her sickly son. But that’s the beauty and mystery of great storytelling. Mr. O’Brien teaches all of those concepts while telling a simple child’s story about a mouse. I wish great concepts were taught in this way more frequently. What a beautiful tale to read.

I probably haven’t read this in about 15 years but wow it’s even better than I remembered

Ένα σχετικά κλασικό και ιδιαίτερα πολυδιαβασμένο μυθιστόρημα για παιδιά και εφήβους (που το 1982 έγινε και ταινία κινουμένων σχεδίων, από τις κορυφαίες του είδους), το διάβασα τώρα που τριαντάρισα και οφείλω να πω ότι πέρασα καλά και ότι ήταν ένα ανάγνωσμα που με κράτησε από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος - μάλιστα σε ένα σημείο μέχρι και αγωνία ένιωσα! Είναι πολύ πιθανό ότι θα το απολάμβανα ακόμα περισσότερο αν το διάβαζα στην ηλικία που έπρεπε (π.χ. στα δέκα ή τα έντεκα), αλλά εδώ που τα λέμε στα ελληνικά κυκλοφόρησε πριν έντεκα χρόνια, οπότε και πάλι ήμουν εκτός ηλικιακού γκρουπ για το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο. Τέλος πάντων, εγώ μια φορά πέρασα ωραία, ήταν ένα ευχάριστο και αρκετά περιπετειώδες μυθιστόρημα με στοιχεία του Φανταστικού, και νομίζω ότι είναι ένα ιδανικό ανάγνωσμα για παιδιά ηλικίας οχτώ ετών και άνω. Πολύ ευχαρίστως θα έβλεπα και την ταινία κάποια στιγμή!

Che bello, un ritorno a un classico della mia infanzia e una scoperta nuova.

In casa mia sono sempre girati i film animati di Don Bluth (la Valle incantata – esclusivamente il primo – è stato il "mio" cartone dell'infanzia) e Brisby era uno del pacchetto.

È forse uno dei più bui e oscuri, forse il più oscuro in assoluto, perché i ratti fanno paura (e il gufo?) e perché c'è questa angoscia che tiene tutto il film in tensione. Ma è uno dei film che ho comunque visto più spesso, e quando ho letto che il libro sarebbe stato tradotto in italiano (e da Davide Morosinotto!) ero molto molto curiosa.

Ed è stato piacevole trovare un libro meno buio del film. La storia è pressoché la stessa (mancano il ratto cattivo e il medaglione magico): la signora Frisby, rimasta vedova da poco, è una topolina di campagna che sta per organizzare il trasloco dei suoi quattro figli nell'annuale migrazione da una tana all'altra prima che il fattore ari il campo in cui hanno passato l'inverno, ma la malattia del figlio la obbliga a chiedere aiuto ai ratti per salvarlo.

È un romanzo carino e delicato, che parla di sperimentazione sugli animali in maniera però leggera e serena per i bambini. Piacevole.

Between 1989 and 1990, I took some additional college courses in hopes of getting a teaching certificate. That all went for naught when we moved to California. I did take three courses at The College of William and Mary that I loved, and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to experience.

One was an introduction to linguistics class, which I'll probably mention when I review The Bird Way.

The second class was a modern history class where the professor announced, "Modern history is anything that has happened while I have been alive." He also said, "History is written by the winners, and it mostly ignores the losers."

The third was a children's literature class taught by a school librarian. Although her main job was in an elementary school, she was qualified to be a college professor.

In addition to a midterm and final exam, we had to do one oral and several written book reviews. In my oral review, I reviewed Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. In my review, I compared the book and the movie and concluded that although they were quite different, I loved them both.

I take great pride in the fact I aced that book report, and I also got an 'A' in the class.

Do you think a young woman would enjoy receiving a copy of this book on her 13th birthday?

delightful and wildly imaginative.

This was a real childhood favorite of mine!

Mrs Frisby is a small mouse who lost her husband recently.
Trying to be a single mom living on a farmer's corn field is hard enough, but when her son Timothy gets pneumonia right before winter, she needs help - quickly.

A big group of seclusive rats living under a rosebush is her only hope as they know things no normal rat would know. And since her late husband was friends with them, it seems reasonable to ask them for help.

However, the rats' secret is as scary as the theme of this book is educating and brilliant.

I first got in contact with the story through Don Bluth's animated masterpiece from the 80s: The Secret of NIMH.

I think every child/teenager should read this and educate themselves about the dark sides of modern science.

5 stars!

La verdad, no pensé que lo fuera a amar tanto. Es mucho mejor que la película, en el libro todos los animales son animales usuales de campo, los dibujos son bastante realistas y realmente el único elemento fantástico son los experimentos que se realizan en las ratas de NIMH (no hay piedras mágicas como en la película). Me encantó que mucho del libro es realmente el relato de lo que sucede con las ratas y cómo experimentan con ellas hasta que se vuelven inteligentes, me parece que es más la historia de ellos que de la señora Frisby, lo cual fue interesante porque sabemos más cosas de ellas y también, aunque parte esencial del libro es mover la casa de los ratones, también lo es ver cómo sobrevivirán las ratas al final. Es un libro maravilloso, me hizo recordar mucho mi infancia, pero también pude leerlo como una historia diferente a la que conocía.

I forgot how much I love this book. I was a little nervous re-reading it because I hadn't read it since I was a kid and I was worried that it wouldn't hold up well, but I needn't have worried. The book is just as wonderful now as it was then.

One of the things I find very interesting now is the way that humans are portrayed. Not bad or good, but just very human. Going about their lives not really appreciating how they affect everything around them. But also not entirely clueless.

This book will always hold a special place in my heart.

Very charming. I enjoyed this immensely. The epilogue is unfortunately unsatisfactory, but I can deal with it.

I read this several times as a kid. I was most fascinated by the experiments at NIMH (a real government organization!) and would read just those chapters over and over. It’s an intelligent book and expects young readers to understand it. It is not condescending to the young audience.

At fifty years old, the book shows traditional gender roles that some may find offensive. Yet Mrs. Frisby, a housewife mouse with no special enhancements from NIMH of her own, shows amazing courage, strength, and composure. She is a truly strong female and doesn’t have to act like a male to be so.

Language: None
Sexual Content: None
Violence: Mild
Harm to Animals: Some mice are blown away in an air duct and presumed dead. The cat gets drugged periodically. Some rats die of accidental electrocution. A couple rats die of poison gas. Rats and mice are experimented on.
Harm to Children: None
Other (Triggers): Mild sexism