Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

By Robert O'Brien
Animals: Mice, Rats, Crow
1972 Newbery Award Winner
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Mrs. Frisby the field mouse is in trouble. She is a widow with 4 children and her youngest, Timothy, is seriously ill with pneumonia. She goes to see Mr. Ages, the white mouse, for medicine. He gives her a cure but tells her that Timothy must be kept warm and not moved for a month. But in just 5 days Mr. Fitzgibbons will begin plowing the field and their home will be plowed up, too. Mrs. Frisby's new friend, Jeremy the crow, recommends going to see a wise old owl for help and the owl advises her to go the rats in the rosebush--if they can't help, no one can. But how can rats help her? Confused, Mrs. Frisby obeys and finds the rats aren't ordinary rats. They are escapees from a laboratory called NIMH where they were experimented upon in ways that made them bigger and smarter than even people, and Mrs. Frisby finds that her husband was also from this place called NIMH. Now Mrs. Frisby must be braver than she ever thought she could be to save not only her family, but the rats of NIMH. This is an exciting, wonderfully written story of extraordinary rats, crows, owls, and one very special mouse family that every reader will enjoy.