Customer Reviews
A great book for young readers 
2008-08-13
NIMH is a great book for young readers (11-13). The book is a great story about survival, sacrifice, and challenged me to root for a mob of rats.
Mrs. Frisby is a very sympathetic character that shows that regardless of species in literature, moms are moms, and they'll do whatever it takes to take care of their family.
I think that young readers will enjoy this book, but older teenage readers could balk at the subject rather wanting to read something more intuned to their interests.
Insipid cover currently shipping 2008-07-16
The cover art shipping now (July '08) is the beige one in the alternate images -- a useless and dull cover compared with the exciting view of Mrs. Frisby and the crow Jeremy against blue on display at this page. I wish I'd bought this in a bookstore instead, and might have had another choice of cover art. At least the interior art is the excellent classic version.
Sci-Fi Animals! 2008-07-06
I've read this book over and over again since I was a kid and it continues to be one of my favorites.
O'Brien, who frequents the sci-fi-esque world, has totally translated it into a surprisingly belieavable world dominated by rats, crows, and other critters of the woodland. Fused with this is the concept of... lab rats, held in captivity by the very real National Institute of Mental Health.
Simply put, this is a story about a widowed mother mouse who needs to help her family. It's charming and exciting enough, but it all becomes deeper as she involves herself with the one group that can help her--The Rats of NIHM.
Here the story becomes a stunning fantasy and a close look at how people (vermin or human) act and think. In some ways it's a social commentry, but first and foremost it is just an incredible story.
Great Book for all ages! 2008-07-02
What a fabulous story! This is truly a book for animal lovers of all ages.
Childhood memories I should have made 2008-05-16
I'm not sure why I got it, but Mom got me a comic book trade paperback of "The Secret of NIMH" when I was a kid. Later, my aunt got me "Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH, but I didn't really get started into it. I saw "The Secret of NIMH" for sale at my store a while ago, and decide to read the book instead. What a joy!
First, I love rats. I used to have eight of them. Why I didn't give them a NIMH name, I don't know, didn't think of it. The rats of NIMH are a small stretch. Rats are smart, charming, social animals, each with their own personality traits and a lot of fun to watch.
And the story is charming and fun, appealing to the child and the adult in me. It has a real sense of discovery, achievement, adventure, and worldview.
Mrs. Frisby is a widowed field mouse with a big problem. Her youngest son is very ill, but Farmer Fitzgibbons is getting ready to plow his fields soon, and she must leave her home. Contemplating her problem, she meets a crow who advises her to consult an owl, who in turn sends her to the rats under the rosebush. When the rats realize they have a common bond, they agree to help her.
The mysterious rats, years ago, escaped from a lab that injected them with drugs that greatly extended their lives and dramatically increased their intelligence. The rats resettled into the rosebush, and are preparing to move again. A schism has arisen in their ranks. Meanwhile, Mrs. Frisby still needs help.
After reading, I may give the movie another go. I haven't seen it in almost 15 years.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh 2008-05-14
Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service.
How did I ever miss reading this as a child? 2008-05-12
You might wonder why a forty year old man is reading and writing a rave review for a children's story..., well..., great books are great books.
Back in the 70's when I was growing up I somehow missed Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, I also missed seeing the movie until a few weeks ago. What a wonderful find it has been!
O'Brien is a master storyteller, leaving just enough information for you to draw your own conclusions, but not quite enough to know if your conclusions are correct.
Although there are several "sequels" to this book, I wonder what O'Brien had in mind?
To summarize (no spoilers) what does one do when you discover that all you though you knew in life was really somewhat of an illusion?
This is one of the key questions faced by Mrs. Frisby as she learns of her deceased husband Johnathan's relationship with the Rats of NIMH. It is also the question that the Rats find themselves facing as they realize that they are unique in the world and decide to formulate their "plan".
Perhaps that is why like life O'Brien left so many open issues. One never knows how things will end up, and in truth it is no so much the destination but the journey on takes to get there.
Cheers!
tale (or tail) wi/a tale 
2008-03-16
I bought this bk based on summaries & reviews on Amazon when I searched for bks for my 9 yr old 3rd grade daughter to read in the fantasy genre for school; she has not read it yet (she chose to start w/other options I purchased - Mrs Piggle-Wiggle's Birthday, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, & Sideways Stories from Wayside School), but I went ahead; the basic tale is about a widowed mother field mouse who faces the dilemma of needing to move her family from its winter home to its summer home, only one child is ill & not up to the move; this alone is not enough to rope you in, but the story catches you off guard when it goes much deeper; the mouse forms unlikely liaisons w/a crow, an owl, & rats; she takes risks to save her family & becomes a heroine; not only do the lives of animal kingdom characters parallel those of humans in many ways, but the complexities of intelligence & spiritual contemplation are portrayed; as the story evolved, I could not put it down; I was hungry for more & disappointed because of unanswered questions at the end; there is clearly room for a sequel; the research rats' experience reminded me of Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon" & Dr Oliver Sacks story/"Awakening" movie in that broadening horizons has pros & cons (advances in this story not temporary like in "Flowers" & "Awakenings"); the bk is said to target ages 9-12 or "young adult", but is a sophistocated work; it would only appeal to the most deep thinking 9-12 yr olds who want more than a quick read purely for entertainment
Rats are better than you think! 2007-10-06
This is such a wonderful book! We read it to our children when they were little, and they loved it. Now that we are retired and reading to each other at night, we decided that was one book we needed to revisit. Needless to say, we're glad we did. We loved it just as much the second time around and highly recommend it to children and parents!
Spectacular and timeless 2007-09-10
The Rats of NIMH is a spectacular and timeless story for all ages. Re-reading it at the age of 25, after at least 12 years away, it was better than ever. O'Brien's prose is masterly, and there's not a hint of anything unneeded. One of my favorite books, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a book for everyone.
