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Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

by Robert C. O'Brien (Author), Zena Bernstein (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,854 ratings
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Some extraordinary rats come to the aid of a mouse family in this Newbery Medal Award–winning classic by notable children’s author Robert C. O’Brien.

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.
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  1. ISBN-10
    9780689710681
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0689710681
  3. Publisher
    Aladdin
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 1986
  5. Book 1 of 3
    Rats of NIMH
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    5.13 x 0.6 x 7.63 inches
  8. Print length
    240 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

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.END

About the Author

Robert C. O’Brien (1918–1973) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Williams College and graduated from the University of Rochester. He was a writer and editor for Newsweek, National Geographic, and other publications. He lived in New York City and then in Washington, DC, with his wife and four children. Z for Zachariah—which is now a major motion picture starring Margot Robbie, Chris Pine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor—was completed by his wife and daughter, with the help of his notes, after his death. He is also the author of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and The Silver Crown.

Zena Bernstein has a BFA from Syracuse University. She began her career as a book illustrator in New York City. Zena uses a combination of watercolor and acrylics in her work. Through a meticulous process, she carefully places several layers of dots of pure color to suggest subtle tones and shades. She refers to her creative work as a labor of love. Her drawings range from the natural world of mushrooms and insects to the unseen world of fairies and gnomes. She’s perhaps best known for illustrating the children’s book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Zena currently calls Canada home; it’s also the home of the fairies she draws and writes about.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aladdin (March 1, 1986)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780689710681
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0689710681
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 10 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 790L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.6 x 7.63 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,854 ratings

About the author

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Robert C. O'Brien

Robert C. O'Brien

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Robert C. O'Brien In real life, Robert C. O'Brien was Robert Leslie Conly. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, attended Williams College and graduated from the Universtiy of Rochester. While there he studied piano at Eastman School of Music, and at one time considered being a musician. Instead, he became an editor and writer for Newsweek magazine from 1941 to 1944, and for Pathfinder from 1946 to 1951. From 1951 until the time of his death in 1973 he was employed as a writer and editor by the National Geographic Magazine. He made his home in New York City before 1944 and in Washington, D.C. after that. He also had a home in Morgan County, West Virginia, after 1965, a place he loved and visited as often as he could. He was married and the father of one son and three daughters. His books include The Silver Crown, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, which won the Newbery Award, and A Report From Group 17. His last book, Z is for Zachariah was nearly completed at the time of his death; the last few chapters were written from notes by this wife and one of his daughters.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
3,854 global ratings
Amazon Shipping AND Novel Reviews
5 Stars
Amazon Shipping AND Novel Reviews
BOOK Review:Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh is my favorite book ever. Read it as a child multiple times and decided I wanted to relive The feeling of this book. This book does a great job at describing what true courage and taught me a lot as a child. The artwork is beautiful.AMAZON Review:Overall, Amazon did a good job while shipping this. It even came with a gold literary sticker. Had a tiny scratch, but the spine wasn’t even cracked or ripped which can sometimes happened during shipping. I wish it came with bubble wrap though. Worked good for me though!
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Top reviews from the United States

Chiara
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024
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Always loved the movie so reading the book to see all the differences is a must! It’s awesome!!! One of my favs!
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Johnny SwagMax
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for kids and adults alike....
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2014
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I'll try to keep the synopsis short since you've probably already read a few at this point. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is the story of a widowed field mouse named Mrs. Frisby, whose youngest son, Timothy, has fallen ill. In her quest to save her son she encounters a vast array of friends and enemies; a crow, an owl, a cat, and even the mysterious Rats of NIMH!

I remember reading this book when I was in elementary school. I don't believe it was for a class or anything, it was just a random book (I probably wasn't aware of what the Newbery Medal was at that point) I found in the library. Anywho, I recently decided to purchase the book and re-read it. I couldn't recall much about the narrative beyond the origin of the rats and the general vibe I got from reading it. Maybe it's partially due to nostalgia, but the vibe of magic/mystery I originally got from NIMH is still there. It's definitely a page-turner, for a children's book it doesn't seem overly simplistic, the pacing is fairly brisk while the descriptions of the different characters/settings are sufficient without bogging the narrative down. The author, Robert C. O'Brien, did a great job in balancing all of these elements and readers of all ages should be able to enjoy this well crafted work.

If you liked / are interested in this, I also recommend checking out the 1982 Don Bluth film adaptation, The Secret of NIMH. Bluth takes some liberties with the plot, but more importantly he nails the aforementioned ethereal quality of the book (and with the brilliant animation perhaps expands on it in some ways). There's also a direct-to-video (...yeah) sequel, called The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue (released in 1998), that seems to be universally panned (as of writing this the IMDB rating is 3.3 out of 10).

As for the product itself, if you're going to be buying this I recommend getting the Hardcover Edition. I suppose this is a matter of personal preference but I usually stick with buying hardcover books due to their superior durability and appearance. I also like the cover art (the one where a caped Mrs. Frisby is standing next to a fence/tuft of grass, in front of a barn) better than the paperback (Mrs. Frisby looks like she's going to the Kentucky Derby on that one). The print is large / clear and there are also several illustrations (I believe these are present in all editions of the book). So yeah, I'm happy with this edition but I'm sure if you look around you could find several other editions/printings.

While I was reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, it became evident about 3/4ths of the way through that there was a lot of potential for the story and that the foundation was strong enough to support more stories based on NIMH. Not to spoil anything, but the ending doesn't exactly neatly tie up everything that happens. This does lend a uniquely melancholic affect to the ending, and also spurs your imagination and serves to add to the overarching mysterious element that I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, Robert C. O'Brien died in 1973 at the age of 55, 2 years after he had written NIMH, so it's difficult to say whether or not there would've been other books centered around it or if he intended the book to be a stand-alone work.

However, in 1986 there was a follow-up/sequel to Mrs.Frisby & the Rats of NIMH called Racso and the Rats of NIMH (yes, Racso, not Rasco). This book was written by Jane Leslie Conly, who is actually Robert C. O'Brien's daughter (turns out Robert C. O'Brien was the pseudonym he wrote under, his real name being Robert Leslie Conly). She also wrote a third book, titled R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH. I haven't read either of the 2 follow-ups, so I can't directly speak of their quality, but based on skimming thru a few reviews the opinions seem mixed.

So yeah, that's it for my review. Definitely check out this book plus the original film adaptation by Don Bluth, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Then if you're curious I guess check out the 2 book sequels by Conly, and finally the movie sequel if you're really desperate for NIMH related stuff (kids might not be too discerning). I'll possibly update this review after I've read/watched those.
28 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Completely satisfied
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024
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Exactly what I was looking for and exactly as described
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Joni Ryder
4.0 out of 5 stars Book is great content
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
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The book itself is a treasure. The description was misleading and came with more than “minimal” wear.
SPOILERS:
Some things I didn’t remember as a child but wanted to put out there for sensitive children: there is a dead man that the rats find. It’s not violent or gory, but might bother some kids. Also several of the rats die in the end.
One person found this helpful
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Joe Walsh
5.0 out of 5 stars The book is 100x better than the movie which was great also
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024
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Tremendously more story details and wonderful things happening in this book. Even though we all loved the movie, I didn't know anyone that mentioned having read the book. It's a gift finding these gems in the world.
2 people found this helpful
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Dania McKibben
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book EVER!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023
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I read this book in middle school and now at 56 yrs old I just read it again!!!
And I love love love it!!!
2 people found this helpful
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DONNA B
5.0 out of 5 stars Love books
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2023
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Given as a Christmas gift to a 12 yr old girl. I’m sure she will like it
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Top reviews from other countries

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Classics Lover
5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific story.
Reviewed in Canada on May 16, 2022
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Written in 1986, but still fascinating. Suggested age of 8 to 12 is probably about right, maybe better at the upper end because of the technology discussed among the highly intelligent rats!
One person found this helpful
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Eva R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Precioso
Reviewed in Spain on September 20, 2023
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Història que pueden disfrutar niños y adultos. Es muy emocionante y bonita.
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Mei
5.0 out of 5 stars An old favourite
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2022
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A solid story with exciting twists and turns that means my 6 year old kept pestering me to continue reading. A good story with which to illustrate the importance of kindness, family and friendship as well reading and problem solving skills. A impressive imaginative narrative that supports theory of mind development (my 10 year old is on the autistic spectrum), and poses questions on morality and civilization. It was a lovely experience sharing one of my personal favourite books as a child with my sons.
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Priya Rengarajan
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book as claimed by the 8 yr old
Reviewed in India on March 21, 2020
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8 yr was curious to turn over the pages during the entire reading session. Nicodomas, the rat was well characterized and liked by the child.
2 people found this helpful
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Sharoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Une très belle aventure animalière
Reviewed in France on June 24, 2017
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A l'image de ses protagonistes, il s'agit d'une œuvre très intelligente.
Enfant, j'avais vu le dessin animé de Don Bluth (une vraie merveille) et j'avais déjà été interpellée par cette histoire de rats qui évoluent suite à d'ignobles traitements dans un laboratoire...
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