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Review: Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien – Rats! Mice! Other...expletives...

Novel: Children's book, adventure. 


I loved the "The Secret of NIMH" animated film as a child; it was dark and thought-provoking, and still “Kid friendly”. It was like a less brutal version of Watership down. So I decided I should read the book.


I was not disappointed, mostly. But the disappointment only stemmed from the book being considerably tamer than the Don Bluth movie (A thing indeed!), the book was still quite the experience, had some very interesting ideas, and made me think while still being targeted at children. This I have to applaud, as I can not stand the dumbing down of media for the "benefit" of children. I believe it to be detrimental, to say the least.

The plot is this, Mrs. Frisby, a mouse, has to visit the dangerous and mysterious rats that live under the thorn bush after her son gets caught with the fever and she has to move her entire house (A brick) with him in it, before the farmer uses his tractor to plow the field. It has its fair share of tension, and it has a likable protagonist and some fairly interesting side characters. And the story resolves in a neat, well done, and semi-symbolic way.

I fear, however, that I was too old when I read it. It just...somewhat bored me. But that doesn't mean that the book is bad, I just picked it up a few years too late. I read it when I was thirteen or fourteen and I am sure that I would have loved it if I had been just a year or two younger. So if you are thinking about picking it up for someone ages 6-12 then I suggest you do so. Then again, not everyone is the same, and I like to think were all a bit different.

So this book might bore a six-year-old, or it could fascinate a twenty-year-old, it depends on your personality. But if you were expecting it to be as dark as the movie, then you will probably be a bit disappointed. Which again is not a bad thing necessarily; the book has its own legs to stand on and is a fine experience.

I rate it mostly Good with a few parts bordering on Great (If you haven’t read any of my other reviews then this will show you how I rate books = Awful - Bad - Good - Great – Brilliant

Ultimately, the book is a classic for a reason and I think it deserves the awards which it received. If you are looking for a good book to give to a child to pre-teen relative, then this book is a pretty good option.

Thank  you for reading and have a nice day!
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