Reviews

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

Only show reviews with written explanations

hillarycopsey's review against another edition

4.0

Loved this book as a kid and was delighted to reread it for work and still enjoy it. The story within a story structure builds the suspense.

tmook's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous

4.0

It was going to be 4.5stars but the ambiguity of not knowing if Justin was one of the two rear guard that died deducted 1/2 a star for me.

purpledragonfly48's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I read this book multiple times as a child, but had forgotten a lot of the plot. While still enjoyable, there were some things that bothered me, mostly things like, why would animals use days of the week like humans do (and the same ones), clocks, etc. And wouldn't the humans notice that Dragon

seemed to be drugged, if the rats did it very often??

Also, even if an injection of DNA did somehow (no idea how, I think it's extremely unlikely if not impossible) increase the intelligence of rats and mice, it wouldn't create a new species the way the Dr seems to think because it wouldn't affect gametic DNA and thus would not be passed down to the offspring. So their children shouldn't be anything special. (Also, the mice were a side experiment WITHOUT A CONTROL GROUP??? No, just ... don't. Always include appropriate controls. A neurobiologist should know better.) Although these details kept me from becoming fully engaged in the story this time around, it's still a cute and interesting story with a lot of intriguing ideas (what would a rat civilization look like? what are the ethical implications of finding an injection that can increase a mammal's capacity to learn by an extraordinary amount, and another that, when combined, greatly slows or even stops aging?). I did enjoy it as a child, and do think it could be a good book for children, but adults will need to suspend their disbelief. Also, I had forgotten how bittersweet the ending is. I think this book does a good job of showing the values of teamwork, friendships, being willing to help others without knowing if you will gain from it, etc. and is surprisingly deep for a children's book about animals, but still provides an entertaining story, so that children can still enjoy and learn from it, even if they don't necessarily pick up on all of the nuance. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's surprisingly mature and nuanced, while still being kid-friendly. Wouldn't say that is a children's book adults need to read, but it's still a good book.

Content Warnings

mellymoo79's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

justkally's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Previous review stands. Was lovely to reread this.

Loved this book as a child when I read it in year 7 and I'm pleased to say that it's still as heartwarming now as it was then.