Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

by Robert C. O'Brien, Zena Bernstein (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689710681
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	03/01/1986
Series:	Rats of NIMH Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	10,784
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.66(h) x 0.65(d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

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.

Table of Contents

	The Sickness of Timothy Frisby	3
	Mr. Ages	12
	The Crow and the Cat	20
	Mr. Fitzgibbon's Plow	27
	Five Days	33
	A Favor from Jeremy	39
	The Owl	45
	"Go to the Rats"	53
	In the Rosebush	61
	Brutus	68
	In the Library	75
	Isabella	83
	A Powder for Dragon	89
	The Marketplace	96
	In the Cage	103
	The Maze	112
	A Lesson in Reading	120
	The Air Ducts	129
	The Boniface Estate	142
	The Main Hall	149
	The Toy Tinker	158
	Thorn Valley	165
	Captured	178
	Seven Dead Rats	187
	Escape	195
	At the Meeting	206
	The Doctor	216
	Epilogue	227

Editorial Reviews

Both the story and the tale within it are deftly told, fulfilling the first requisite of fantasy by making the impossible believable."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Barbara Caruso appeals to the listener’s sympathy while telling the award-winning tale of a widowed mouse’s attempt to save her family and home from a farmer’s plow. Her motherly concern begs compassion as Mrs. Frisby determinedly tries to avoid tragedy. As she seeks help from the rats of NIHM, the mood shifts and Caruso assumes the role of the rat leader, Nicodemus. In wise and stoic speech, the narrator reveals the history and future of this unique civilization while members of the colony devise a plan to help Mrs. Frisby. Young adult listeners will be glued to Caruso’s spellbinding performance. M.P.T. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine

JUN 94 - AudioFile