"And then what? What will happen when he announces that there's a group of civilized rats roaming loose - rats that can read, and think, and figure things out?' I said: 'Let's wait until we're free before we worry about that.' But Jenner was right. It was a thing to worry about, and maybe still is."
"I'm Timothy's mother. If you, and Arthur, and others in your group can take risks to save him, surely I can too."
Mrs. Frisby is the mother of a small family of mice that live in Mr. Fitzgibbon's garden. Her youngest son, Timothy, is recovering from pneumonia and moving day is coming. As she races the approaching spring, Mrs. Frisby steps way out of her comfort zone to ask help from crows, owls, and even the elusive rats who live in the rosebush. She soon finds that her late husband has a mysterious connection with the rats, for he has come from the same place they did. NIMH. What makes the rats so different from the other woodland creatures around the Fitzgibbon farm? You will have to read to find out!
Why I Love It
My mother read to us often growing up, but when I think of being read to I think first of my father. He read to us every night when we were little, usually from this book. It has been one of my favorite books ever since. Today, I read this book to my fourth-grade class every year and I have never had a group that didn't love it. At first, they question the importance of a field mouse as the main character and, for today's children, the formal title makes Mrs. Frisby a hard character to get to know. However the mystery of the Rats soon has them hooked and they always accuse me of stopping at the best part wherever we have to put it down.
You Should Know
Because this is an older book and the setting is focused on life on a farm we always end up drawing a lot of pictures on the board so students can understand what the book is talking about. I would recommend stopping to discuss unfamiliar terms and draw things like Mrs. Frisby's cinderblock house and the plowed field the rats describe to help students visualize what is going on.
There is a movie adaptation of the book, The Secret of NIMH, from 1982. I never liked the movie, but most of that was due to the fact that I was so in love with the book. Despite sharing a basic premise, there is little in common between the two. The movie loses the feel and tone of the book and also changes the genre from science fiction to fantasy by making Nicodemus a wizard with an amulet and making that the center of the story.
Talking Points
- There are many important parts of the story where characters help one another. What are the outcomes of those situations? Do how the characters feel about each other change as a result of characters helping one another? How would the situations have been different if the characters had decided not to help?
- Who would you say is the bravest character in this book? Why? How would you define bravery?
- Before you meet the rats, what is your opinion of them? What do the other animals think of them? In general (outside of the book), how are rats thought of? Why do you think the author chose rats as the heroes in this book? How are the rats in this story different than rats you encounter in other stories?
- Why did the rats come up with their Plan? Do you think it will succeed? Why do Jenner and some of his friends disagree with the Plan? Do they have valid concerns? Which side of the argument would you be on if you lived with the rats?
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