Hello, Friday Fiction Fans! Today’s selection is the 1972 Newberry Medal winner, awarded to the most distinguished contribution to literature for children published in the United States. This middle-grade classic, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH was written by Robert C. O’Brien and also won other awards.
I can see why. You are quickly swept up into Mrs. Frisby’s life, a field mouse and widow caring for her four children. Her youngest, Timothy has pneumonia and she must see him well before moving day. The farm they live on plows the field where they live each year and they are forced to retreat into the forest.
When moving day approaches and Timothy is not well enough to leave, Mrs. Frisby takes courage and speaks to a crow, an owl, and finally the rats of NIMH. The rats part in the story really surprised me and was very inventive and creative on the author’s part.
If you have a young reader in your family or just enjoy a fun middle-grade read, you’ll love this book.
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.
