Robert O'Brien's Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Began: 1/23/07
End: 01/24/07
Quality: Six Out of Ten.
Reason: Newbery Award.
Genre: Fiction ; Children's
Number: First.
Thoughts:

I thought it was really quite good although much different from what I expected it to be. I remember watching the movies version in the 80's and loving it and that story seemed quite a bit darker and I remember that Jenner was a cunning and diabolical villian, rather than a break off with differing philosophies.

The basic story has to do with the mouse Mrs. Frisby. Her son comes down with phenonmia and must not be moved at all and kept warm. Mr. Fitzgibbon, the farmer whose fields their winter house lay, is about to plow the field for the spring destroying their winter house. Mrs. Frisby gets advice to go to the rats of Nimh and thus the story begins.

I found the story interesting but it was not the page turner that I had anticipated based on my memories of the movie. I also really wanted to know more about the rats of NIMH, wanted to know more about their civilization, the structure of their soceity, their plans, ect. I thought it was interesting how much O'brien left to the reader's imaginaton. He didn't really tie up any of the loose ends and I think I liked that about the book, make people think.