The Secrets of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

 

Summary (from the publisher): Life has been hard for Mrs. Frisby ever since her husband died. When her youngest son becomes dangerously ill and needs to be moved in order to avoid the farmer's plough, she doesn't know what to do. A wise owl advises her to ask the rats for help, but Mrs. Frisby is hesitant—how could a rat help her?

Then she learns a surprising truth. Not only did the rats know her husband well, but they also shared a secret with him. They were all once laboratory captives, subject to injections and tests, which made them more cunning than ordinary animals. In fact, the rats have built an underground city, full of secret passageways and great machines! They agree to help Mrs. Frisby—but when the farmer calls for exterminators to take care of his rat problem, the rats may need more help than one little mouse can give in return.

Review: Mrs. Frisby is a mouse who was recently widowed and is now charged with raising her four children on her own. When her young son Timothy grows ill, she finds she must take extraordinary risks to try to save his life. Along the way, she learns that there was a lot about her husband that she never knew. From the rats she meets, she learns he was once a captive in a laboratory, subjected to strange injections and test that made them exceedingly smart. The rats agree to help Mrs. Frisby save her family, but the effort will not be without risks to all. 

I read this at some point growing up and remember loving it but not a lot of details. I recently found a free copy in a bin at a used bookstore and decided to read it aloud with my three kids. This is considered a middle grade classic, so it also counted towards my goal of reading 26 classics in 2026. I was worried that this would be a bit too dense and too long for my children, who have mostly been reading the American Girls books aloud with me (they are 8, 6, and 4 at the time of reading) and it does have some rather advanced parts (especially the laboratory chapters), but they all LOVED each. Each night, I would ask who could remember what was last happening and we would summarize what had taken place. They were so anxious about the fate of the Frisby family and tensions were high as the story went on! (Without this being too scary though!). When you're a tiny mouse, a farm and the surrounding woods can seem so formidable, which made Mrs. Frisby's courage all the more admirable. 

This story was so delightful, with its charming cast of small animals. I of course loved the Frisby family, but I also loved the scenes with the owl and crow. The rats were fascinating with their supernatural abilities and intellect, and my children loved the description of their tunnel and all their many innovations down inside their living quarters. While we do see the farmer and his family, I loved that the animals are the stars of this story. And at heart it is truly such a relatable story since it focuses on a mother's love for her children, the fight to survive, and the desire to live honestly to the best of our abilities. 

I was surprised by how much this book functions as a story within a story. At one point, the rat Nicodemus sets out to fill Mrs. Frisby in on their back story in the laboratory so she can understand her late husband's past. This sections where Nicodemus narrates to her their story was a huge section of the book! And these chapters feel very different to the chapters that follow Mrs. Frisby's adventures. While the laboratory and escape scenes were exciting and necessary for our understanding of the rats, my favorite parts were the chapters that followed the action of Mrs. Frisby. And I did think those chapters were a bit easier for my youngest to follow as well. 

I am so pleased I was able to read this book and make these memories with my kids. This is a wonderful adventure story with universal themes that anyone could appreciate and enjoy.

Stars: 4