Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

My neighbors, Cheree, told me that she and her husband (avid readers) have set a goal to read all of the Newbery books. (I think that there are ~85 of them now.) She said that they were past the halfway mark. I liked the idea so, while still trying to keep up with two book clubs, I'm reading Newberys. I've only read about 16 so far (but I'm not counting it if I really don't remember it even though I think I've read it). Today I finished Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I have had this book on my shelf for years, but, sadly, I hadn't read it. (Well, I suppose I still haven't because I listened to it on CD.) Loved it!!!

Here are a couple ideas. I don't think I revealed any major spoilers...

Mrs. Frisby is a mother who gains courage to do the impossible in order to save her sick child. She is willing to take dangerous journeys out of desperation to the owl, across the farmyard (passing the cat) and eventually to an unlikely friendship with a colony of rats. I continue to be amazed--now that I am a mother--at what I am willing to do for the benefit of my baby. Oftentimes it is mundane, but we just do it because they need us and rely on us. I couldn't help but love Mrs. Frisby for the mother that she was.

The Rats of NIMH were former lab rats that had learned to read, reason and live in a rather civilized manner. At one stage of their escape from NIMH, the leader, Nicodemus, comments that they'd never be able to return to their former life as rats living in the dump. They were new creatures because of the knowledge they had gained. I couldn't help but think of people as we are growing and maturing throughout our lives (especially within the gospel) that we really do become new people. As the Bible says, we are born again. And we could never return to the lives that we had left behind--all because we know that there is such a "better world" (Ether 12:4).

My last thought (and I wish I had good quotes for all of these, but listening to the CDs and then trying to go back and find certain quotes in the book--doesn't work too well): At one point in their "training", Nicodemus realizes that rats are typically hated because they steal from others. Rats scavenge (steal) food and the Rats of NIMH have set up a colony and even in their "enlightened state" they are stealing electricity, food, seeds and running water from the nearby farm house. Nicodemus and the others establish a plan to live self-sufficiently. I love the idea of people (or rats, I suppose) doing all in their power to support themselves and their families. It takes a lot of effort and perhaps there are easy ways to let someone else take care of you, but the self-respect and the skills that come from self sufficiency are irreplaceable.

I am sure that the idea of this book seems a bit silly, but I was amazed at what I took away from it!