Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

Do you tend to remember things from childhood as bigger than they seem now; because you were smaller, things felt bigger? I’ve found the same principle applies to some books from my childhood. “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” is one of those books. I remember the story as a great adventure. Now, having re-read it, it is a much simpler story. And while that by no means lessened my enjoyment of the book, it was a different experience than I recalled. Much of the middle of the story is dedicated to the explanation of how the Rats of NIMH came to be and why they are living under the farmer’s rosebush. I did not remember much of this part of the story and it was a nice surprise reading it again. All in all, “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” is still a classic. It holds up very well for a book written almost 40 years ago.