Rating: 2/5
Mrs Frisby’s youngest son Timothy is ill with pneumonia and it’s serious. Mr Ages, the doctor, says that he must not get out of bed for at least four or five weeks. Mrs Frisby and her children live in the farmyard of Mr Fitzgibbon and his family, and Mr Fitzgibbon is getting ready to plough his fields for the spring. Usually, the mouse and her kindred would call the day a few days before this ‘Moving Day’, but with Mr Ages’ grave words, Timothy would not survive the journey to the spring house at the other side of the forest. What can she do?
Oh, how she wishes that her husband Jonathan Frisby might still be alive! But no; that will not happen. As she hurries back from Mr Ages’ house, though, she comes across the rats during bizarre things with a piece of rope.
The rats! Of course – they would help her, perhaps. She knew they were supposed to be mean-hearted creatures, but Timothy must live. She knew also that SHE wouldn’t live without him if he did not survive. And then what about the other children? What about Martin, Teresa and Cynthia? They would have no father, no mother, and no little Timothy. Of course, she thought as she pressed on, I will go to the rats directly and see what they can do.
At first, the guard rat (named Brutus) refused to let her in. “Who is expecting you, mousey foe?” he growled, stamping his rake on the ground. Mrs Frisby said, “I’m afraid that no one is expecting me. I came to ask if you might help me. My name is Frisby.” When Brutus realised that she was the wife of the late Jonathan Frisby, he gasped, apologised, and let her in immediately.
As it turns out, the rats are lovely creatures. Mrs Frisby explains that she needs advice on ‘Moving Day’, and they agree to help her. She also says that she did not know of her husband’s acquaintance with the rats. “Well,” one called Nicodemus said. “He was all part of the Plan. So was another mouse, and six more, but they were killed. We were deeply sorry to hear the loss of Mr Jonathan also,” he ended abruptly. He went on to explain about the Plan, and Mrs Frisby listened with glistening eyes and warming heart. She agreed that if they could help her, she would help them – she knew they were as desperate for advice as she was.
I did enjoy this book, but I didn’t like that 90% of it was Nicodemus telling Mrs Frisby about the plan – no jokes! He didn’t even say it bit by bit with anyone interrupting in between, no “Nicodemus continued”, no “Nicodemus added”, just plain talking. So it was a bit boring!