Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Although I wasn't particularly keen to read this book (and its sequel) for my Year in Disney Movies project, I found myself pleasantly surprised.
This is written in that perfect children's classic, read-aloud way -- except, unlike many middle-grade authors, Margery Sharp has the discipline not to headhop, instead breaking character perspectives into short sections within chapters. It inserts funny commentary or asides that add to an overall tone of warmth, dignity, and importance without ever wandering too far from the story or characters.
Like all books I end up falling unexpectedly in love with, it is the characters that do it for me in this book. I love the portrayal of Bernard as a humble "pantry mouse" who nevertheless manages the capture the heart of the genteel house pet, Bianca. I like that Bianca's sheltered existence and wealth do not make her snobbish, even as she is sometimes baffled by the things she encounters outside her "porcelain pagoda." And I love that, rather than get distracted by the half-baked plot of rescuing a Norwegian prisoner (I never did figure out why this particular prisoner was worthy of rescue but not the others?), the book focuses instead on the relationships between the three very different mice -- Bernard, Bianca, and the course pirate, Nils, and the way they have to learn to live and work together in close quarters and under dangerous circumstances. Despite the overall warm and cozy tone of the book, stark moments of darkness keep it from ever becoming too saccharine -- such as the bones of prisoners the mice encounter on the way to the Black Castle, or a cat's almost sexual pleasure in tormenting Miss Bianca.
These are the most human mice I have ever met, and I'm glad this project pushed me to ride across the Norwegian countryside in the back of a prison supply wagon and cross treacherous waters guided by a map covered with bonnets with them.
This is written in that perfect children's classic, read-aloud way -- except, unlike many middle-grade authors, Margery Sharp has the discipline not to headhop, instead breaking character perspectives into short sections within chapters. It inserts funny commentary or asides that add to an overall tone of warmth, dignity, and importance without ever wandering too far from the story or characters.
Like all books I end up falling unexpectedly in love with, it is the characters that do it for me in this book. I love the portrayal of Bernard as a humble "pantry mouse" who nevertheless manages the capture the heart of the genteel house pet, Bianca. I like that Bianca's sheltered existence and wealth do not make her snobbish, even as she is sometimes baffled by the things she encounters outside her "porcelain pagoda." And I love that, rather than get distracted by the half-baked plot of rescuing a Norwegian prisoner (I never did figure out why this particular prisoner was worthy of rescue but not the others?), the book focuses instead on the relationships between the three very different mice -- Bernard, Bianca, and the course pirate, Nils, and the way they have to learn to live and work together in close quarters and under dangerous circumstances. Despite the overall warm and cozy tone of the book, stark moments of darkness keep it from ever becoming too saccharine -- such as the bones of prisoners the mice encounter on the way to the Black Castle, or a cat's almost sexual pleasure in tormenting Miss Bianca.
These are the most human mice I have ever met, and I'm glad this project pushed me to ride across the Norwegian countryside in the back of a prison supply wagon and cross treacherous waters guided by a map covered with bonnets with them.
The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
Three mice get recruited by Prisoners’ Aid Society, a mouse bureaucracy dedicated to rescuing people, to bust a Norwegen poet out of the dungeon of a tightly locked castle. The movie is based on the second book, apparently.
I love the framework for the book. The vibe has a children’s book parallel to an Alistair MacLean style spy adventure story. But for how fun it gets in some parts, it really drags in others. It meanders quite a bit before the caper kicks in, and it drags when the book stalls out a couple of times in the middle of the action.
On whole, the mice do a lot of waiting around in various settings. Then occasionally fun stuff happens.
You can feel the age of the time in what is considered exciting. The mice find a toy speedboat and drive it. Can you imagine such a thing? No action with the speedboat, just driving.
The gender roles also feel the weight of their time. They aren’t extreme, and the characters are kind to each other, but it just wears on you reading the gender essentialism of what a woman mouse is supposed to be like.
A big missed opportunity in the plot is that you never really find out about the prisoner. Why rescue him and not others? How is he not going to just be put back in jail? There’s no urgency. He’s just a shallow McGuffin.
I don’t regret reading it. The language was at too high of a level for my 1st grader. So if we read the second, it will be when he’s older.
Three mice get recruited by Prisoners’ Aid Society, a mouse bureaucracy dedicated to rescuing people, to bust a Norwegen poet out of the dungeon of a tightly locked castle. The movie is based on the second book, apparently.
I love the framework for the book. The vibe has a children’s book parallel to an Alistair MacLean style spy adventure story. But for how fun it gets in some parts, it really drags in others. It meanders quite a bit before the caper kicks in, and it drags when the book stalls out a couple of times in the middle of the action.
On whole, the mice do a lot of waiting around in various settings. Then occasionally fun stuff happens.
You can feel the age of the time in what is considered exciting. The mice find a toy speedboat and drive it. Can you imagine such a thing? No action with the speedboat, just driving.
The gender roles also feel the weight of their time. They aren’t extreme, and the characters are kind to each other, but it just wears on you reading the gender essentialism of what a woman mouse is supposed to be like.
A big missed opportunity in the plot is that you never really find out about the prisoner. Why rescue him and not others? How is he not going to just be put back in jail? There’s no urgency. He’s just a shallow McGuffin.
I don’t regret reading it. The language was at too high of a level for my 1st grader. So if we read the second, it will be when he’s older.
Very cute book!
Also, the total resemblance between the book and the movie is: There are mice, and they rescue someone.
Also, the total resemblance between the book and the movie is: There are mice, and they rescue someone.
I haven't read any "Rescuers" books for years. Actually, I forgot about them for a while. But happily, we are now reunited! This book is very different from the Disney film of the same name which is hardly surprising. In a nutshell, the plot is Bernard, Bianca and Norwegian mouse, Nils must rescue a Norwegian poet who is prisoner in The Black Castle. *dun dun DUN* But what made me laugh was, when they finally rescue the poet he does not find it strange in the least that three mice have come to rescue him because "...he was a poet. It is the gift of all poets to find the commonplace astonishing, and the astonishing quite natural." And the author said this later at least one more time to show the difference between the poet and a typical prisoner. "He was a poet so therefore..." That made me laugh.
I had forgotten how much I love rotund, big-hearted Bernard. If I had ever had more than one male pet mouse I would have named him Bernard. (The only male mouse we ever had was a mistake. Ha... ha. But, that's another story. We did, on the other hand, name a mouse after Bianca!)
I had forgotten how much I love rotund, big-hearted Bernard. If I had ever had more than one male pet mouse I would have named him Bernard. (The only male mouse we ever had was a mistake. Ha... ha. But, that's another story. We did, on the other hand, name a mouse after Bianca!)
Such a delight to revisit this beautifully written and illustrated classic !
A book about mice in a Prisoners' Aid Society trying to free a (human) Norwegian poet from undeserved imprisonment in the dungeons of the Black Castle - Bernard, with the aid of diplomat's son's pet mouse named Miss Bianca and a Norwegian mouse named Nils, try to find a way to liberate the prisoner from the "inescapable" Black Castle . . .
My 7 and 9yo loved this book and are now prodding me to get the resort of the series.
cute!! a fun read between reading uni texts ^_^ miss bianca is such a queen
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Do not expect this to be like the Disney movie. This is an entirely different tale. It's quite good, definitely aimed at the younger readers. A delightful fantasy for all mouse lovers. The ending shows the authoress did not have the series planned out in advance. There is plenty of adventure and excitement in the book, a most dangerous cat to avoid, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles to overcome. I had read two other books in this series before, but not the first one. The later books are even better, in my opinion.
2.5* Stars
I've wanted to read The Rescuers because I really enjoyed the Disney animated version.
That said, as much as I liked the concept of talking mice, this book (published in 1959) had a lot of things in it that made me cringe because of her subjective writing of the animals, their characters and surroundings.
The author made the charcters (Miss Bianca, Bernhardt and Nils) feel vrey much almost human with human characteristics. I'm not so sure I've liked that either. There is something in this book that I didn't enjoy but can't put my finger on what exactly it was.
Athough it's a 'make-you-feel-good' kind of story, there are plenty of better books I've read like The Wind in the Willows or Winnie the Pooh, which in my opinion were more better written and more enjoyable.
Of course there is no real depth in most children's books but I personally like a story that is funny, imagnative but at the same time has some kind of depth to it.
I've wanted to read The Rescuers because I really enjoyed the Disney animated version.
That said, as much as I liked the concept of talking mice, this book (published in 1959) had a lot of things in it that made me cringe because of her subjective writing of the animals, their characters and surroundings.
The author made the charcters (Miss Bianca, Bernhardt and Nils) feel vrey much almost human with human characteristics. I'm not so sure I've liked that either. There is something in this book that I didn't enjoy but can't put my finger on what exactly it was.
Athough it's a 'make-you-feel-good' kind of story, there are plenty of better books I've read like The Wind in the Willows or Winnie the Pooh, which in my opinion were more better written and more enjoyable.
Of course there is no real depth in most children's books but I personally like a story that is funny, imagnative but at the same time has some kind of depth to it.