Wednesday, November 4

RT, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH

Margaret never wanted to go camping in the first place - she'd rather spend time with her best friend Leon or eating junk food, but her parents thought it would be good for her and for her weird little brother Artie. Margaret knows he could speak if he wanted to, but why should he when he gets whatever he wants anyway?
Leaving their parents behind, Margaret takes Artie for a little walk, carefully watching which way they went, but when they turn a bend a come across a bear, the children run without paying any attention to where they're going. Now lost and helpless, Margaret is responsible for her little brother, and afraid they're going to die.
Christopher's feelign out of sorts and unappreciated by his colony. When he goes off exploring and discovers strange creatures in a cave he's excited - now he has a secret of his own. He hears the bigger one call the littler one "RT" - something makes him feel sorry for him, and Christopher packs up some food from the kitchen. When the bigger creature catches him and takes him prisoner, Christopher potentially risks the entire colony. Instead, the rats take Artie and Margaret in, caring for them through the summer and changing their lives.
The third in the NIMH trilogy, RT, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH is a heart-warming tale of human/animal connection and change. It has all the elements that annoyed me in the first two NIMH novels but to a significantly lesser extent, and though my credibility was at times stretched all in all I quite enjoyed re-reading the novel, at least in comparison with my first two NIMH re-reading experiences. I also feel no need to return to the world of the enhanced rats any time soon. - Alex

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