Racso and the Rats of NIMH
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| Author | Jane Leslie Conly |
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| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Rats of NIMH Series |
| Genre(s) | Children, Fantasy |
| Publisher | HarperTrophy |
| Released | 1986 |
| Media Type | Hardback & Paperback |
Racso and the Rats of NIMH is the 1986 sequel to the popular book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, written by Jane Leslie Conly. It continues the story after the rats move to Thorn Valley.
When this story takes place, the Rats of NIMH have developed a self-sustaining community in Thorn Valley, where they are completely isolated from humanity. Timothy Frisby travels from his family's home to Thorn Valley, where he receives the same education that the young rats receive. Timothy Frisby is the youngest son of Jonathan, who also underwent the NIMH experiments, and Mrs. Frisby. Although his mother is an ordinary mouse, Timothy has inherited the extremely high intellect and long lifespan of his altered father. Along the way to Thorn Valley, he meets Racso ('Oscar' spelled backwards to sound tougher), the son of Jenner, a rebel Rat of NIMH who is considered a traitor by most people. Coming from a colony of savage rats in a city, Racso has trouble adjusting to life in a cultured town of rats. Because Jenner left the rats and exposed them to the threat of extinction in the first book, Racso is hesitant to reveal his family history to anyone.
Everyone's life in Thorn Valley is threatened when some humans want to build a dam there that would turn the entire valley into a lake. After learning of this plan, Racso, Timothy, and the entire rat colony must observe and sabotage the dam construction before the valley is flooded.
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[edit] Connections to previous works
[edit] Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Racso and the Rats of NIMH is a direct sequel to the Newbery Medal-winning book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conly's late father, Robert C. O'Brien. As such it serves to tie up many loose ends from the first book as well as being a whole new adventure. One of the most anticipated events of the first book was the possibility of Mrs. Frisby's children (Teresa, Martin, Timothy, and Cynthia) having grown up to visit the rats themselves and partake in adventures of their own. Within this book, however, only Timothy is shown as having actually left for Thorn Valley. Teresa and Cynthia are still at home, and Martin has started a family of his own. While it ties up this plot point cleanly, many readers criticized this, feeling that the other children had had much potential and deserved more exploration. Another answered question from the first book is the subject of Justin, one of the more prominent rats. In the end of the first story, it is hinted that Justin sacrificed himself in order to buy time for the rest of the rats to escape from NIMH. This was never confirmed, and indeed Justin is alive and well in the second book.
Another subject in which more information was brought to light was that of Jenner. In the first book it was hinted that Jenner had died, but in an event prior to those of the book. Jenner had disagreed with Nicodemus over leaving the city, and took a group of separatists to start a new colony. In the end of the first book, it is revealed that NIMH had found a number of unusual rats dead, and it is assumed that this is Jenner's group.
However, Jenner, according to the sequel, had in fact managed to escape the fate of the others and start a family of his own. Although he and the few surviving separatists had malevolent feelings toward the Thorn Valley group, they kept their distance, still believing that their way of life was better. In the sequel, it is revealed that Jenner had started a family, which Racso happens to be a part of. Jenner later makes a surprise appearance in the story and shows that despite his questionable loyalties, he cares strongly for his son. Some readers feel that the inclusion of Jenner as a semi-villain and antihero was heavily influenced by the film adaptation of the first book, The Secret of NIMH, in which Jenner played a much more central role than he did in the book.
[edit] The Secret of NIMH
It should be noted that the book sequel seems to be subtly influenced by Don Bluth's film adaptation of the book, The Secret of NIMH. The most prominent of these influences is the inclusion and characterization of Jenner; however there are many others, including Jeremy's more whimsical personality and Mrs. Frisby's red cape. The most glaring difference between the book and film, however, is on the subject of Nicodemus: not only did he survive the first book, but was also considerably younger in it. There is also the Red Amulet, a story prop unique to the film. More on this can be found at The Secret of NIMH's respective entry.
Racso and the Rats of NIMH has absolutely no connection to The Secret of NIMH 's less-than-well-received sequel, The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy To The Rescue.
[edit] References
- Conly, Jane Leslie; Lubin, Leonard; Conly, Jane; Lubin, Leonard B.; and O'Brien, Robert C. (1988). Racso and the Rats of Nimh (reprint ed.) HarperTrophy. ISBN 0-06-440245-2.
