Rasco and the Rats of NIMH

Rats of NIMH #2

by Jane Leslie Conly

'Racso, a brash and boastful little rodent, is making his way to Thorn Valley, determined to learn how to read and write and become a hero. His bragging and lies get him off to a bad start, but a crisis gives him the opportunity to prove his mettle. A worthy successor to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, a Newbery Medal winner by the author's father].' 'BL.

1986 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
Children's Choices for 1987 (IRA/CBC)
Notable 1986 Childrens' Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1986 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
Best Science Fiction/Fantasy 1986 (VOYA)

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Classics

280 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 1986

About the author

Daughter of author Robert C. O'Brien.

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know who was more disappointed in this sequel to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, my 10-year-old or me.

Big sigh.

I don't wish to be negative about a sequel that a daughter wrote in order to carry out the story of her deceased father's beloved classic; I suspect good intentions were at play.

Daughter Jane managed the nuts and bolts of a strong narrative. . . but somehow the magic of the original story wasn't replicated here.

[Mary Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jane Leslie Conly is the daughter of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH author Robert C. O'Brien and wrote Racso and the Rats of NIMH and R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH following his death. Whatever the professional or personal reasons may be for having turned Mrs. Frisby... into a series, I wish it had been left as a standalone. Conly lacks O'Brien's narrative skill, subtlety, and originality. The characters we meet in the first book, including Nicodemus, Justin, and even Mrs. Frisby herself, think and behave in inconsistent ways, and the new characters are obnoxious and do not demonstrate significant growth. At one point Nicodemus gets so angry with Racso he grabs and dangles him above the ground until it's apparent Racso has learned his lesson. It was in no way Nicodemus from the first book. I don't even know what to make of the manner in which Jeremy the crow is depicted; it felt disrespectful and cheap. The plot is mediocre at best and involves weak echoes of crises from the first book, as well as changing events from the first book that should have been left alone. It's also obvious, partially due to this book's wearying preoccupation with computers, that while Racso's story takes place only 3 or so years after the end of Mrs. Frisby..., there was actually a gap of a couple decades between their publications.

My greatest criticisms of Racso..., however, are the misogyny and casual racism. While I was annoyed by the sexism in the first book, the story is still extremely enjoyable and allows for productive conversations regarding paternalism, deceit, and dignity. In Racso... there are significantly more girl/woman characters than in the original story, but they're lazy stereotypes (and incessantly mansplained): Isabella is compulsively flirtatious and ruled by emotions, Bertha is shrewish, Elvira is the stoic professional, Sally panics unless there's a man present to be her ballast, Mrs. Frisby is frightened at everything and can't make a decision by herself. Toxic, heteronormative romantic conquest is a frequent theme, and many times Racso decides to be decent to another rat simply because, well, she is an attractive rat after all! Several times throughout the book Racso refers to the film The Last of the Mohicans as his source for learning "Indian" skills and makes multiple inappropriate comments essentially labeling Indigenous groups exotic relics.

This book contains none of O'Brien's timeless storytelling and I can't recommend it. Do yourself a favor: read Mrs. Frisby... and just pretend this book doesn't exist.

[Tobinsfavorite · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm awfully sorry to my sister-in-law, to whom I sent my copy of this book. It had to be done.

This might have been a passable book if it weren't passed off as a sequel to "Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH". Maybe, if the author really wanted to write a book about hyperintelligent rodents, she could have used Mr. O'Brien's universe, yet let enough years go by that she writes about different rats. She should certainly not have used a character who is dead. (Sorry, even if there's no body, that rat is dead.)

O'Brien's work is more subtle. This is heavy-handed and blunt. Also, I couldn't stand the main character. I don't know why Ms Conly felt entitled to use this universe. It is possible that she is a relative of Mr O'Brien, but I recall that his family finished "Z for Zachariah" after his death, and that transition, wherever in the book it is, is seamless.

This is something else.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a recent re-read of one of my favorite children's books of all time, Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (my review), as part of the 2020 Autumn Reading Challenge I created (join us!), I learned that in the 1980s, O'Brien's daughter Jane Leslie Conly wrote a pair of authorized sequels, so on a lark I thought it'd be fun to read both of those as well. Unfortunately, though, at least when it comes to the first sequel, 1986's Racso and the Rats of NIMH, the reason you haven't heard of it is because it's simply not very good, and is a fine example of the almost indefinably ephemeral differences between mediocre children's literature and the all-time classics. Conly's guilty of several problems here at once, including the fact that the story mostly just trades on callbacks to the superior original, which always makes for a flat sequel; and that she dumbs down the entire story level altogether, taking an original that was mostly peopled by adult characters and that was aimed towards the very smartest tweens of the bell curve, and delivering a sequel that now concentrates on a bunch of child characters who act like petulant little toddlers (think for example of Elmo's relationship to the rest of the Muppets on Sesame Street), which dishonors the fact that the original is so fondly remembered precisely because it's written at a high level that will challenge most of the 8-to-12-year-olds it's meant for.

Then there's the fact that, after deliberately making the original characters act in the naturalistic, true-to-life way that real animals actually do in the real world (due to O'Brien being a decades-long contributor to National Geographic), giving the first book a kind of dazzling verisimilitude you often don't see in this genre, his daughter finally gives in and makes them the cutesy little anthropomorphic cartoon creatures you typically see in this genre's more mediocre titles. (In the sequel the animals wear tiny little human clothes, use tiny little human utensils, and have human-style bureaucratic jobs, such as the crows now being the de facto postal carriers of the animal world.) And then finally, for as much as Conly dumbs down the entire rest of the book, she then ratchets up the climax to an insanely complicated and unbelievable degree, in which the rats learn that a computer-controlled dam currently under construction is to wipe out the secret valley where they now live, so in six months go from never having seen a computer to all becoming veteran coders of PASCAL (mind you, without ever actually touching a computer themselves), so that they can sneak into the dam, load their virus software, and have the dam blow itself up without the humans realizing that the intelligent rats had anything to do with it. (Compare this to the technological climax of the first book, in which the rats use a pulley and rollers to move Mrs. Frisby's cinderblock nest two feet from its previous location, which while still clever and impressive feels much more like something that rats could actually accomplish.) The whole thing is just a really bad slap in the face to the intelligent, charming original, so much so that I'm now not even going to read the third book in the series, even though I checked it out of the library at the same time. For aging Gen-Xers like me who are looking for a stroll down Nostalgia Lane, I recommend stopping at the end of the original and not bothering with these sequels at all.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sequel to the classic "Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" is a wonderful little read for fans of the original, written by the author's daughter. It features the story of an original character's son, Rasco. Other reviews of different editions of this same book had me shaking my head at the negativity. I absolutely enjoyed it immensely. Everything is done true to the first book and the plot is interesting and characters well-rounded. Although I am an adult, I love books aimed at older children and I was astounded that anyone would not find this book a thoroughly good read. It can't have been easy with a classic book to follow on from, but I think it's a great job well done.

[Stelepami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I probably read this book when I was in third or fourth grade. So what? I still enjoy it. I love the community the rats are supposed to have formed in the wilderness and the little details about their lives in the valley. The plot can go hang for all I care, but I love the idea of rats with rucksacks gathering seeds for their tiny little utopia, writing letters with pokeberry ink on birchbark paper.
Also, it always makes me want peppermint patties.

[Deena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing that kept this from being 4 stars for me is that Racso is written a little too well!!

I was very glad to learn that the author is the daughter of the man who wrote the original story. I haven't read it, but I've always meant to, and I'm just OCD enough about such things that to have this sequel written by some random stranger would really have irritated me.

This can definitely be read and enjoyed even without having read the previous story, although I think it assumes we have (there are spoilers in it for the first book). The cast of characters was a bit large to really individualize, but Ms. Conly did about as well as could be expected with that.

This was sweet and fun, and I would absolutely have adored it if I'd read it as a child.

[Spider the Doof Warrior · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first one was better. This gets an extra star for being less sexist than the first was.
Seriously, people. Rats are not sexist.

Also I want rats.

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a great book.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how this author would measure up, but I've been a fan of Mrs. Frisby since childhood and wanted to give this book a try. I was pleased with the book and will definitely plan to read the third one. I think Racso is easy to identify with because he wants to fit in with his new found family and he wants to contribute in a meaningful way. He is just a bit misguided in the best way for doing that. We see a lot of flaws in Racso, but a lot of character growth along the way.

[King Haddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is strange to say I liked this one just as much if not more than the first book, especially being that it is written by a different author. But focusing on the younger generation really is entertaining in this book. I know, it definitely is not the same style nor feeling of the original, but both have their place, if differently, and both I consider great reads.

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Robert C. O'Brien's daughter, this is a beautiful work that's not only faithful to the rich characters O'Brien created, but adds additional emotional layers and even more excitement than the first.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely read this as RaSCo and the Rats of NIMH and it wasn't until my SO pointed out that I was reading it wrong that I realized it was RaCSo. It makes sense later in the story when we learn why his name is Racso, but I maintain that Rasco is the better name.

Is this a compelling follow up to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH? It has some interesting ideas and characters, but overall it didn't hold up in the way Mrs. Frisby does, in my opinion. Re-reading that as an adult was a true pleasure and this was just fine. While I did enjoy the 80's era computers that were surprisingly central to the plot, I wasn't enthralled with this the way I was with Mrs. Frisby. I won't be reading the next one.

[Joyfully Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Their friendship was a fact now, as solid as the heavy walnuts that dropped from the branches of the gnarled tree beside the creek each September, as reliable as the thawing of frozen fields in spring."

A good book! More suspenseful than the first one in the series. :)

[Michael Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea that there was a sequel to Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nihm, a book that I loved reading when I was growing up. The sequel did not disappoint. It was great to revisit those beloved characters.

[Rachel Petrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars bc it made me cry

[Chelsea Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this so much! Clever and touching.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a charming book. Once again I've returned to reading children's books, I am not ashamed to admit it.
I've never read the first book (written by Jane Conly's father), but as a child I enjoyed an animated movie based on it-so I had a general understanding of the story.
I think I will have to look for the fist book at the library; I think it would be interesting to compare the father/daughter writing styles.
This was a quick read, and enjoyable enough that I didn't immediately fall asleep within the first few paragraphs every day when reading in bed. That's always a good sign for me... I'm going to recommend that my daughter read this as well.

[Paul Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply, I enjoyed Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH (herein "Frisby"), so I figured I'd check out the sequel (herein "Racso"). The thought that keeps coming back to me as of this writing is that I am coming up with one somewhat major minus and one major plus about "Racso".

First, the minus...I know that super-intelligent rats don't actually exist, and I know that this is juvenile fiction. However, there are parts of "Racso" specifically concerning the rats abilities that come off as weak. The pitfall of having any fictional super-powered character(s) is that you basically have a blank check for whatever you want to do, and you don't have to be creative with the narrative to justify anything e.g. oh yeah, well the rats are super smart, so they'd obviously be able to both first learn about the existence of computers and then learn how to effectively program computers to fit their needs. It just feels somewhat lazy.

Now, for the plus...and this absolutely makes up for the minus and then some. The character of Racso is the most well-developed and three-dimensional character I have read this year. He has strengths and weaknesses, and he learns a pretty deep lesson by the end of the story. Thinking as I'm writing this review, perhaps the more farfetched parts of "Racso", rather than acting as a crutch for weak storytelling, actually serve as catalysts for Racso's character development. Now that I'm thinking of "Racso" in this way, the aforementioned minus may as well be stricken from the record. However, for posterity, let's just leave it in here! Anyway I found myself actually invested in the welfare of Racso, which might be the most difficult part about writing novels for any age.

Overall, I found Racso And The Rats Of NIMH to be a great and superior sequel, building on the themes of the original and leaving this reader ready for the third installment!

[Elle Effe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every year I read Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH out loud to my K5 students, because of its wonderful, timeless storyline. All these years, I was unaware that the author’s daughter, Jane Conly, wrote a sequel. One of my student’s parents knew about it though, Racso and the Rats of NIMH, and lent it our classroom. I was thrilled, and I didn’t hesitate to read it to the students. This was a big mistake – I should have read it myself, first.
The story line is difficult if not impossible to hold the attention of 5-6 year olds, which is disappointing since the first book easily is. This was the first irritation I felt, as I tried to modify the text as I was reading it – which proved incredibly difficult since most of the descriptions and most of the story line are lacking; it was especially difficult to make up my own narrative over the misogynistic depictions of the female characters. It was like having to write my own version on the spot. That quickly became my second irritation. Throw in that Racso isn’t a well-developed character, and that Ms Conly didn’t choose to develop any of the young characters from Robert O’Brien’s original was a mistake, in my opinion.
Just because the author is the daughter of Robert C O’Brien doesn’t give her any credibility to be revered or automatically be given props for Racso and the Rats of NIMH. I absolutely cannot recommend this book. As another reviewer wrote, “do yourself a favor: read Mrs. Frisby... and just pretend this book doesn't exist.” I share this sentiment. In conclusion, I didn’t finish reading it to my students – it didn’t hold their attention past about half way through, and we took a vote whether to quit reading it or not. They all voted to quit.

[Mark Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would be easy to be harsh on this book because of its obvious inferiority to the original (written by the author's father). All told, it's a well written, fun children's book that lacks the depth and sophistication of Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIMH.

The Racso of the title is a city rat who makes his way to join the intelligent rat colony established at the end of the first book, to learn how to read. He meets Timothy, the mouse from the first story, and they have a series of adventures before joining up with the others. Later on, the colony is threatened by the development of a dam, which will flood the valley where the rats live.

The rats are anthropomorphized to such an extent that they are practically little humans, and their abilities are magical (including, amongst other things, communicating with all other animals and learning computer programming in a few weeks from photocopied manuals). Racso is an annoying hero, essentially, a teen 'rebel' from any generic American school drama. There are plenty of cheap plot twists too, such as the explanation for the two dead rats at the end of the first book, which makes no sense.

Despite all of those things, however, I did enjoy the book. It's very easy to read and short enough not to overstay its welcome. Enough of the first book remains in the sequel for it to be worth going back to.

[Shari Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
It doesn't quite hold up to the writing in the first book, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun and enjoyable story to read. I loved the descriptions of Thorn Valley and catching up with the rats and their world. Unfortunately Rasco just isn't a character that I really connected to. Obviously as a child it is a lot easier to suspend reality when reading, but I found the plot in the original story much more believable and easy to imagine. The ending seemed abrupt and left a few questions. With that said I still love the Rats of NIMH and think this is a wonderful series for children with such descriptive details and wonderful imagination.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it might not be how I would have envisioned things at Thorn Valley going, my kids enjoyed the book for the most part. I did not enjoy the characterization of Isabella, turning a smitten teen rat into a petty young adult rat, and then miraculously changing the object of her affection once Justin announces he's getting married to Beatrice. ??? Anyway, the book dragged quite a bit and my kids were almost like, "please can we just finish it?" toward the end. You have to admire Racso and his growth, and the parts that were introspective with Racso thinking about his feelings were probably the most instructive for my kids, if not the most exciting.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien. This title written by O'Brien's daughter.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed. I liked to read more about the rats of NIMH. It was nice to know what Thorn Valley was really like.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in 6th grade and I remember loving it. I even recommended it to one of the 2nd grade teachers and she read it to her class and then thanked me in my yearbook!

[Z.A. Ispharazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle yet deep tale that is a reflection pool for all who are trying to live a conscious life. I’ll be reading this to my children someday!

[Qwerty Uiop Keyboard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Jane... You shouldn't of made it a series...

But you know what? I'm going to be generous. I tend to be overly critical of stuff. As such, 3/5 stars as it's more "slightly unpleasant" but has a few good things. (Unlike RT, Margaret. That book was f**** TERRIBLE!)

Issue #1: It feels like your a preschooler and Jane is one of the care givers lecturing you on %s.

No other book (except RT, Margaret) has this feeling to it. Hell, even shows like "Dora the Explorer" suffer from this, or even some of Jane's other works.

You know, the nice thing about Mrs. Frisby is that it's like Tetris, it can be enjoyed by all ages. If your not an autistic twat obsessed with the Rats of NIMH like me, this alone is a good reason to avoid this book.

Issue #2: Everything is infantile.

Large portions of the book feels like a high school drama, but in elementary school instead. The book literally STARTS with Timothy going to school, many of the characters are childish, there's a LITERAL PLAYGROUND! I could go on.

Issue #3: The characters are flat. And not just flattened from their original selfs, but completely different too.

All the female characters have been reduced to pathetic jokes, Nicodemus is a grouchy old man that chokeholds Racso, Justin is a school teacher and Isabella (one of his STUDENTS!) wants to sleep with him.

One of the strongest characters from the first book, Mrs. Frisby, gets relegated to a sad pathetic excuse. Ngl, her plot from the first book has grown on me as I've matured. Perhaps it's my parental instincts being switched on now that I'm in my early 20's. I now find some of the stuff toddlers do to be, well, adorable! Or maybe I now enjoy the more... Mundane stories? Don't know.

But here? She's a scared, shy background character. Perhaps she's succumbing to dementia, but I very much doubt Jane is smart enough to be writing something like that.

Issue #4: Racso is an infantile disorder.

He gets SOME character development, but he's an analogy to misbehaving young children. Also, he can't keep his dick in his pants.

Issue #5: Some of the comments in here are completely uncalled for.

And this is rich coming from me as I have no filter!

Example: I thought Racso's comment about knowing survival skills from an "Indian Movie" was somewhat funny at first. I was under the impression Racso made a fool of himself and everyone around him thought he was stupid. This... Is probably wrong.

But then, he just does not shut UP about it! On and on he brings this "Indian Movie" crap up! It's f**** annoying!

Issue #6: The decisions are just... WEIRD!

At one point Racso makes a paper hat and makes a "game" where everyone talks backwards (also, exposition about Racso's name). The whole thing, somehow, gets him in trouble with the colony's "high brass". Why? Wish I could answer that!

There also the monument to the fallen rats: A rock with "R" etched on the side.

You know, for super duper smart rats, that seems a bit, you know? CRAP! Why is it so simplistic and pathetic? It should be grandiose!

Issue #7: Jane retroactively changes the plot.

Justin, is somehow not dead! (Or maybe he pulled a Viktor Reznov and is actually a hallucination from the number stations, or he listened to GLADOS's advice regarding neurotoxins) Also, Jenner is a hero now! For some reason...

----

Okay, but are there atleast SOME merits here? A few, but yes, yes there are.

Merit #1: Racso's background.

The whole thing where Jenner had Racso back in the city. So, there could be others!

Merit #2: Timothy gets characterization!

It makes him fairly annoying and childish and it makes me not like him, but hey, it IS characterization! Even if it's one dimensional....

Merit #3: The contradiction and arc with Racso's father.

Jenner saves the day by sacrificing himself, and Racso is hesitant to share his true background. This does drive the plot!

----

It's... Not the worst book.

[Lone Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to ‘Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H.’, written by the daughter of the original’s author. Timothy, Mrs. Frisby’s son from the first book, is off to be educated by the rats of N.I.M.H. in their new settlement in Thorn Valley. On his way he meets young rat Racso, who turns out to be the son of Jenner, one of the rats who opposed the move to Thorn Valley and deserted the rats of N.I.M.H. The two become friends, but soon find that Thorn Valley is in danger ...

I found the story entertaining, and enjoyed the positive portrayal of rats, but there was too much anthropomorphism for my taste. I can forgive this to a degree, due to the rats being lab escapees with human-like intelligence, but there are limits – they wouldn’t get married, for example, and there’s no reason animals with fur would wear clothes (something they didn’t do in the first book). There’s also a considerable amount of suspension of disbelief required to accept how quickly the rats grasp computer technology, but it is a children’s book, after all.

There’s an odd comment made when the rats are concerned about one of their number potentially being captured by humans – it’s mentioned that people would know a “talking rat” came from N.I.M.H. This suggests the author thinks the rats can only talk because of the experiments done on them, and that they’re speaking a human language. It’s very clear in the original book that this is not the case – the rats talk before their time in the lab, and in both that book and this one, ordinary animals like Mrs. Frisby and Jeremy the crow can talk too (it’s assumed they are speaking “animal language”). Later, when Racso is actually captured by humans, he communicates with them by writing notes – so can the rats talk to humans, or not?

On the whole, this is not a bad sequel, but not as good as the original.

[StephenT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this story today, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised! To be honest, I could not help but feel that this story should have been the third in the series. I couldn't help, but feel as I read that the second story should have been about Timothy's first day at school. How he handled being a small fish in a big pond; how he handled being smaller than rats of his age; how, if at all, he handled bullying; how he developed into a character who could use the stars to navigate. This story, though not to my expectations, was still very enjoyable. Racso, in the beginning, is a little abrasive as a character; however, as he develops he becomes very likeable. The book even garnered some emotion from me due to his reaction to his father's death. I loved the build-up to the dam operation; It felt like the build-up to a large scale bank heist complete with dynamite! As one of those, "Man vs Nature" stories I was half expecting to see a 2-D depiction of mankind as nature destroying orcs ripped right from Mordor. However, I found the depiction of humanity in this story to be quite balanced. You had the farmers, reporters, and a man who I think was a nature photographer oppose the dam or at least show sympathy to the wildlife.

I still think the second book should have focussed around Timothy's development as a student of Nimh. Just not in the way that the Secret of Nimh 2 movie tried to do! There were a lot of rat students, to whom I felt could have been developed in a previous story. As it is, from my memory we only have one rat student from the first book named Isabella.

TL;DR
I enjoyed it; I just wish that this was the third book and the second developed Timothy as a character.