The Rescuers

The Rescuers #1

by Margery Sharp, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

The mice in this story created the widely respected Prisoners' Aid Society of Mice. The task of this benevolent society is to befriend human prisoners in their cells, and perform daring rescue bids. As this story opens, the Chairwoman of the Society is proposing the rescue of a Norwegian poet who is being held in grim conditions in the Black Castle.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Animals, Middle Grade, Adventure

149 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Margery Sharp was born Clara Margery Melita Sharp in Salisbury. She spent part of her childhood in Malta.

Sharp wrote 26 novels, 14 children's stories, 4 plays, 2 mysteries and many short stories. She is best known for her series of children's books about a little white mouse named Miss Bianca and her companion, Bernard. Two Disney films have been made based on them, called The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under.

In 1938, she married Major Geoffrey Castle, an aeronautical engineer.

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Disney animated movies as a kid so when I saw the original book, I just couldn’t resist picking this one up and I’m glad I did.


The Prisoners' Aid Society of Mice is an organization which concerns itself with matching the right mouse to a human prisoner, to cheer the human up during their stay in prison. Now there’s a human poet in prison who’s written some very good things about mice. And the mice want to help him with a daring rescue mission. Since the human is Norwegian, they want a Norwegian mouse to help with communications. The pampered and spoiled Miss Bianca is chosen to find a Norwegian mouse, as her human is going to Norway by plane in the next few days. When Miss Bianca finds the right mouse for the job, her mission is over. But she doesn’t want the adventure to end just yet.


What really surprises me is the gender equality and women's empowerment theme this book embodies. It’s a powerful theme that has definitely evolved since the book was written but it’s still very relevant to this day. It starts with the chairwoman boldly calling for a prison break and the male secretary immediately saying he appreciates her “feminine enthusiasm” before shooting down her idea. And when Miss Bianca receives her mission, the male messenger immediately says it makes him mad that she was chosen by the female chairwoman to go on a mission. Why? Because Miss Bianca is so beautiful. She should be protected and cherished and loved. She should not have to be brave. And I love it when Miss Bianca steps out of her comfort zone. It’s a bit scary and awkward at first but then she feels the thrill and the excitement of a real adventure. And she is quick to jump in with both feet.


Overall, I absolutely love this book. It’s short and well written. It has an adventurous and solid plot, a protagonist you can’t help but root for and a very powerful and important theme. Easy recommendation.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like so many children, I adored the animated film version of The Rescuers, and watched it over and over again. When I began to explain the story to my boyfriend, who had never seen it, he thought it sounded a little bizarre for an adult to read. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and found The Rescuers just as charming as I expected to. What I was not expecting, however, was the wonderful humour which suffuses the piece, and quite the level of imagination which has been woven into it.

The Rescuers, which was first published in 1959, is the first book in a series. The primary storyline of this initial volume is that a series of innovative mice, all of whom are members of the Prisoners' Aid Society, decide to rescue a Norwegian poet who has been imprisoned. They undertake 'a mission to recruit the bravest mouse they can find - someone who can outwit the fearsome jailer and avoid the jaws of his cruel cat.' The Black Castle, in which the man finds himself, is windowless and imposing.

The Rescuers is filled with any amount of darling details; brave mice receive the 'Jean Fromage' award, and the chairwoman of the Prisoners' Aid Society is 'descended in a direct line from the senior of the Three Blind Mice'. She recruits a brave mouse named Bernard to find Miss Bianca, who belongs to the son of an Ambassador, to head the mission; it is thought that this revered mouse 'lived in a porcelain pagoda: that she fed exclusively on cream cheese from a silver bonbon dish: that she wore a silver chain round her neck, and on Sundays a gold one.'

I am surprised that I did not read this as a child, drawn as I was to books featuring adventurous talking animals, from The Chronicles of Narnia (which, incidentally, has its own fearsome mouse, named Reepicheep) and The Incredible Journey, to several series focusing on myriad creatures by the likes of Lucy Daniels and Dick King-Smith. I would have been absolutely enchanted by The Rescuers as a child, and must admit that I rather am as an adult.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely in every way delightful and charming. Nothing at all like the Disney movie. I know I shouldn't be surprised about this.

This would make a super fun read aloud for kids 6 - 10. But I enjoyed it as a personal read for myself!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this first book of a series, a group of mice known as the Prisoners' Aid Society wishes to help a Norwegian poet escape from the Black Castle. The group sends Bernard, a pantry mouse, to find Miss Bianca, a privileged mouse who lives in a porcelain pagoda in the home of the Norwegian ambassador, in order that she might help him locate the bravest mouse in Norway and send him to the Black Castle. In the end, Bernard, Bianca, and a Norwegian mouse named Nils make the journey to the castle together and endure many dangers and encounters with a cat before they can even begin to carry out their task.

This book is almost nothing like the Disney movie of the same name, which is a definite good thing. Margery Sharp's writing is clever and quirky, and the adventures of the three mice are entertaining and exciting. I read the book aloud to my older two girls who are going on 4 and 6, and they were completely invested in the success of the mice's mission, especially when it came to fending off the unpleasant cat that so often thwarted their plans. The illustrations by Garth Williams also perfectly suit the story, and my girls pored over every detail.

Though the language was a bit sophisticated in parts, this was a successful read-aloud for us, and I'm hoping I'll be able to track down some of the later books of the series as well so we can continue reading about Miss Bianca's adventures. For kids who love talking animals and adventure stories, this is a guaranteed hit.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!)

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until now I'd only read Miss Bianca in this series, and that was a long time ago. I found The Rescuers absolutely charming. Garth Williams's illustrations are incredible; he is the best at drawing expressive mice. The language more than the story or characters is what made me enjoy this story so much. Words like gallantry, stolid, and domiciled take it to the next level.

I am eager to revisit Miss Bianca and perhaps hunt down more in this series about heroic mice. I haven't seen the Disney adaptations, but I can hardly imagine Miss Bianca as a Disney character, alas, so I hold out as much hope as the poor Norwegian poet.

[Carrie Poppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for writing, four stars for plot, 500 stars for illustrations.

[Lady Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.1 / 5

As rare as it might be for someone to say this, The Rescuers (the Disney movie) is actually one of my favourite Disney movies. I'd easily rank it in the Top 10, even.

Now, I know that's not something that a lot of people are able to say and mean honestly, but for me, it's true. I love The Rescuers.

In my opinion, The Rescuers as a film does something unique that no other Disney film has been able to replicate quite to the same degree: it has a Gothic atmosphere. For those who don't know about the Gothic genre, it's too much to explain in a review, never mind for a children's book about mice saving people, but trust me when I say that the design of the film, its backgrounds and its tone, matches that atmosphere of a Gothic just right.

I think that's what appeals to me about this book in many ways as well, actually, as "The Black Castle" sounds like the title of a Gothic novel in and of itself--and I wouldn't be surprised if it IS considered a Gothic novel that someone's already written. But anyway, while at its heart this is a children's novel, there's all there for it to be something a little darker, and yet still innocent.

Both the film and the book do this in perfect balance for a child.

Plot-wise, we have all the inspiration for the film behind the opening plot here, along with its sequel, Miss Bianca--which I had a hard time finding, for some reason, as there are no e-copies available, and all print copies are super expensive for some reason?

Ahem, but anyway, we have our setup here: The Prisoners Aid Society (instead of Rescue Aid Society) is made up of mice from around the world who uphold the age-old tradition of mice being a comfort to prisoners. Their latest case is a Norwegian poet who is imprisoned in the Black Castle, the deepest, darkest, most helpless prison in the world that all mice are scared to go to.

Once mouse, Bernard, volunteers for this mission, but his mission in itself isn't to rescue the prisoner. No, it's to get the help of Miss Bianca for the mission, as she's just about the most charming mouse on the planet--who actually doesn't know much about the Prisoners Aid Society, as she's the pet of the son of an ambassador, and lives in a porcelain pagoda, only creaming cream cheese from a saucer. But anyway, Miss Bianca's mission isn't actually to rescue the prisoner either. No, it's to find the "bravest mouse in Norway", since it must be a Norwegian mouse to rescue the Norwegian poet, so they can actually understand one another.

*looks around* That's honestly it. I mean, pssh, if I ever had to be rescued by a mouse, I'd need it to be one who spoke my native language too, wouldn't you?

The Norwegian mouse turns out to be Nils, who's a brave and somewhat eccentric sailor mouse. Miss Bianca gets him to the Prisoners Aid Society, where he agrees to go on the mission--and she and Bernard volunteer too! So, now we have a terrific trio out to rescue the Norwegian poet, and all manner of steps to their journey as they try to achieve the unachievable.

Which they do.

By all accounts, it's a charming story that can easily qualify as bedtime story material for a lot of youngsters; but, as book critics of this book also say, it also has its darker undertones that sets up more of the Rescuer adventures moving forward--like in the sequel, Miss Bianca, where they have to outwit the Diamond Duchess to save a little girl---and hence more of the inspiration for the conflict of the Disney film.

I could go on and on about this book and the movie, I really could, but suffice to say that I just really love the idea and execution behind this overall, and hold it close to me as re-watches and re-reads as well. It's a book I look forward to reading and enjoying many times to come in the years ahead!

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised to learn my favorite Disney Movie was based on a children’s novel. I needn’t have been surprised as the book was nothing like the movie. In fact the only similarities are two mice named Bernard and Miss Bianca. It was a tedious read.

[Minte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent adventure! The kids hung on every word.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book about some mice who rescue a poet from prison. It’s been forever since I saw the movie version. It will be interesting to see how they compare.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This is the first time I've read this book, although I had watched the Disney film, which is based on the first two books in the series (this one and "Miss Bianca"). In fact, although the film keeps the title of the first book, it is mainly based on the second, where the person to be rescued is a little girl, rather than a Norwegian poet in a dungeon.

I love the personalities of the three protagonists: Nils the Norwegian mouse, Miss Bianca, the aristocratic little mouse, and Bernard, her submissive and courageous assistant.

ESPAÑOL: Esta es la primera vez que he leído este libro, aunque antes había visto la película de Disney, que está basada en los dos primeros libros de la serie (este y "Miss Bianca"). De hecho, aunque la película mantiene el título del primer libro, se basa principalmente en el segundo, en el que la persona a rescatar es una niña, no un poeta noruego en un calabozo.

Me encantan las personalidades de los tres protagonistas: el ratón noruego Nils, Miss Bianca, la ratoncita aristocrática, y Bernard, su sumiso y valeroso ayudante.

[Drew Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Bianca enjoys her plush existence, living in her Porcelain Pagoda as the pampered pet of the Ambassador's son. But when word reaches the Prisoners' Aid Society that a Norwegian poet is locked up in the dreadful Black Castle, Madam Chairwoman knows that Miss Bianca's international connections and social savvy are just the thing to help free the prisoner. With the aid of the pantry mouse Bernard and the Norwegian sailor mouse Nils, Miss Bianca heads to the Black Castle to face dangers great and small in the name of their noble cause.

My Disney source material readthrough has led me to The Rescuers, and it appears that while there are two movies based on these characters and several books in the series, none of them were adapted exactly into either of the films. It was still fun and interesting to read the inspiration for the films and get to know the characters as Margery Sharp originally envisioned them. This story was simple but well fleshed-out, and the society of mice is amusing and actually makes sense (even though it never really says where they live or how they work internationally). I'm still not sure whether or not the poet belonged in prison, or what he did to get there in the first place (apart from the assertion that "he's a poet"), but the point of this story was the mice anyway. Miss Bianca is a charming little character, refined and quite self-assured, but also just the slightest bit vulnerable. Bernard is loyal and devotedly attached to Miss Bianca, and Nils provides an energetic element as the third in the trio. The threats they faced seemed fitting for the setting and scope, and although things worked out a little conveniently, it was fun to see how it all played out. There was a simplicity and something poetic about how this was written, which was refreshing compared to current children's literature.

As for the illustrations, as much as it pains me to speak ill of Garth Williams, I just don't understand why he feels the need to make every living creature look like every bit of them is covered with shaggy hair. Let the mice tails and the humans' noses have some smooth lines! I promise it will be okay.

Disney didn't really take many cues from this book for either of its Rescuers movies, but this was a quick, refreshing read. It's a fun premise for a book series, and it was good to discover the original Bernard and Miss Bianca.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long ago I was given a copy of "Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines". Each novel in the series is (thankfully) written as a stand-alone, and at that time in that place I had no idea there were more. In this first mousetail (uh, tale) Miss Bianca is portrayed as an "affected" (read spoiled, out of touch) pet of an ambassador's Boy. The silver chain around her neck, the Porcelain Pagoda and its Pleasure-ground (with gold swings, bell and fountain) and her exclusive travel rights in the diplomatic bag all attest to her pampered past. However when duty calls, she is not afraid (or at least not much) to answer, helped by the stalwart Bernard who adores her, and the taciturn Nils, who sees her as an enigma. Thanks to several wild coincidences, the rescue of a political prisoner is brought to an exciting finish.

The young person I read this book with was bothered by the references to the mice having "hands" instead of paws, and whenever Madame Chairwoman was mentioned, she would sigh and say, "ChairMOUSE! Mice aren't women!" She has a point. (She's also a very bright kid.)

Garth Williams' illustrations demonstrate yet again that while he was never very good at drawing people, his eye for architectural detail and objects such as flowers, furnishings etc is very good. His rendition of Mamelouk, the horrid half-Persian cat, is indeed hair-raising.

If your only experience of "The Rescuers" is the dreadful Disney cartoon, prepare to be amazed; the only thing the two works have in common is the title. I prefer the book (I believe some of the elements of the cartoon were drawn from another Bianca book, but having not read the others, I don't know for sure).

[Joe Kilmartin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should have started with this one years ago, and I wish that I'd read it as a child. Lots of fun and, as should come to no surprise, a completely different story from the one developed by the Disney studio for its film adaptation - only two of the four main characters are the same in a completely different adventure. Bernard and Bianca were very faithfully reproduced in the Disney movies (I can almost hear Bob Newhart as I read what Bernard is saying) but with a COMPLETELY different story and a Norwegian mouse named Nils.

Dan Brown can only pray that he's someday as good a writer as Margery Sharp"

[Jeremy Hurd-McKenney · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's probably my fault for not doing my research, but I was expecting a novel of high-speed chases through swamps and a teddy bear with a diamond hidden in its stomach. Instead I got a group of mice breaking into a castle (what year is it?) to rescue a Norwegian poet. Hmmm...

On top of it, Sharp is clearly deep in her own little world, but she is either a terrible writer or on drugs, because much of the book is incomprehensible, especially at the beginning.

The illustrations were cute.

[This Film is Lit]

Two little heroes set out on the adventure... of a mice time. It’s The Rescuers, and This Film is Lit.



Listen to us on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and more!

[Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband prefers fantasy books with completely fleshed-out worlds, which is a literature genre that I'm less fond of, so I'm always interested to find stories that are the opposite, in which the author has left a lot unsaid. Where is the Embassy? Where is the Black Castle? Why is a Norwegian poet imprisoned there? What language do mice speak?

Nobody knows, and IT DOESN'T MATTER. This is the fiction application of Julia Child's dictum "Never apologize, never explain."

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful! This edition has 35 charming drawings by Garth Williams who also illustrated Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that I had read this as a child, but none of it seemed familiar. The illustrations are fantastic, of course. The story is almost pure adventure... no world-building (so much doesn't make sense) and the characters are more superficial than I had expected. I won't bother to look for any sequels... but I do wonder if, maybe, it's one of those that I read all those years ago.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened as an audiobook with the kids and we all loved it! As usual the book is FAR better than the movie. My favorite character was Nils the sailor mouse, he’s not supposed to be silly funny, he’s very likable & brave, but for some reason everything he did & said made me laugh out loud. Bernard is also a sweetheart & Miss Bianca has so much more depth. The kids are excited to read the next one.

[Frank Theising · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never seen the Disney adaptation of The Rescuers (didn't even know there was one until I saw some other goodreads reviews mention it). Read this aloud to our children after it was recommended by one of my daughters who really enjoyed it. It follows three mice who are members of the Prisoner's Aid Society who are sent on a mission to save a (human) Norwegian poet imprissoned in the Black Castle. It is full of funny little moments as they contend with the jailer's cat Mamelouk in their efforts to save the prisoner. Fun little read aloud. 3 stars.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing in this deserves higher than two stars, but I am admittedly extremely biased by my Disney childhood and Bianca is a huge letdown by comparison. I love character growth when it's done well, but this felt abrupt to me (and the place from which she started...ugh).

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an enchanting short story. Mice have always been prisoner’s only friends in the dungeons. These three mice, however, need to hatch a plan to free a Norwegian poet from his prison inside a dark castle on a solitary mountain. And the jailer owns a terrifying cat.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently the movie is based on book 2, which is proving impossible to find!
.
This book was really cute! I think younger me would have loved it.

[Jade Madrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little escape 🧚🏻

[Matthias Ferber · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife and I read this to one another, as part of a long project to acquaint her with all the classic children's books that she missed, growing up in a tragically book-averse family. This was a late addition to the list, since I'd almost completely forgotten about it (as has the rest of the world, seemingly: this title was out of print for a long time, and as of now it's the only one in the whole series that's back in print). Some of the books we've read haven't held up very well, but others have been delightful surprises. This is one of the latter. It's one of the most totally charming books I've read in some time. The mice are adorable. The writing sparkles with wit and humor. The illustrations, by the great Garth Williams at the top of his game, must be mentioned as well, as they complement and enrich the text with perfectly matched humor. We're going to track down the rest of the series to see if they still work as well, and I'm looking forward to finding out whether Margery Sharp's adult novels — of which there are many — are equally enjoyable

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up for nostalgia

Loved this book as a kid, annoyed as an adult by several misogynistic lines (and written by a woman no less! Patriarchy is the air we breathe, etc). The illustrations are lovely. Don’t know if we will read more in the series, my kiddo liked it but didn’t love it.

[Lacey Louwagie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would put this in the "fun and mostly harmless" category of children's books. It's certainly better written than quite a few of them, with nice sharp prose and a lot of sly humor. There's some underlying unspoken context -- this book obviously came out of a post-WWII awareness of imprisonment -- but not enough to make it either incomprehensible or unduly terrifying to kids reading it. And the adults reading this along with a kid can get some enjoyment out of it too.

Of the three rescuers, the first, Miss Bianca -- a very pampered pet mouse, depicted as upper-class and a "lady" -- is probably the most well-rounded. At first, the other mice think she needs to be protected, both for class and gender-based reasons, but she proves to be quite capable when faced with actually needing to accomplish things. The second rescuer, Nils, is mostly characterized as "Norwegian," which I found odd. He wears boots. He speaks Norwegian. He likes to sail. And that's it. the third rescuer, Bernard, is a working-class pantry mouse who is a little infatuated with Miss Bianca, and thus willing to put himself into danger. And so, at the request of the mouse Prisoners' Aid Society, the three of them go infiltrate the notorious Black Prison and break out a Norwegian poet prisoner. Has the prisoner actually done anything wrong? Who knows. But they break him out nonetheless, and are hailed as heroes when they get back to what appears to be London. Medals for everyone!

There's definitely some class and gender stuff happening here, so that's something to be aware of before you give a kid this book, but other than that? Sure.