BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSMrs. Frisby is a widowed field mouse living with her four children in a cozy cement block buried in Mr. Fitzgibbon's vegetable garden. When her youngest son Timothy falls dangerously ill with pneumonia, she races to the white mouse Mr. Ages for medicine. He saves Timothy's life but warns that the boy must stay warm and in bed for at least three weeks. The trouble is that Moving Day, when the farmer ploughs the garden and destroys every burrow in it, is only five days away. With no safe way to move her house and no way to move Timothy without killing him, Mrs. Frisby sets out to find help from the most unlikely of places.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book is a young crow tied to a fence by a piece of shiny silver string?
✓ Answer
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Jeremy the crow has gotten his foot tangled in leftover Christmas package string and snagged on a fence wire. Mrs. Frisby gnaws him free with her teeth even though it costs her precious time.
- First half
In what book does a mother volunteer to drop sleeping powder into a fierce cat's food bowl?
✓ Answer
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
With Mr. Ages's leg broken and Justin too big to fit, Mrs. Frisby insists on doing the dangerous job herself. She points out that her son will die unless she takes the risk.
- First half
In what book is a maze used to test how quickly captives can find a fake open lawn?
✓ Answer
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Nicodemus describes the laboratory maze that looked like an open lawn just out of reach. Every promising corridor ended in a shock from the electrified floor, and the final escape was only a trap.
- Second half
In what book do clever guests pop open their first canned soup using a counter machine in a fancy kitchen?
✓ Answer
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
At the Boniface Estate, Arthur reads the side of a counter device that says to slide the tin under the cutter. Their first taste of canned food is vegetable soup.
- Second half
In what book does an owl describe a hidden valley with three spring-fed ponds and steep cliffs?
✓ Answer
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
The wise old owl in the great tree describes Thorn Valley to Nicodemus. Steep mountain walls and thorny thickets keep humans out, making it perfect for a new colony.
- Near the end
In what book is a small heroine trapped under an overturned colander by a boy named Billy?
✓ Answer
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Billy had been sitting on the kitchen stool eating berries when the heroine raced across the floor with the powder. He flips the colander down and shouts that he caught a mouse.
