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394th out of 757 books
—
3,433 voters
The Rescuers (The Rescuers #1)
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.
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
April 1st 1994
by Little Brown & Co.
(first published 1959)
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This is an excellent children's book! I love the plot, story, and suspense in making animals the heros of the tale. The tale of 'The Rescuers' is also admirable to students and children as it represents true heros, honor, and compassion for one another. I think this book would be excellent in a classroom because student's could study a modern fantasy book in literature while using their own imagination to think upon the story. There can be a lot of character analysis in a classroom as well, as B...more
The Prisoners' Aid Society has a difficult mission on its agenda. A Norwegian poet is locked in the dungeons of the impenetrable Black Castle, and he must be rescued. Since he only speaks Norwegian, the mice know they must find an interpreter--but to go all the way to Norway to find and bring someone back will be a task. So Bernard asks Miss Bianca for help, since she has the connections, being the pet of the Boy whose father is a diplomat and who will be traveling to Norway in a few days' time....more
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 r...more
Miss Bianca, a pampered pet of an ambassador's son, lives in a porcelain pagoda; wears a dainty silver locket around her neck; and writes poems, oh la la! Bernard, a pantry mouse, is steady and quick-thinking and more than a little bit wowed by the chic Miss B. And Nils, a Norwegian sea-faring mouse, dons a sporty, striped stocking cap and is prone to lusty shouts of "Up with Norway!" Can this motley trio make their way to the dreaded Black Castle and free a poet wrongly and cruelly imprisoned t...more
Feb 09, 2009
Emily
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
boys or girls 7 through 107
Shelves:
5-star-read
Romancing the Stone--with mice!
I've read this book many times over the years, starting as a second or third grader. It is so much better than the Disney animated movie that was "based" on it. It's such a shame that it has been allowed to go out of print. I suspect it has languished because after the movie was made, people who hadn't read the book assumed that it must be as lackluster as the movie. I would classify The Rescuers as adventure, but it is first-class storytelling on all fronts, fully...more
I've read this book many times over the years, starting as a second or third grader. It is so much better than the Disney animated movie that was "based" on it. It's such a shame that it has been allowed to go out of print. I suspect it has languished because after the movie was made, people who hadn't read the book assumed that it must be as lackluster as the movie. I would classify The Rescuers as adventure, but it is first-class storytelling on all fronts, fully...more
A mouse-organized Prisoners Aid Society! A daring jailbreak from the depths of solitary confinement inside the grimmest, most fortified prison in the land! Prison activists: This is the book you should get for the young people in your lives! (Be aware that there seems to be another version that changes the story to neatly excise prison and solitary confinement. That's not the one that I'm raving about here)
Because the book was written in 1959, Miss Bianca falls into some gender stereotypes of wh...more
Because the book was written in 1959, Miss Bianca falls into some gender stereotypes of wh...more
A charming little children's book, part of The New York Review's superb Children's Collection Series, which includes other gems rescued from obscurity, such as James Thurber's "Thirteen Clocks." Margery Sharp's succinct, imaginative book is of a completely different and far more successful character than its Disney adaptation. The detailed line illustrations by Garth Williams, illustrator of E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" and Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series, are spectacular and full...more
Whenever someone boils down their opinion of a book/movie/show whatever to simply saying "it was cute," I take that to mean that it wasn't terrible but wasn't substantial or didn't leave enough of an impression to really recommend it to me.
"The Rescuers" is cute.
It's as if Margery Sharp had a great idea for an exciting rescue tale and an insightful look on country mouse/city mouse-style class differences, but she didn't completely follow through on either of those themes. We spend too much time...more
"The Rescuers" is cute.
It's as if Margery Sharp had a great idea for an exciting rescue tale and an insightful look on country mouse/city mouse-style class differences, but she didn't completely follow through on either of those themes. We spend too much time...more
May 03, 2013
Thomas Webb
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books
When I bought an original Garth Williams sketch for one of the illustrations in the Rescuers, I felt I could not truly honor the rough sketch without having read the book it was from and seeing the finished illustration in the book. I felt I should at the very least own a copy. And so ( a story in itself) I purchased, by chance, a wonderful new edition from The New York Review Children's Collection. What a wonderful book. I wish my reading skills were better as a child for I would have gobbled t...more
In reading Margery Sharp's The Rescuers, I found myself comparing Miss Bianca of the book to Eva Gabor's Miss Bianca in the Disney cartoon. And at first I was leaning towards Disney, but by the end of the book, I found Sharp's Bianca a much more dynamic character, and though I read the book throughout with Miss Gabor's accent, I found I greatly preferred the characters of the book moreso than the cartoon. However, I didn't enjoy the ending, but really when you're characters are mice there is onl...more
I needed a light read to break up some heavier books, and what better choice than a classic children's novel? This was an enjoyable story with suitable adventure and peril, all wrapped up with simple, yet witty prose. I found myself a little disappointed with the ending, as I had expected some relationships between characters to develop further, but as it is the first book in a series perhaps that will be addressed later. If you are wondering how it compares to the Disney film it inspired...the...more
The Rescuers is about three mice that are members of the Prisoner's Aid Society. Apparently, there is an organization of mice that sneak into prisons to give prisoners (usually political or the like) comfort and sometimes a means to escape. Miss Bianca, Bernard and Nils are mice dispatched to free a Norwegian poet from the most dismal and strongly fortified prison ever known. Using their various talents and personalities, they are tested in courage, duty and emotion.
This was a very nice tale. It...more
This was a very nice tale. It...more
My brother isn't much of a reader and sometimes gets bored with what people read to him, so this was a good book for reading to him at the speed I read, which means we got through the whole thing in less than two hours. And it's funny; it's about like Winnie-the-Pooh, where I think adults get more out of it than the kids do even, because there's such culture in it. Anyway, a really good book.
This is NOT the story you remember from Disney, who (as usual) did a hatchet job on a terrific book. Miss Bianca is a pampered, intellectual white mouse who lives (in the Porcelain Pagoda)as the pet of an ambassador's son. She is recruited by Bernard, a humble pantry mouse, to join the daring rescue of a young Norwegian poet from the Black Castle. Also along is Nils, a brave seafaring mouse who has journeyed from Norway to help in the rescue. Their adventures are funny, witty and sophisticated....more
Super cute. And not really like the movie at all, is it? The little ink engravings are so cool. And my favorite part of the book is that we are sympathetic to prisoners. When was the last time a prisoner was considered a good guy in a children's book? Great Expectations?
Changed my mind about mice for ever. Promise never to poison them again. Just stop shitting in my kitchen!
Changed my mind about mice for ever. Promise never to poison them again. Just stop shitting in my kitchen!
I loved this book! Margery Sharp's little mouse world transported me back back back to childhood. her words and expansive use of the English language might be a bit much for a child's attention span and maybe some adult's. I, however, know man little ones who would easily delve into Sharp's world of animal fantasy. I especially loved the nature of the mice. "The Rescuers" is a world of animals that help others, what a great message! After comparing the Disney cartoon to the novel, Disney does no...more
While I loved the '70s film, I found the book particularly stuffy and lacking in plot dynamism. The treatment of the female characters of the time may have had appeal in turn of the 21st century England and pre-suffrage America, but I found it irritating and inappropriate for young readers of this day.
This edition is lovely, republished by the New York Review Children's Collection. Cozy illustrations by the wonderful Garth Williams. Parts of the story are certainly dated in terms of gender relations, but any book with a Madame Chairwoman mouse is aok in my book.
Just the thought if animals being able to think on a human level makes me giddy! This is such a charming premise that little mice would rescue innocently incarcerated people almost brings me to tears of joy. How could you help yourself from loving this book.
I read this book to my son when he was five. We both loved it. He enjoyed the adventure, and danger, and I enjoyed the narrative and different mouse characters. It was a great book- well-written and witty and satisfying for both adult and child.
No one but me seems to love this book. I LOVE it. mainly just ms Bianca. and her relationship with Bernard. and the easy pace of the book. and the simple, effective descriptions. argh I can't be literary about this, it's a childhood favorite, and as such cannot be analyzed ^_^
Spinta dalla curiosità di saggiare con mano da dove avesse scopiazzato/attinto la Disney per creare le avventure dei due celebri topolini, mi sono procurata questo libriccino.
E' stata veramente una bella lettura, forse un po' affrettata nel finale, ma soddisfacente anche per la conclusione non scontata.
Sicuramente un libro godibilissimo anche per gli adulti, che rientrano nel pubblico delle avventure di Bianca e Bernie, dato che non credo che termini quali "prosopopea" o raffinate citazioni da...more
E' stata veramente una bella lettura, forse un po' affrettata nel finale, ma soddisfacente anche per la conclusione non scontata.
Sicuramente un libro godibilissimo anche per gli adulti, che rientrano nel pubblico delle avventure di Bianca e Bernie, dato che non credo che termini quali "prosopopea" o raffinate citazioni da...more
Enjoyable but not that memorable. The plot is mice rescuing a Norwegian poet from a dungeon-like prison. They succeed through bravery and coincidences.
I really enjoyed this book and was horribly disappointed when the Disney movie came out. The book is MUCH better! Not to mention less frivolous.
Very, very different from the movie. But I guess that should be expected. I really enjoyed the book. It is a children's book, so it was an easy read. Probably something everyone should read at least once in their life.
Maybe more a children's than YA but it is an in between book. I found it very charming and enjoyable. Read it to my son when he was little.
An excellent story of daring and adventure. Don't miss the illustration of Bernard "armed to the teeth" in defense of his lady.
A charming delightful little old book! Nothing like the movie of course but still it has a nice sweet old fashioned feeling to it.
The book, not the movie (I never saw the movie). A delight from my youth, dredged up recently and still quite fun.
Such a sweet book! It's not quite like the movie, but, what book is? anywho, it is a very moving book. luv it!
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| good book | 1 | 1 | Jan 27, 2010 06:10am |
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 Res...more
More about Margery Sharp...
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 Res...more
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“If he's a poet, why's he in jail?" demanded a suspicious voice.
Madam Chairwoman shrugged velvet shoulders.
"Perhaps he writes free verse," she suggested cunningly.
A stir of approval answered her. Mice are all for people being free, so that they too can be freed form their eternal task of cheering prisoners--so that they can stay snug at home, nibbling the family cheese, instead of sleeping out in damp straw on a diet of stale bread.”
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More quotes…
Madam Chairwoman shrugged velvet shoulders.
"Perhaps he writes free verse," she suggested cunningly.
A stir of approval answered her. Mice are all for people being free, so that they too can be freed form their eternal task of cheering prisoners--so that they can stay snug at home, nibbling the family cheese, instead of sleeping out in damp straw on a diet of stale bread.”
Dec 26, 2012 10:26am