The Rescuers: A Fantasy

The copy sent to me is not going to last longer than one read. The front cover is about to crack off from being dry . It has a 75¢ yard sale sticker on it when I paid $5 for a good condition copy. It also is colored green on all the edges. This was an unfortunate purchase. The story is good though.

I have to say, I was never expecting the book that inspired the disney movie to be so good! The characters are extremely lovable, their dialogue was enjoyable and the way it moved so casually through the story, it really did feel like it was more about the journey than the quest. This book reminded me how fun reading can be!

My 7 year old insisted we buy this from the 2nd hand shop and she diligently worked her way through all 149 pages. I was struck by how rich, varied and advanced the vocabulary was -- modern children's books pale in comparison. My daughter quickly got over her annoyance at the "hard" words and decided it was fun to be able to express yourself using more colourful and expressive phrasing than is generally common. After reading a few pages at night, she gave her teacher and anyone who would listen a complete blow by blow recap the following morning. She loved the characters and unfolding adventure and we hope to be able to find other books in the series -- in her words: "Mom, I don't want to read just any book now, I only want to read the good ones." On a side note, I just bought the Disney film now that she's finished the book, but I know she will be devastated to find that it is not about the rescue of the Norwegian poet at all.

This book was really really good! Even though I don't like fantasy books that much, I thought that this book was upbeat and extraordinarily written. My mom couldn't get me to go to sleep becuase I kept wanting to read more and more! I think that it was zero cool and that everybody should read it if they get the chance!

Not many things in life can live up to the fond image your memory creates after many years of absence. Margery Sharp's Miss Bianca series can, I'm happy to learn. I recently bought the first three books of the series (The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret) to read with my kids. I'd read them when I was a kid and remembered -- more than remembered, I could even *feel* -- the carried-away-by-my-imagination thrill that I got when I'd first read them. Do you remember that from certain childhood books or games? It was great; all three of us (my two daughters and I) were transported by these tales. Ms. Sharp's prose is luscious, wicked, rich. The tales are exciting, funny, preposterous. The stories are old-fashioned...there isn't a very firm commitment to reality. These are mice who rescue prisoners; reality would be inappropriate. But letting go of Facts can be asking too much of modern-day readers who are bound (by TV and movies?) to only visualize what Dreamworks would screen or Pixar would pixelate. Don't stop there! Let your imagination carry you beyond the Facts...well, anyway, have fun with some wonderful books.

The nine Miss Bianca books ARE old-fashioned in their views, yes, and not a THING like the Disney movie (thank goodness). You can say the same thing about a number of fairy and folk tales and that does not diminish their capacity to charm and delight. These books are filled with adventures where kindness and good hearts triumph over evil, but not in a sappy, maudlin way. What a terrible shame that these are out of print.

The Rescuers is a book about how the brave mice Bernard, Miss Bianca and Nils a brave Norwiegan mouse, rescue and imprisoned Norwiegan poet from the horrible prison the Black House.This is a wonderful book and has many aspects that the Disney films do not cover. I would reccomend this book to anyone.