We have arrived at the tenth episode of Team Friendship Reads the Newberys! In this episode, we discuss Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien. We celebrate this special milestone by eating watermelon (or as we call it—”nature’s cake”) as we record. Go grab some watermelon and listen in as we talk about the 1972 Newbery Medal Winner!
Show Notes:
- As always, we each share what we have been reading this past month in addition to this month’s book.
- We go down a “Harry Potter” rabbit trail
- Mandy debuts her “Book News Intro.”
- We go down another “Harry Potter” rabbit trail
- Team Friendship is planning to move to Maine to the “Charlotte’s Web” farm. (Just kidding)
- SPOILER ALERT! Don’t read the book flap/back of the book if you don’t want to know the entire plot of the book.
- We compare our book covers: see pictures above.
- Leah gives author history on Robert C. O’Brien, or should we say Robert Leslie Carroll Conly?
- Leah talks about some of the experiments that the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) actually performed on mice and rats.
- The beauty in the ordinary: Parenting/Motherhood
- Single Parenting
- Sense of Community
- Reaching outside your comfort zone
- The eating habits of owls
- Pinky and the Brain
- “Do not poop in my kitchen drawers!” – Lauren’s message to mice
- Doing the right thing even if it is not the easy thing
- Burning our bridges
- Going against tradition: Am I doing something because it is how we’ve always done it or because it is the right thing to do?
- We discuss racial hatred and violence that has plagued our country for centuries and how we are personally changing our attitudes on how we respond to it.
- Standing up for human rights even if we don’t agree with everything these groups stand for
- Animals in captivity – Lauren thinks zoos are sad
- Sigourney Weaver
- Self-sacrifice and loyalty
- Lauren discusses the movie adaptation of this book The Secret of NIMH
- We need the spirit of the people!
- The 1972 Newbery Honor books
- Leah announces our next book!
- Stay tuned after the episode for the blooper reel!
Links related to this episode:
Amazon link to pre-order Kate DiCamillo’s book La La La: A Story of Hope – http://amzn.to/2iuEk1u
Charlotte’s Web Farm for sale – https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nation-and-world/barn-that-inspired-charlottes-web-for-sale-in-maine/
Illustrated edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – https://www.pottermore.com/news/first-look-at-new-illustrated-edition-of-fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them
A chance to go to the set of Fantastic Beasts – https://www.pottermore.com/news/lumos-offers-fans-chance-to-spend-a-day-with-fantastic-beasts-cast
Limited Edition Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast Prints – https://www.pottermore.com/news/miraphora-mina-discusses-limited-edition-harry-potter-and-fantastic-beasts-prints
Mark Twain fairy tale to be finished and published – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/74388-philip-and-erin-stead-complete-newly-discovered-mark-twain-fairytale.html
Rat experiments – http://gizmodo.com/disneys-rats-of-nihm-was-inspired-by-hideous-lab-experi-1642283287
Real life inspiration for Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – http://mentalfloss.com/article/67202/scary-real-life-inspiration-mrs-frisby-and-rats-nimh
Info on Robert C. O’Brien – https://borism.net/zforz/rco.html
Amazon link to purchase Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – http://amzn.to/2iv6M38
Amazon link to purchase Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (we recommend the audiobook) – http://amzn.to/2w8xwtu
Amazon link to purchase the sequel to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Jane Leslie Conly – http://amzn.to/2xwmnSS
The Secret of NIMH movie info – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_NIMH
Incident At Hawk’s Hill by Allan W. Eckert – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/438131.Incident_at_Hawk_s_Hill?ac=1&from_search=true
The Planet of Junior Brown by Virginia Hamilton – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/345450.The_Planet_of_Junior_Brown?ac=1&from_search=true
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13662.The_Tombs_of_Atuan?ac=1&from_search=true
Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1289331.Annie_and_the_Old_One?from_search=true
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2316.The_Headless_Cupid?from_search=true
Extra info on the experiments of the National Institute on Mental Health. Unfortunately, they did not just experiment on mice and rats – Ugly Past of Human Experiments
Our Contact Info:
Leah – https://www.instagram.com/leahranjel/
Mandalay – https://www.instagram.com/mandymalay/
Lauren – https://twitter.com/Graciefirstborn
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Reading the NEWBERYs: A Team Friendship Podcast 