The Rescuers

The Rescuers is a British children's novel written by Margery Sharp and illustrated by Garth Williams; its first edition was published in 1959 by Collins in the United Kingdom and Little, Brown in the United States. The novel is the first in a series of stories about Miss Bianca, a socialite mouse who volunteered to lend assistance to people and animals in danger. Plot The story begins in an unnamed, supposedly "barely civilized" country, during a meeting of the Prisoners’ Aid Society, an international organization of mice dedicated to brightening the lives of prisoners. When the chairwoman mouse informs delegates about the case of a Norwegian poet, imprisoned (presumably wrongfully) in the horrible Black Castle, she suggests changing the traditional rules of the organization to try to rescue him. Despite her elderly secretary’s doubts, the Society agrees with her proposal. Needing a mouse who can speak the Norwegian language to translate for them, the society decides to ask Miss Bianca for help. Miss Bianca is a white mouse who is pampered by the Ambassador's little boy, and the Ambassador is about to be transferred to Norway. Bernard, a young mouse who lives in the embassy pantry and who has won a medal for "bravery in the face of cats", is volunteered by his friends and reluctantly agrees to talk to Miss Bianca. He uses the service lift in the pantry to enter the schoolroom of the Ambassador's house, and finds Miss Bianca in the magnificent porcelain pagoda the boy has given her. Bernard tries to convince her to find a brave Norwegian mouse for them, once she is in Norway. Though she is herself a poet and believes strongly in duty, Miss Bianca is at first terrified and refuses. However, as Bernard pleads with her, Miss Bianca begins to have feelings for Bernard, who makes no secret of the fact he is in love with her and would take her place if he could. When Miss Bianca travels to Oslo with the Ambassador's family, she decides to undertake the mission, later deciding to personally return with the Norwegian mouse so she can see Bernard again. Upon arrival in Oslo, Miss Bianca escapes the little boy's room and enters an underground wine cellar full of sailor mice at a bachelor party. The Petty Officer volunteers a sturdy, seasoned adventurer named Nils for the mission, and Nils instantly agrees.