The Borrowers

I remember reading this when I was a little girl. I was captivated. Little people living in your house? Who wouldn't love that?

This read was just as good. I kept thinking that this should be a must-read for kids, and that more teachers should choose this for their read aloud book after lunch. It's the story of the people who call themselves Borrowers, and they exist by borrowing things from the human people in the house. It's delightfully fun.

Whoosh! You see a hat pin sail across the room, much like a javelin, and pin onto the lace curtain. Then, a small man no more than six inches tall scurries across the room.

Welcome to the world of the Borrowers; Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock. They live under the floorboards and borrow anything from potatoes to blotting paper. The tiny people live in an old country house, inhabited by `human beans'.
All goes well for the small family until Arrietty is `seen' by a boy. The Borrowers think that `human beans' are always vicious and bad, but this boy turns out to be friendly.
The boy befriends the Clocks and even helps them borrow.
Then, Pod makes the mistake of borrowing precious knick-knacks from the mistress.
Mrs. Driver, the housekeeper, is getting suspicious. Who could be stealing these things?
She sprouts a plan to trap the thieves.
Will the Clocks be caught? Will they have to emigrate?

I thought this book was funny. The Borrowers have limited knowledge on the outside world making the way they act and think seem silly. The book is entertaining, and it is not action packed all the way. It gives you time to think about what you just read, and doesn't zoom through everything. This book is good for all ages. Mary Norton did a great job writing this book.

This book is the second book in a series by Mary Norton about little people who borrow what they need to survive from humans.The borrowers from book one are Arrietty, Homily and Pod. They continue their story in this sequel. In this book other borrowers are introduced. These include Spiller, Uncle Hendreary, Eggletina(one of Arrietty's three cousins) and Aunt Lupy.
In the beginning, I found this book to somewhat boring. It was a narrative from a human called Kate. She was the girl who learned of this story in book one. She and her Great Aunt Sophie travel from their home in the city to the country where Great Aunt Sophie inherited a cottage. This cottage is near where the borrowers story started. There was a complication however. It seemed that someone else lived in that same cottage. This man was now old. He lived there in the cottage for 80 years. Kate and Great Aunt Sophie want to find out if the story of the borrowers is real or not. Old Tom Goodenough is the man who lived in the cottage. He was also the young man in the original story who was brought in to use his ferret to try to get the borrowers out of the house. He remembers the borrowers. He had Arrietty's diary and let Kate read it. The book then flashes back to the actual time when Arreitty, Homily and Pod are escaping from the big house and trying to survive in their new world.
They had to try to find the Badger Set where they think other family mambers are living. This is the story of their journey. Arrietty, Homily and Pod find an old boot and decide that it would be their sleeping area. They had to drag it with them during the day, while they looked for the badger set. You could say this was an early camping trailer. They had a hard time finding the badger set, and decided to secure the boot under a stumps root and use it as a permanent home. Arrietty met Spiller who helped them. He supplied them with meat, tea, candles and a lot of other things. Spiller would borrow these items from a number of souces. He used a tin soap box for a boat and floated up and down the stream. Things were going well and then the frost came and then the first snow. They ran out of food and had to rely only on some wine that Spiller gave them. They got drunk and forgot to cover their entrance and a gypsy who was the owner of the boot, found it and took it home. Arrietty, Homily and Pod were still in the boot!
This is where the book gets really good. I won't ruin the surprise of this books ending for you.
I found this book a little hard to get into at first. I wish Mary Norton could have gotten to the plot line quicker. I like to read about how they survived and what they used to survive. Once I got into the main part of the book, I could not stop easily. It was suspensful. I wonder if Mary Norton will allow us to be introduced to other borrowers and further the story line with Arrietty, Homily and Pod. I like these characters and want to find out what will happen to them. I guess I will have to continue and read the rest of this series. Maybe you will hear from me in a review of The Borrowers Afloat.

I picked up this book with every intention of being delighted and I would have to say in the past sometimes these high expectations have led to crushing disappointment, but not in the case of The Borrowers. Even after 50 years in print and dramatic shifts in our culture I found this book to be ageless. The storytelling style is very homey and comfortable and the story just carries you along for joyful little foray into the world of possibilities. And the idea of Borrower's living in houses just lit up my imagination with a childlike wonderment. I loved the delightful descriptions of the things they borrowed and how they used them with detailed illustrations to accompany. I just adored it.

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This is Mary Norton's third installment in The Borrowers series. Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock have found their missing relatives and made a new home inside the house of another family of "human beans". Unfortunately (or in the adventurous Arrietty's eyes fortunately) difficulties arise and once again the Clocks have to flee. This story features some of Mary Norton's most ingenious imaginings about the borrowers and how they deal with life as tiny creatures in a world of giants. Once again, the small family triumphs and avoids possible discovery and imprisonment, hoping to make a new life in new surroundings.

Unfortunately, Norton sometimes failed to correct contradictory plotlines and tie up some loose ends that more observant children will spot and puzzle over. But that may be a good thing, as it helps readers understand more about the evolving world of the borrowers as its creator saw it. Also unfortunately, Norton framed the main story line with material about more modern human beans learning about the borrowers, but this does not intrude on the fantasy too heavily.

I cannot think of any children's book more delightful to read to one's children than this book. Actually, the whole series is wonderful. When my son was small, probably 7 or 8 years old, (he is 35 now, in fact had his 35th birthday today!) I read the whole series to him, and it took several weeks, reading to him at bedtime each night, to read all of them, but it was a wonderful "bonding time" for us, though that term had not been invented then, but I knew that it helped forge a special bond between my son and myself. It conveyed my love of books and of reading to him, a past time that he enjoys to the present. We could not wait for bedtime each night to see what new adventure Pod and Arrietty would undertake, with poor Homily waiting nervously at home for them. In a later edition Spiller appears, then it really gets interesting, as Spiller is definitely a free spirit, and a perfect friend for Arrietty. Their adventures are really "edge of the seat" suspense! This may seem tame next to Star Wars or Harry Potter, but believe me, you get so engrossed in the every day struggles of these tiny people just trying to survive, and who are so much like the human "beans" they are so in fear and awe of, it is not tame or boring at all. I would give it a "10" in great adventure stories! I am a great grand mother now, but I still love "The Borrowers" and all the sequels."The Borrowers Afield" is the second in the series, and even better than the first! "The Borrowers Afloat" comes next, and it is just as wonderful and gets the tiny family into even more shenanigans out of doors, this time floating down the river in Spiller's "boat." These books are for everyone, child and adult alike. There are a couple of more in the series, the fourth is "Borrowers Aloft," so called because they are held prisoner in an attic and have no one but themselves to rely on to escape, so have to be very inventive and clever to devise a means of escape. The solution they come up with will boggle your mind and amaze you at the ingenuity of the human spirit and what it can accomplish when it has to, because these "little people" embody the pioneer spirit of our ancestors. It may be the best of all the books, but they are each so unique and so wonderful, it is hard to say one is better than another. Each one has it's own charm, and each adventure is different. Mary Norton had a very magical way of looking at things and a unique imagination evidently, to write these wonderful stories. A must for all children, and best if read with a parent, as all books are when you are young. It was a special time for my son and I, and the memory will be with him all his life, long after I am no longer with him. These books are heirlooms in my home!

This was a book that I absolutely loved as a child. It was enchanting to me. The idea of little people living in the walls was delightful and brilliant. I especially liked how they made things out of other things. I later shared this book with numerous children including my own and encouraged them to read this series. The Borrowers is a book that definitely promotes reading in young people and that is a wonderful thing.

Did you know that the real reason for human beans is to Keep Borrowers--unwittingly of course--supplied with oddments and bits of foot, hat and water? Mary Norton's children's classic remains as delightfully fresh and entrancing today as it did when it first appeared in 1953. Recounted by an insightful, elderly Mrs. May to a little girl, the story takes place in a country house in turn-of-the-century England. The author introduces her readers to a hidden race of little people called Borrowers--well, They don't consider it Stealing! Even their last names are borrowed--depending on where in the house they take up secret residence: Avoiding detection by the "human beans" on whom they rely

is of utmost importance, for Being Seen can result in the worst of fates: Emigration!

The Clock family, consisting of father Pod, mother Homily, and their 14-year old daughter, Arrietty, have long enjoyed a peaceful coexistence in Great Aunt Sophy's 200 year old house. Alas, their quiet lifestyle is suddenly threatened when Arrietty--finally introduced to the harsh reality of Borrowers' existence--is Seen! Of course Sophie has long delighted in private conversations with Pod, whom she thinks is a result of her hitting up the bedside decanter. But Arrietty puts the entire family at risk by conversing with and confiding in a BOY.

The stage is set for dramatic conflict when the grim and spiteful housekeeper decides to play sleuth and set a trap for the thief because of so many missing hosuehold objects. Where will the Clock family go if they are discovered and routed out? Can a mere lad of 9, sickly at that, help them despite his good intentions?

Ruthless adults connive with Mrs. Driver to rid the house of pests who might be rodents or various varmints. Arrietty comes of age as she learns about the real world, while her mother must face her worst fears. First serialized in a woman's magazine in the USA this gentle story of parallel survival will capture the imagination and win the literary loyalty of kids of all ages.

I first read this book 10 years ago when I was still in Primary School and I instantly became a fan. I still remember that it was my home tutor , Ms Sim, who introduced me to this book. Now 10 years later, I re-read this book and still love it. I feel that anyone and everyone can enjoy this book, not only the kids.
The Borrowers are actually a race of little people. They believed that the human 'beans' lived to provide for them. The Borrowers loved houses that were very organised. The residents of the house must always follow a pattern of behavior so that the Borrowers could 'borrow' things from the house without being 'seen'.
"The Borrowers" tells the story of a Borrower family - the Clocks. They were Pod and Homily Clock and their 13 years old daughter, Arrietty. Why were they called the Clocks? The reason was simple enough. It's because this particular Borrower family lived under the kitchen floor but the entrance to their home was behind the old grandfather clock. So the last name of a Borrower could be anything, depending on where they lived. There were the Overmantels, the Rain-Barrels, the Bell-Pulls, the John Studdingtons (they lived behind the picture of John Studdington), the Boot-Racks and so on... The Borrowers loved to live a long way off from the entrance to their home.
Arrietty was a curious girl who had dreamed of going out to see the world other than the world under the kitchen. One day, her father agreed to let her go 'borrowing' with him. One that day, she was 'seen' by a boy (a human 'bean' boy) who had gone to lived in that house because he was unwell and needed time to recover. The boy has assisted the Clocks with their 'borrowings' later on. But good things are always not meant to be forever... Things started to happen, creating chaos in the lives of the Clocks.
When I read this book last time, I was sad that the boy didn't see the Borrowers again and I wanted to know what happened after this book. I didn't know that there were sequels to this book then. A couple of days ago, I found the sequels to "The Borrowers" and I can't wait to read them. I really feel that "The Borrowers" has an interesting and orginal storyline that can be enjoyed by all.

The book I chose to read is called The Borrowers, written by Mary Norton. I would have to say that the main conflict or theme to this story is about a girl named Arrintrey. She starts on a jouney to find or get in touch with members of her family who live far away with the help of a special boy. Throughout this journey they help one another and become good friends who rely on each other very much.

This book was exciting to read because this was a story about little people. When I mean little, I mean about the size of a mouse, maybe even smaller. Distances for a regular person were about a thousand times farther for the borrowers. I also like this book because it reminded me of another story I read. They are similar because both main characters are on a journey to find their family.

I like the way the author wrote because she wrote in a way that was interesting to me. She made the story sound like the characters were right there talking to you. An example of this would be when the boy in this story said to Arrintrey that he would bring her letter to her family, Arrintrey shouted "Would you really do that for me?".

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this book about an 8. I think this book was better than other books I have read because it kept my interest throughout the whole book. If you like adventure and things not always normal, you will love this book.

The Borrowers is a good book to read. Sometimes it can really make you think about what is going on in the story many times it made the book more exciting. I don't want to give the whole thing away but, this one time Arrintrey had to go borrowing for the first time with her dad. She ended up talking with a boy the whole time. So as I was saying the borrowers is a good book to read for a book report or just for all around reading. Read this book and find out what your favorite part is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The book I chose to read is called The Borrowers, written by Mary Norton. I would have to say that the main conflict or theme to this story is about a girl named Arrintrey. She starts on a jouney to find or get in touch with members of her family who live far away with the help of a special boy. Throughout this journey they help one another and become good friends who rely on each other very much.

This book was exciting to read because this was a story about little people. When I mean little, I mean about the size of a mouse, maybe even smaller. Distances for a regular person were about a thousand times farther for the borrowers. I also like this book because it reminded me of another story I read. They are similar because both main characters are on a journey to find their family.

I like the way the author wrote because she wrote in a way that was interesting to me. She made the story sound like the characters were right there talking to you. An example of this would be when the boy in this story said to Arrintrey that he would bring her letter to her family, Arrintrey shouted "Would you really do that for me?".

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this book about an 8. I think this book was better than other books I have read because it kept my interest throughout the whole book. If you like adventure and things not always normal, you will love this book.

The Borrowers is a good book to read. Sometimes it can really make you think about what is going on in the story many times it made the book more exciting. I don't want to give the whole thing away but, this one time Arrintrey had to go borrowing for the first time with her dad. She ended up talking with a boy the whole time. So as I was saying the borrowers is a good book to read for a book report or just for all around reading. Read this book and find out what your favorite part is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Have you ever pondered where your hairclips, bobby pins and thimbles have gotten to? Do you wonder why small quantities of your father's tobacco and Madeira seem to smoke themselves or evaporate? Did your wooden knight ever ride off the chessboard never to be seen again?

You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you? OK, so have you ever lost your iPod Nano? Maybe the Borrowers needed a stereo for their home entertainment system. The same thing happened to your Nintendo Gameboy.

Mary Norton's "The Borrowers" published in 1952 is about a race of little people living beside a rain pipe, over the mantel, behind the harpsichord and in all the nooks and crannies of the house. These little people "borrow" from us, the big people. They use blotting paper for their carpets, a single onion ring for their cooking and postage stamps for wall portraits.

In the book, Pod, Homily and Arriety are the last Borrowers left in Aunt Sophy's house. They lived in the floorboards under the kitchen ad entered and exited their home from a hole behind the grandfather clock. They weren't rich but they had everything they needed - potatoes for their supper, a gas pipe leak for their cooking, a foie gras dish for their bath. Pod, the father, ventures into the house every now and then for supplies.

This is the story of how Arriety, after being allowed to go borrowing with her father, befriended a nine-year old boy who was a visitor in the house. Then their lives change forever: They discover news about their Borrower relatives, gain new riches and then lose everything they own.

This is a good story to read in a big house on a rainy afternoon. Perhaps you can explore the house for little corners where a Borrower may be living. Or you can guess which of the little things lying around the house are useful for them.

Even if you live in an apartment in the big city with the most modern furniture and high tech gadgets, it would still be fun to imagine what a Borrower family would be using these days. What would a Borrower your age be playing with? What would they use for furniture? Where would they be living?

I bought a package of IKEA tealight candles once and some of them have disappeared. Perhaps a family of Borrowers illuminate their cozy little home with them. Well, they can buy their own iPhone if they need to surf the internet; I'm not letting mine out of my sight.

This is Mary Norton's second book in The Borrowers series. Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock have been forced to flee from their home under the kitchen in Firbank Hall and have taken refuge in the countryside while they search for their relatives who have gone on before them. Mary Norton continues to write beautifully, this time about the English countryside. The borrowers have to struggle to survive, and adapt themselves to their new surroundings in their own clever and ingenious manner. New characters, both borrower and "human bean" appear. At the end the story appears to be resolved, but with questions that will ultimately and happily lead to a third story.

Its a pity that Norton fouond it necessary to "frame" her story with accounts of modern human beans and how they learned about the borrowers, but those segments pass quickly and do not intrude too much on the main story.

I read this book as a child. It is one of my favorites. I bought it for a niece. I hope she loves the story as well as I did. It's about courage, ingenuity, and the desire for freedom, among other things. There is a strong young female character. It is an empowering story for girls, but I believe boys will enjoy it too. There is a strong boy character as well.

Arrietty Clock and her parents, Pod and Homily, are tiny people who live beneath the floor of an old house and `borrow' the things they need from the humans who live in the house above. At one point, many borrowers lived in the house, but the others emigrated for various reasons and only the Clocks live in the house. While her parents seem happy, Arrietty longs to see the world outside. Her mother finally persuades Pod to take her borrowing and her first time out, she meets the boy upstairs. The boy is as curious about Arrietty as she is about him, and they become friends, with the boy bringing the family all kinds of gifts, furniture, food, jewelry, etc. Unfortunately, the boy takes too much and the housekeeper notices things are missing. Soon the Clocks are forced to flee.

This is a terrific book on many levels. It is a book about friendship, different cultures, greediness and fear. The book is so well written that you really do believe the Borrowers exist. After all, who hasn't lost a pencil, safety pins, needles, etc.?

Now that I've finished this book, I want to read the rest of the books in the series!

The Borrowers is a Truly Terrific Story, well-plotted, gripping, and fun. A family of little people live on the "lost" items of the family in the big house. They are discovered by a boy, assisted, and finally evacuated, with the suggestion of a happy ending. Remarkable story.

This is a great read-aloud for all ages, but be aware that your kids are going to be unfamiliar with a LOT of the materials the Borrowers are borrowing. Blotting Paper. Hat pins. Tureens. Cider-press cogwheels.
Kid gloves. Scullery items. Tom Thumb miniature Victorian volumes. Settles. Linen-Presses. Crumpets. Parquet flooring. All these unfamiliar terms can paint a wonderful word picture, but they can also lead to a lot of interruptions in the story.

I would recommend reading Frances Hodgson Burnett's Secret Garden and Little Princess before you read these books aloud -- they can help your kids imagine the world in this story a little better.

A word of caution -- The adult human beings drink Madeira (from decanters or from bottles) and then imagine that their glimpses of the borrowers are alcohol-induced hallucinations. This isn't very family-friendly, nor even particularly funny, but it does form a basis of the plot and so you can't skip these references. It is not as in-your-face as the movie Annie, for example, but it's certainly there. If your parenting style is particular about alcohol consumption, you may want to pre-read the story to see if this meets your standards.

When I was 12 years old I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the Borrowers, by Mary Norton. That story, and its sequels, quickly became one of my favorites, and I still treasure the old paperbacks that I collected nearly forty years ago.

Borrowers are a race of tiny people who live under the floorboards and behind the walls of old houses deep in the English countryside. They borrow bits of food and other things from the "human beans" who live in the house, and try to make their homes as comfortable as possible without being discovered. In The Borrowers, Mary Norton introduces us to the Clock family, Pod, Homily, and their daughter Arrietty. Arrietty is thirteen and bursting to find out what life is like beyond the walls of her tiny home. Eventually this curiosity leads to new knowledge and understanding for both the borrowers and one of the human beans, and also to the borrowers being forced to flee for their lives. In other words, Arrietty begins to grow up, and as she does her life and those of everyone around her change irrevocably.

Mary Norton wrote The Borrowers in the early 1950s. She was a superb writer who was able to describe the lives of the borrowers and the human beans so convincingly that the reader accepts the entire fantasy as possible or even probable. How else to explain the mysterious disappearances of buttons, safety pins, spools of thread, and sundry other mysteries we all encounter every day?

This book is a must for all kids and pre-teens who enjoy a suspense-filled, fun-packed, fantasy. Living at the size of a toothpick isnt easy, but it sure is fun! The borrowers draw their readers into an amazing, wonderful world as they go through each of their adventures. When reading about how the tiny people "Borrow" household items and turn them into amazing things, its impossible to not be so absorbed that you almost feel 2 inches tall! Throughout the whole book, I was always awaiting the Borrowers next move, and when it ended, I wanted MORE! I recommend this book to anyone young or old who wants to read an enjoyable, wonderful story about survival in a completely different, yet the same, world. I ensure you that it is wonderful, and will be all-around loved by everyone in the family.

This story takes place around the 1860's Leighton Buzzard,Bedford Shire in Great-Aunt

Sophy's manor, in the kitchen under the floorboards. That's where most the story takes place.

This book is mostly about the Clock Family Pod (father), Homily (mother), and Arrietty (daughter). A boy, "Human Beans" as they say (a human boy).

In my opinion I liked this book a lot because of all the fiction and fantasy.

I would recommend this book because it's fictional a lot of fantasy and at the end it makes you eager to find out what happens after the book has come to it's end. If you like fiction and fantasy this is a great book to read!!

Don't we all drop those little things
and misplace the scissors?
So who is taking these things?
Wee people or pack rats maybe?
The story is the edge a fantasy and the hope
of little girls to find real people the size of dolls.
We are all hoping that the mean old rat catchers of the world come up dry of little people!
The writing is very good and the story
gets you going. I like this one very much
like the story of Ben Franklin with a mouse in his pocket
who was the real inventor? Tales talking animals
and here,little people will always please the young.

I watched the movie "The Secret Life of Arrietty." by studio Ghibli and saw that it was based on this book. I quickly looked this book up and read it. Best decision ever, the book is amazing.
Mary Norton did an amazing job of building suspense in a story so simple. I had a very hard time setting this book down even after I had watched the movie.

The last book for this age group that I enjoyed this much was "The Complex a story about cats ferrets and unlikely friends."

Thank you Mary Norton for writing this, I am currently on book 4 of the series!

This is a pretty good book. Reading again now it's hard to believe kids of today still are connecting with it after all these years. The new movie must be what has kids reading it again. Not something my high schoolers wanted to try but they did sit through the movie. My middle schooler liked it more and it's got us reading all the books.

" 'The Borrowers' is about tiny people. They live under the kitchen. The main character is Arrietty. I only sort of liked 'The Borrowers,' because it does not have many exciting parts. Overall, it was OK."

There once was a girl named Katie. She was missing something. She asked Mrs. May. Mrs. May said, "It's probably the Borrowers." "The Borrowers," Katie asked. "What are those?" The Borrowers are miniature people. They live in Katie's house under the floor. This book is a very interesting story about their adventures. I liked the part when she sees the Borrowers. I didn't like it when the Borrowers almost get run over by a truck.

The Borrowers is a really good book. Borrowers are little people who live in the bottom of peoples houses and borrow their things. There is a family called the Clocks. There are worried and lonely for other Borrowers! Are there any borrowers left in the world? On day they go out, and they try to find any other Borrowers. Then they run into a cat! The cat grabs Mrs. Clock, and I recommend this book for all its joy and charm, and the author wrote this book for the short people of the world.

A story guaranteed to explode a child's imagination! They will never look at the nooks and crannies around the house in the same way again!

Primarily a record of the interactions of the tiny `Borrowers' (little people) and the "human beans" (the big people . . . us!) who the Borrowers see as the primary cause of trouble. Them and the cat of course!

A wonderfully imaginative tale that was a source of endless hours of fun for me as a child, and that's after I put the book down!

This was one of my favorite books when I was a child. I can't remember when I first read it, but I'm guessing around 4th grade. It definitely will be one I get for my granddaughter when she is old enough to read it - she is so imaginative, I know she will love it. I highly recommend it!

This Fantasy book by Mary Norton is a fabulous book, rich in details. The plot is simple and easy and for a kid, it's not too hard to follow. Kids will be intrigued by the unique lifestyle of The Borrowers, short people who live under houses and live strictly from borrowing from the humans who live in the house above.

It is kind of hard to get through the first chapters, but once we start reading about the Borrowers themselves the book takes flight! I read the Borrowers (first book) and was so glad to hear there was a sequel. I liked this book a lot because the outdoors were so exciting and beautiful to Arietty. We also read about another notable borrower - Spiller. As I read this book I kept thinking how resourceful Borrowers are and how they make the best out of any situation. They could be considered role models. I'm off to get "the Borrowers Aloft" Happy reading.

This was an absolute joy to read! You probably know the story, as it has been around so long (and I won't give you a synopsis), but please read it to really get to know the characters and even a comical view into English family life. It is quite hilarious at times, especially when the floor is broken open by a 'human-bean' and the Borrower's little home is looked into from above on the one day in a million that the kitchen was left uncleaned. Oh the horror! It's the little things like that that nudge the book from good to really great.

One time I saw a movie it was called The Borrowers. I thought it might be a little bit like the book. I thought it would be about borrowers who were on the river in a teapot. The cover gave a large hint. Borrowers are tiny people only about six inches high. Borrowers can not live without people. A family of three borrowers are living inside of a cotige wall,then the owners suddenly move out. There is one place called Little Fordham where borrowers live so they set out to find it. There were some parts that were slow but it got better toward the end. If you like books with little people mabye you want try it?

A must read for all early and middle grade readers. A charming and delightful story of "imaginary little people" who live under the floorboards of big people's homes. Adventures and delightful escapades enjoyable to children! Highly recommended.
Evelyn Horan -

Since I was a child I've always been fascinated by stories of Little People and will still read them any chance I get (don't know what this says about me personally!). I even got a copy of this one in Korean, and actually read it (the "bilingual" joke didn't go over at all in translation!)

" 'The Borrowers' is about tiny people. They live under the kitchen. The main character is Arrietty. I only sort of liked 'The Borrowers,' because it does not have many exciting parts. Overall, it was OK."

There once was a girl named Katie. She was missing something. She asked Mrs. May. Mrs. May said, "It's probably the Borrowers." "The Borrowers," Katie asked. "What are those?" The Borrowers are miniature people. They live in Katie's house under the floor. This book is a very interesting story about their adventures. I liked the part when she sees the Borrowers. I didn't like it when the Borrowers almost get run over by a truck.

The Borrowers is a really good book. Borrowers are little people who live in the bottom of peoples houses and borrow their things. There is a family called the Clocks. There are worried and lonely for other Borrowers! Are there any borrowers left in the world? On day they go out, and they try to find any other Borrowers. Then they run into a cat! The cat grabs Mrs. Clock, and I recommend this book for all its joy and charm, and the author wrote this book for the short people of the world.

A story guaranteed to explode a child's imagination! They will never look at the nooks and crannies around the house in the same way again!

Primarily a record of the interactions of the tiny `Borrowers' (little people) and the "human beans" (the big people . . . us!) who the Borrowers see as the primary cause of trouble. Them and the cat of course!

A wonderfully imaginative tale that was a source of endless hours of fun for me as a child, and that's after I put the book down!

This was one of my favorite books when I was a child. I can't remember when I first read it, but I'm guessing around 4th grade. It definitely will be one I get for my granddaughter when she is old enough to read it - she is so imaginative, I know she will love it. I highly recommend it!

This Fantasy book by Mary Norton is a fabulous book, rich in details. The plot is simple and easy and for a kid, it's not too hard to follow. Kids will be intrigued by the unique lifestyle of The Borrowers, short people who live under houses and live strictly from borrowing from the humans who live in the house above.

It is kind of hard to get through the first chapters, but once we start reading about the Borrowers themselves the book takes flight! I read the Borrowers (first book) and was so glad to hear there was a sequel. I liked this book a lot because the outdoors were so exciting and beautiful to Arietty. We also read about another notable borrower - Spiller. As I read this book I kept thinking how resourceful Borrowers are and how they make the best out of any situation. They could be considered role models. I'm off to get "the Borrowers Aloft" Happy reading.

This was an absolute joy to read! You probably know the story, as it has been around so long (and I won't give you a synopsis), but please read it to really get to know the characters and even a comical view into English family life. It is quite hilarious at times, especially when the floor is broken open by a 'human-bean' and the Borrower's little home is looked into from above on the one day in a million that the kitchen was left uncleaned. Oh the horror! It's the little things like that that nudge the book from good to really great.

One time I saw a movie it was called The Borrowers. I thought it might be a little bit like the book. I thought it would be about borrowers who were on the river in a teapot. The cover gave a large hint. Borrowers are tiny people only about six inches high. Borrowers can not live without people. A family of three borrowers are living inside of a cotige wall,then the owners suddenly move out. There is one place called Little Fordham where borrowers live so they set out to find it. There were some parts that were slow but it got better toward the end. If you like books with little people mabye you want try it?

A must read for all early and middle grade readers. A charming and delightful story of "imaginary little people" who live under the floorboards of big people's homes. Adventures and delightful escapades enjoyable to children! Highly recommended.
Evelyn Horan -

Since I was a child I've always been fascinated by stories of Little People and will still read them any chance I get (don't know what this says about me personally!). I even got a copy of this one in Korean, and actually read it (the "bilingual" joke didn't go over at all in translation!)

The Borrowers are people that are five inches tall that live under floor boards. In this book they encounter many adventures such as meeting new friends, migrating, and being chased out of thair house by a cat. I like this book becauseit is exciting and interesting. I recommend this book to kids and adults of all ages.

This is such a great book, I can't put it down! It is very original, I don't think anybody thought of tiny people living in your house instead of mice. I give this 5 stars for creativity, originality, and entertainment.

After owning this book for 40 years, I finally read it. I blazed through it, wanting to find out how it ends and what the truth was. Disappointing as it was left up to the reader what to believe. Was a very accurate peek into Victorian England, but in the view of miniature people who live inside the walls of old homes. As someone who knows the differences in words/languages, was easy to read, but may not be for others who don't. Love the story idea. Very similar to another series called "The Littles."

I like The Borrowers a lot. I really love how the author creates a whole different world for these tiny people that take human's things! The author is really encouraging you to believe in Borrowers and think that if you lost something that you kept near the ground, a borrower took it and I like how she does that. This is a very well-written fantasy book that I found really great!

Started with Borrowers Afield and had to get the other. At first it was a little hard to read out loud to my son because of the english slang here and there but I soon adapted. He became bored with it but I kept reading. So fun.

Look at the floor. Imagine seeing a pencil-tall person who would have to climb over your shoe like it was an enormous rock. Wouldn't that be fascinating? The Borrowers, rarely seen by anyone, are such secretly living "creatures."

Perhaps, we can call them people, very tiny ones--though they don't consider THEMSELVES human beings. (That would be an insult.) In THE BORROWERS the family's secret living quarters under the kitchen floor gets discovered. First by a friendly boy; then by others who want to exterminate them...like rats. Exciting, suspenseful and amusing.

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)

The Borrowers are tiny little guys, but otherwise people. They get along by using junk that is lying around and adapting it for their own use. This book is about what happens when a human boy actually discovers them, after moving into their area.

Not a particularly uncommon theme, and this one is pretty dull.

I am about halfway through reading this book. It's really boring. There are way too many details and a fairly weak plot. It is intended for children, but I don't think a child could really get used to the writing style that is used.

The Borrowers is pretty boring at the beginning but gets better but in general, I lost interest in The Borrowers. This book is reasonable, but still pretty boring. The main people are Homily Clock, Arrietty Clock and Pod Clock. They "borrow" things from the BIG house, but much more like stealing or taking without permission than borrowing. They eventually started borrowing more for greed than for survival. Being "Seen" borrowing stuff from the BIG house is a big deal, and Arrietty's father has been seen once already. They live in the floorboards, in the kitchen. Arrietty's room is made out of a match box, and their quilts are hand-knitted. Here are some of the words in the book from chapter 1: "It was Mrs. May that first told me about them. No, not me. How could it have been me-a wild, untidy, self-willed little girl who stared with angry eyes and was said to crunch her teeth? Kate, she should have been called. Yes, that was it-Kate. Not that the name matters much either way. She barely comes into the story." You see, I don't fancy things like that. So I don't recommend this book.

I'm scott's girl and you know what!? I'm TIERD OF PEPOLE COMPLANING ALL THE TIME! I look at the reviews when the book I want dosent have a good one and read the ones that have three or less stars and all I see is "this is not good and this is not good and this is not good and this is not"-well you know what I mean. and I'm tierd of the bad its time look at the good part of a book and ignor the bad,ex,Paolini with ERAGON,ELDEST,BRISINGR,and now INHERITANCE thaey keep looking at the bad things and not the good things like how adventores the books are. thats all I have for now,but beleve me I'll be back. }:-(

and this book sends the message that it is. Borrowers don't "borrow" things; they steal them. This book teaches kids that, as long as you don't get caught, taking things that don't belong to you is a-okay. Being "seen" is, after all, the only thing that Borrowers worry about.

In 1953, English writer Mary Norton introduced to the world the concept of The Borrowers: little people who lived in our old, over filled homes under floor boards or behind mantels and they sustained themselves on the waste that "human beans" discarded or forgot about. Within this book we learn of the family of the Clocks, P:od, Homily and Arriety, the entrance to their home being beneath the ancient grandfather clock in the front hall. The story takes place in the rural areas of England around the turn of the 19th century.
The test of a really good childrens book is how enjoyable it is to an adult. This book is a classic (and the four that follow itas sequels) because it is so well written. It's in a catoagory with "A WRinkle in TIme", "Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of Nimh", "Things Not seden" and "The Currious Incident of the dog after Moidnight." Mrs. Norton wrote beautifully and is best known for her book, "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" though this book-and the subsequent books- have you fall in love with thesedtiny creatures, so human like, to the point where one almost wishes that they shared a house with you; that somewhere beneath the floor board or in your pantry is a small house set up with your blotting paper or left over wall paper, furnished with old scicorrs and doll house firniture and fed by the food that is carelesslhy left pout. These creatures "Borrow" items-things that aren't likely to be missed, The adventure in this tale is when a small boy, recovering at his great aunts summer home from scarlett fever, discovers and befirneds the Clocks.
Read this to your children so that some day they will read it to their own. If you can manage to find this bookm in first edition, treat it with care as it is rare and valuable.
I would not read John Irving or Barbara Kingsolver to my children, but Mary Morton is just as good.
I promise.

In 1952 Mary Norton changed the world by publishing her first book in the series, "The Borrowers." There are a total of five books in this series and every single one of them is as good as the first. It appeals to the wonder and fantasy in both children and adults. The concept must have begun, for her, when she grumboled about how she couldn't fiund a safety p9n anywhere. Then she began to think about other things that one can never find; how it is that there are things we go on buying, companies continue to manufacture yet where are these items when we need them? A needle and thread. The scissors? Q-tips and nail clippers and triple A batteries and birthday candles ("They were used only ONCE and still at the last minute I had to go out and..."). How many pens have we actually used until they were empty? Do we ever throw away a pencil because, at last, we'vge ground it down to a point where writing with it is impossible. Mary Norton's premise is that within our homes must live a species of miniature people who live off of Human "Beans", taking things that no one would miss, really had little value but these things sustained them. And before long we are introduced to a family who, over the course of five books, we get to know very well. It is England in late 19th century and we are under the kitchen floor at Firbank where we join the Clock Family: Pod, Homily and little Arriety. With a skill of writing, Norton makes us fall in love with all of the character sand we route for these little people who call themselves "Borrowers."

The first book tells us of how the Clocks (Named thus because the entrance to their home is beneath the Grandfather Clock in the front hall) have been the only borrowers able to stay on at Firbank, where Great Aunt Sophy (as the series progresses so does the spelling and soon enough it is Aunt Sopie) is confined to bed upstairs due to a hunting accident on horseback. Her great nephew has come to stay with her for fresh air and exercise to recover from an illness and has become the responsibility of the two remaining servants, Mrs. Driver and Mr. Crampfurl, the gardner. Arriety, nearly fourteen, is able to see the outside world through a grating at the base of the house which is the size of a vast movie screen to her. She wriotes in her diary and dreams of getting out. And one day her father takes her pout. The worst thing that can happen to a borrower happens to Arriety: She is "seen." The boy finds her near the front door and he, very lonely himself, clings to a friendship where he tells Arriety of the things he has seen and Arriety reads to him from the massive books from the nursey.

Soon enough, the boy finds their home and begins to shower them with wonderful things: furniture from the dollhouse in the nursery, fabric bits and then, some of the items from behind the glass in the drawing room. This catches the eye of Mrs. Driver and though the boy hadn't intended to hurt them, this sets forth a crisis for the Clocks that will not resolve entirely for five books, the last of which was written in 1982 ("The Borrowers Avenged")

The second book, "The Borrowers Afield" is what happens after The Borrowers narrowly escape Firbank after Mrs. Driver finds them and is screaming bloody murder from atop a chair. They meet Spiller, an outdoor type who teaches a great deal of survival skill to Arriety and becomes an important friend to the Clocks.

"The Borrowers Afloat" is the third book which details yet another escape, another amazing adventure which, to use seems light, nearly trite but Norton's skill makes us feel the severity of being trapped in a tea kettle on a river. Each book winds up, like the end of a television season, so that if it was the end of the story they rested, alight on a perch, satisfied.

The most desperate of these books is "The Borrowers Aloft' where Pod, homily and Arriety are stolen and held captive. Mr. and Mrs. Platter intend to make a fortune by keeping them in a zoo like house charging sixpence apiece for admission. These are by far the most despicable characters that Norton offers us and this book ends with a satisfaction that is fuller than any other book so far. And it may well have been. Mary Norton waited 18 years before she published the final of these volumes, "The Borrowers Avenged" and avenged they are. This is just as remarkable as the previous books; details and concepts and brilliant plotting. The illustrations in all five books are done by Beth and Joe Krush, they are, perhaps the finest book illustrations in history. They are in a league with Garth Williams (E.B. White) and John Teniel (Lewis Carroll) This is the longest book and it opens many doors and many possibilities, all of them good, yet it ends, oddly, with a sentence that holds true for all of the Borrowers and for all living things.

The concept of this story is nothing short of remarkable, but the reason these books are still top sellers sixty years later is because of the mastery of writing at the hand of Mary Norton, a sweet and bright English woman of my grandmother's generation. She has worked out absolutely every detail in every single project on which they embark, from creating a way to cook a freshly caught minnow, to constructing an entire set of rooms beneath a window seat. Norton has thought it all through and not only describes in detail but is never- at any moment ever- the least bit dull. Her characters are all vivid and deep, from the brave and very English Homily the Clocks had top in book three. Norton not only tells of a miniature village created by Mr. Pott and Miss Menzies and the exact intricate details as to it';s construction but she offers the back-story as to what brought them there. She is never dull and, unlike most books, there isn't ever a desire to step over a long, daunting paragraph. Her style is warm and casual and if one reads it with an English accent it flows like water in a stream. (Draught is draft; lighted is the grammatically correct term for "lit") Even with an American accent it flows fairly well. But reading this allowed to your children demands the accent.
I assure you that this is some of the finest children's literature ever written. There are the Oz books, of course, but Mary Norton wrote better. E.B. White's three children's books ("Stuart little", "Charlotte's Web" and "Trumpet of The Swan") are on the same par. But then this is the same category as Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn." This is indeed a tall order. Writing literature for children should be just as carefully done as for adults, if not more so, but Mary Norton did so effortlessly and if we must read Tom Sawyer with a Mississippi accent then reading anyone of the Borrowers books in an English accent not only makes it flow but it delights children. And even reading in your head: it's quite fun.

The book was first made into a film (with Eddie Albert, Tammy Grimes and Dame Judith Anderson) in 1972 and though the special effects are dated, the performances are, of course, remarkable. In 1992 a BBC film "The Borrowers" and "The Return of the Borrowers" both starring Ian Holm were released, and likely the best film versions to date. In 1997 an adapted version called "The Borrowers" starring John Goodman was released and though the premise is charming, if one is familiar with the original there is sad disappointed due to substantial changes in plot It didn't matter how brilliant john Goodman is. In 2011 BBC productions made yet another film of "The Borrowers" starring Stephen Fry, Victoria Wood, and Christopher Eccleston. This critic has not seen this but is anxious to do so. Even "Alice In Wonderland" has not inspired so many film versions to be made. Think about that.

Whether or not you have children, every one of these books is a gem. The term "Classic'; can be defined by these books. Mary Norton's legacy is remarkable; a true gift to us all. And this is not just for children, but if you feel silly reading these as an adult, it w]should be easy to assemble a child or two on your knee.

In 1952 Mary Norton changed the world by publishing her first book in the series, "The Borrowers." There are a total of five books in this series and every single one of them is as good as the first. It appeals to the wonder and fantasy in both children and adults. The concept must have begun, for her, when she grumboled about how she couldn't fiund a safety p9n anywhere. Then she began to think about other things that one can never find; how it is that there are things we go on buying, companies continue to manufacture yet where are these items when we need them? A needle and thread. The scissors? Q-tips and nail clippers and triple A batteries and birthday candles ("They were used only ONCE and still at the last minute I had to go out and..."). How many pens have we actually used until they were empty? Do we ever throw away a pencil because, at last, we'vge ground it down to a point where writing with it is impossible. Mary Norton's premise is that within our homes must live a species of miniature people who live off of Human "Beans", taking things that no one would miss, really had little value but these things sustained them. And before long we are introduced to a family who, over the course of five books, we get to know very well. It is England in late 19th century and we are under the kitchen floor at Firbank where we join the Clock Family: Pod, Homily and little Arriety. With a skill of writing, Norton makes us fall in love with all of the character sand we route for these little people who call themselves "Borrowers."

The first book tells us of how the Clocks (Named thus because the entrance to their home is beneath the Grandfather Clock in the front hall) have been the only borrowers able to stay on at Firbank, where Great Aunt Sophy (as the series progresses so does the spelling and soon enough it is Aunt Sopie) is confined to bed upstairs due to a hunting accident on horseback. Her great nephew has come to stay with her for fresh air and exercise to recover from an illness and has become the responsibility of the two remaining servants, Mrs. Driver and Mr. Crampfurl, the gardner. Arriety, nearly fourteen, is able to see the outside world through a grating at the base of the house which is the size of a vast movie screen to her. She wriotes in her diary and dreams of getting out. And one day her father takes her pout. The worst thing that can happen to a borrower happens to Arriety: She is "seen." The boy finds her near the front door and he, very lonely himself, clings to a friendship where he tells Arriety of the things he has seen and Arriety reads to him from the massive books from the nursey.

Soon enough, the boy finds their home and begins to shower them with wonderful things: furniture from the dollhouse in the nursery, fabric bits and then, some of the items from behind the glass in the drawing room. This catches the eye of Mrs. Driver and though the boy hadn't intended to hurt them, this sets forth a crisis for the Clocks that will not resolve entirely for five books, the last of which was written in 1982 ("The Borrowers Avenged")

The second book, "The Borrowers Afield" is what happens after The Borrowers narrowly escape Firbank after Mrs. Driver finds them and is screaming bloody murder from atop a chair. They meet Spiller, an outdoor type who teaches a great deal of survival skill to Arriety and becomes an important friend to the Clocks.

"The Borrowers Afloat" is the third book which details yet another escape, another amazing adventure which, to use seems light, nearly trite but Norton's skill makes us feel the severity of being trapped in a tea kettle on a river. Each book winds up, like the end of a television season, so that if it was the end of the story they rested, alight on a perch, satisfied.

The most desperate of these books is "The Borrowers Aloft' where Pod, homily and Arriety are stolen and held captive. Mr. and Mrs. Platter intend to make a fortune by keeping them in a zoo like house charging sixpence apiece for admission. These are by far the most despicable characters that Norton offers us and this book ends with a satisfaction that is fuller than any other book so far. And it may well have been. Mary Norton waited 18 years before she published the final of these volumes, "The Borrowers Avenged" and avenged they are. This is just as remarkable as the previous books; details and concepts and brilliant plotting. The illustrations in all five books are done by Beth and Joe Krush, they are, perhaps the finest book illustrations in history. They are in a league with Garth Williams (E.B. White) and John Teniel (Lewis Carroll) This is the longest book and it opens many doors and many possibilities, all of them good, yet it ends, oddly, with a sentence that holds true for all of the Borrowers and for all living things.

The concept of this story is nothing short of remarkable, but the reason these books are still top sellers sixty years later is because of the mastery of writing at the hand of Mary Norton, a sweet and bright English woman of my grandmother's generation. She has worked out absolutely every detail in every single project on which they embark, from creating a way to cook a freshly caught minnow, to constructing an entire set of rooms beneath a window seat. Norton has thought it all through and not only describes in detail but is never- at any moment ever- the least bit dull. Her characters are all vivid and deep, from the brave and very English Homily the Clocks had top in book three. Norton not only tells of a miniature village created by Mr. Pott and Miss Menzies and the exact intricate details as to it';s construction but she offers the back-story as to what brought them there. She is never dull and, unlike most books, there isn't ever a desire to step over a long, daunting paragraph. Her style is warm and casual and if one reads it with an English accent it flows like water in a stream. (Draught is draft; lighted is the grammatically correct term for "lit") Even with an American accent it flows fairly well. But reading this allowed to your children demands the accent.
I assure you that this is some of the finest children's literature ever written. There are the Oz books, of course, but Mary Norton wrote better. E.B. White's three children's books ("Stuart little", "Charlotte's Web" and "Trumpet of The Swan") are on the same par. But then this is the same category as Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn." This is indeed a tall order. Writing literature for children should be just as carefully done as for adults, if not more so, but Mary Norton did so effortlessly and if we must read Tom Sawyer with a Mississippi accent then reading anyone of the Borrowers books in an English accent not only makes it flow but it delights children. And even reading in your head: it's quite fun.

The book was first made into a film (with Eddie Albert, Tammy Grimes and Dame Judith Anderson) in 1972 and though the special effects are dated, the performances are, of course, remarkable. In 1992 a BBC film "The Borrowers" and "The Return of the Borrowers" both starring Ian Holm were released, and likely the best film versions to date. In 1997 an adapted version called "The Borrowers" starring John Goodman was released and though the premise is charming, if one is familiar with the original there is sad disappointed due to substantial changes in plot It didn't matter how brilliant john Goodman is. In 2011 BBC productions made yet another film of "The Borrowers" starring Stephen Fry, Victoria Wood, and Christopher Eccleston. This critic has not seen this but is anxious to do so. Even "Alice In Wonderland" has not inspired so many film versions to be made. Think about that.

Whether or not you have children, every one of these books is a gem. The term "Classic'; can be defined by these books. Mary Norton's legacy is remarkable; a true gift to us all. And this is not just for children, but if you feel silly reading these as an adult, it w]should be easy to assemble a child or two on your knee.

I'm scott's girl and you know what!? I'm TIERD OF PEPOLE COMPLANING ALL THE TIME! I look at the reviews when the book I want dosent have a good one and read the ones that have three or less stars and all I see is "this is not good and this is not good and this is not good and this is not"-well you know what I mean. and I'm tierd of the bad its time look at the good part of a book and ignor the bad,ex,Paolini with ERAGON,ELDEST,BRISINGR,and now INHERITANCE thaey keep looking at the bad things and not the good things like how adventores the books are. thats all I have for now,but beleve me I'll be back. }:-(

and this book sends the message that it is. Borrowers don't "borrow" things; they steal them. This book teaches kids that, as long as you don't get caught, taking things that don't belong to you is a-okay. Being "seen" is, after all, the only thing that Borrowers worry about.