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Reviews (35)

Great story of a family working together to survive
This is a great tale of a tiny family living under the floor in a house. It shows how the father goes up into the house when everyone is asleep and "borrows" things his family needs or wants. He must only borrow things that will NOT be missed. They are not to be seen by the "big" people. Some of their relatives were seen and had to move from their home to stay safe. Once seen the "big" people will bring in exterminators and try to catch the tiny people (they think they're rats). In this story, the Borrower's daughter befriends the young boy of the house. He does NOT try to harm the family. Mater of fact, he befriends them and brings them things they need. Unfortunately, the Borrower then feels useless and their house gets cramped. It's a great book for young children (and even adults to read). It's easy to get lost in the story, even when you know people like this cannot exist. I won't tell you the ending, you need to read it for yourself. I highly recommend this book.

Great book, but check out the age level
When I was a child of 12 or 13, I loved the Borrowers books. The idea of a family of tiny people, living in my own house and taking, for the most practical of purposes, things we'd thought we'd lost was quite enjoyable. The best part of the books, for me, were the descriptions of what they did with the buttons and baubles they risked their lives to 'borrow' - (imagine bumping into our family cat late one night while you're trying to lug a teacup back home).

Because I was a young girl who thought girls could do anything, I didn't really appreciate Arrietty's spunkiness. As the only child of the last Borrowers in this household, she's allowed to do many things her own mother hadn't done as a child. And perhaps because she can do some things her mother couldn't, she moves a step further and does whatever any boy could do.

I thought I could read these books to my 8 year old, who loves the Harry Potter series and The Wrinkle in Time books, but these books are too difficult for little kids (even those reading at an advanced level).

The language is very British and there are side explanations that are much too lengthy. Evidently I missed, as a pre-teen reader, the notion that the Borrowers might have been fabricated by the boy who was narrating the stories. (It is rather absurd to think that they were made up - I've lost too many socks and earrings in my lifetime, so I know Borrowers exist.)

Before the John Goodman version of the movie, we watched British video of The Borrowers and The Return of the Borrowers (great for younger kids). It was excellent, even though the special effects aren't where they were in the American version, the British version was excellent.

For those 11 and up (to 111) this is a great series to read.

The Borrowers
I've always loved this book, ever since I read it in fourth grade; the thought of little people always appealed to me. The style the book is written in is sort of old-fashioned for today's readers, but if a person can read it, then I definitely recommend it.

It's about a type of people, Borrowers, that are very tiny. They live in houses and 'borrow' things, like food, paper, and basically anything that they can get their hands on. They picture people as giants that are put on this earth to make things for them to 'borrow'... They live under floor-boards, behind pictures, over mantles; basically anywhere. That's how Arrietty's mother and father tell it.

But, in all reality, there is only herself, her mother, and her father left in that one particular house. Every other Borrower family had emigrated to somewhere else... and Arrietty accepts that until one day she is seen by a boy that puts the thought into her head that maybe her family is the last of the Borrowers.

And that's really how it all starts. Arrietty and the Boy form a sort of friendship, where the boy takes a letter to the place where Arrietty's Uncle is supposed to live, and Arrietty reads to him. (The Boy says that he's bilingual, and that's the reason that he can't read well.) And taking the mail isn't the only thing that the Boy does- he also brings the Clocks furniture, food, and other things.

Things which are discovered missing later.

And that brings in the cat and the rat-catchers...

One of my favorite childrens' books; I think the reason I like it so much is that it doesn't take for granted that kids wouldn't be able to understand a longer book... I think that's also what I love about the Harry Potter books, as well.

Anyway, read this. Very sweet, very family friendly. Altogether enjoyable.

Story Student
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 very old fashioned , but well written book
This yarn takes place under the kitchen floor of a house where no human child has lived in a very long time.The book begins when a lady named Mrs. May is telling a girl, Kate, about the world of the "Borrowers." From a borrowers' point of view humans are as large as giants. The human "beans," have not seen borrowers since the time of one in particular named Egglantina as it is disastrous to be seen by a human.Borrowers borrow such things as spools for seats,and even borrow names as you will see. The most interesting idea in the book was that Mary Norton wrote about a species that is a logical impossibility. ... Read more

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Reviews (4)

A slow starter but good book all around
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.

The Borrowers Afield
This book is about a very tiny family who is smoked out of their house under the floorboards of an old England home. They are forced to move to the fields and go on a journey to their relatives house. along the way they find a boot to live in and a tree stump for shelter. They meet a boy named Spiller who helps them out a little. In the end................

More wonderful Borrowers
In this sequel to The Borrowers, the Clocks, having lost their home, must now set up a new life in a lost boot. Arrietty finds the outdoors exhilarating, while Homily finds it dangerous and extremely dirty. The Clocks know that there must be other Borrowers somewhere, but where are they, and how will they find them in such a big, wide world?

As with the last book, this one contains a charming story that is well accompanied by illustrations that add a lot to the simple words. These books are considered children's classics, and it's easy to see why. My children loved this book, and yours will, too.

The adventures of the Clock Family continue...
For all those who loved the original Borrowers, this is thestory of what happened to the Clock family after being driven fromtheir home. In many ways, it is an "equal, not a sequel." ... Read more

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Reviews (4)

The third house to fourth in the third book
In this book, "The borrowers afloat" the Clocks once again venture out of a their brand new (rundown) house. This is their 3rd house in the 3rd book. This book tells how they manage "afloat" to get away from the empty cotttage, and "SPECIAL" relatives. Will they get to their dream house?

More adventures with the Borrowers
In this, the third book in the Borrowers series (after The Borrowers, and The Borrowers Afield), the Clocks (Pod, Homily and Arrietty) find that they must leave the safety of their new house and venture forth once again into the great big world. Setting their sights on Little Fordham, a miniature model town, the Clocks follow young Spiller out. But the world is a dangerous place for someone as small as a Borrower, and their voyage is filled with excitement.

Once again, Marty Norton has produced a story that is a lot of fun. Containing both plenty of adventure with a heartwarming story. My children and I loved this story, and you and yours will too.

The Borrowers Afloat
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?

Very good book
I liked this book alot. It kept me very interested. There were some funny parts but mainly exciting adventures. This is a good book for a second or third grader. I am in second grade. ... Read more

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Reviews (4)

Fascinatingly different
This book was written in 1982 as an afterthought to the earlier books (The Borrowers (1952), The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), and Poor Stainless (1966)). This follows the Clocks (Pod, Homily and Arrietty) after their escape from the Platters. Having found their way to an old rectory, the Clocks realize that they will never really be safe.

This book is quite different from the earlier books. This story contains social commentary, as seen when the family meets Peregrine Overmantle, and the introduction of more fantastic elements, such as a household ghost. It's quite interesting to imagine where Mary Norton might have gone, had she had the time to write more Borrowers stories. Anyway, this is a great book, and well worth your time and money.

The Saga Continues
Just to set everyone straight, this book is NOT based on the campy, sellout movie "The Borrowers." The movie should be renounced by all true fans, as it is a badly done attempt at commercializing on Mary Norton's brilliant ideas. Anyway, "The Borrowers Avenged" was written more than ten years before the Borrowers movie. It continues the story of Pod, Homily, and Arrietty, as they finally settle into an old rectory. It raises important questions about the future--(who will Arrietty marry, Spiller or Peagreen? I tend to think Peagreen.), but as all good Norton stories, gives you room to decide for yourself.

Not a good end to an otherwise delightful series.
This book was undoubtedly not intended to be the last in the series, but unfortunately it was. The book left several very important characters at odds in the end it a disheartening way. If I had to do it over again, I would have stopped the series with The Borrower's Aloft. Other than this story, the rest of the series by Mary Norton was a delightful addition to our family's storytime.

Imagination is needed for enjoyment.
The Borrowers Avenged is about the characters in the not-so-recent movie The Borrowers. They have many adventure from living in a model village to moving to a church. This is a great read!! ... Read more

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Reviews (4)

The Borrowers Aloft
I liked this book a lot. I like to read about how resourceful the Borrowers are when they use stuff humans don't need or misplace. It had really nice pictures, too. I recommend this book to kids five years and older.

The Borrowers in another tight situation
In this, the fourth book in the Borrowers series (after The Borrowers, The Borrowers Afield and The Borrowers Afloat), the Clocks have moved into Little Fordham, and are starting their new life. Unfortunately, unknown to them, the greedy Mr. Platter has built a rival model village. Having seen the Borrowers, he kidnaps them to add them to his own model. How can such small people escape from a prison built by such huge human "beans"?

Ah, Mary Norton (1903-92) was a genius! Her Borrower stories are an excellent combination of suspenseful adventure and heartwarming drama. My children and I love this book, and highly recommend it to you!

Read them all. They're all wonderful!
As a child in the 1950's, I read the original Borrowers in 4th grade. I read and re-read the one in the school library, til school closed for the summer. As luck would have it, I found the book and it's subsequent additions that summer in a book store. They were the only thing I ever BEGGED my mother to buy me. I took home The Borowers, The Borrowers Afield, and The Borrowers Afloat, and I still know parts of them by heart. When I was 18, the Borrowers Aloft came out, and my mother sent it to me at college. I was 36 when the Avenged came out, and I RAN to the bookstore. The stories are as fresh today as the first time I read them. I'm now in my 50's, and I can't imagine a life without Homily, Pod and Arriety Clock. Homily who is courageous, even though she'd rather not be. Pod, who is a simple man, taking care of his family. And Arriety, ready for life, ready for adventure, a young Victorian Feminist, if there ever was one. She taught me that a girl could be anything she wanted to be. They bravely faced a daunting world, and they're only 6 inches tall. I now own well over a thousand books, and really believe that it was this small family that lead me to my love of reading.

cool
This book was pretty good. It was better than the second one which was better than the first and the third one, although the third one was better than the first. Ya Got Me? ... Read more