Common Sense Note
This classic tale retains its appeal, but some children may find it slow. Fear of capture makes the borrowing expeditions tense. The occasional black and white line art helps to make the tiny Borrowers more real for the young reader. Detailed descriptions of how the Borrowers use everyday objects bring the reader's imagination to life.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Megan Potter
While Mrs. May is recounting the wondrous tale of her brother's encounter with the Clock family to young Kate, your child will be equally enthralled. The descriptions of how the family uses our everyday trinkets fascinate children, and often inspires them to create their own Borrower homes. Don't be surprised if after the book is finished you find your children crawling around the house looking for their own Borrowers.
Though it's often imitated in both books and movies, no one has ever managed to duplicate the appeal of Norton's infusion of magic into the everyday. Something about her cleverness and matter-of-fact style, and the humdrum lives to which the Borrowers aspire, makes the whole thing seem so plausible that it's hard to believe there aren't Borrowers scuttling through the walls and floors of your own home. And Arrietty's friendship with a human child makes children long for their own Borrower to befriend.
The story ends leaving the reader wondering what has really happened to Arrietty and her parents and wondering where they will live now. The answers to those questions are in Norton's The Borrower's Afield, as well as other sequels. Once your kids have read the books, when they still can't get enough, you may want to buy or rent one of the several movie adaptations.
A similar idea, though updated and with edgier humor, can be found in the Bromeliad trilogy, beginning with Truckers. For children who are too young for THE BORROWERS, try The Littles and its sequels or, for even younger children, try When Mindy Saved Hanukkah. There have also been several movie adaptations of THE BORROWERS.
Plot Summary:
Borrowers are tiny people who live under the floorboards and survive by borrowing from the big people in the house. When the Clocks are discovered by the big people, they must find a new home before the exterminator gets them. This classic has survived for half a century because it charms young and old alike.
Related Books:
Books in the same series
The Borrowers Afloat
The Borrowers Avenged
The Borrowers Aloft
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ViolenceFear of capture makes the borrowing expeditions tense. |
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Social BehaviorArrietty disobeys her parents. |
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