 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Borrowers
- By Mary Norton
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Classic tale a bit slow but retains its appeal.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that 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.
What's the story?
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.
Is it any good?
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 inspire 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.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the how the Borrowers make what we view as everyday objects seem unique and wondrous. What are some of the objects that fascinate them? How do they use the objects differently than we do?
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Kid, 12 years old
February 20, 2011
AGE
Perfect for age six and up but not for five year olds.
My mom and I loved it! Good role models and awsome story. It was really exciting and has a little twist.
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AGE
great for tweens and up
Anyone who doesn't like it, hasen't read it. It is a great book for tweens and up, good starter, good terms, good story line, no violence, sex, drugs, stupid parents, good starter book.
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AGE
Amazing Book!
This is a great book! I loved it. The tiny borrowers go on an amazing journey in the human world. It might have some bigger vocabulary words for some of the younger children, because after all it was published in 1952. If you liked the book you should see Disney's new movie "The Secret World of Arriety" which roughly goes along with the book. They have also have made a few other movies which were not cartoons/animated in the past.
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AGE
th inspiration
it inspires my kids to explore and to not let other kids pick on them in any way
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AGE
Lovely old-fashioned story still has traction in 21st century
I thought the old fashioned language might be a turn-off for my daughter but she really loves the concept of tiny people hidden within a house, and is willing to perservere with some of the old, particularly English vocabulary. It's been good from a historical perspective too, explaining household life in Edwardian England and some of the issues around class etc.
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| Author: | Mary Norton |
| Illustrator: | Beth and Joe Krush |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Harcourt Brace |
| Publication date: | April 1, 2003 |
| Number of pages: | 180 |
| Paperback price: | $5.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
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