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Mary Norton
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The Borrowers (Borrowers, 1) Paperback – Illustrated, April 1, 2003

by Mary Norton (Author), Diana Stanley (Illustrator), Beth Krush (Illustrator),
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,438 ratings
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A enchanting and enduring children's classic, The Borrowers is the award-winning tale of three tiny people who are big heroes.

The Clock family—Homily, Pod, and their fourteen-year-old daughter, Arrietty—are tiny people who live underneath the kitchen floor of an English manor. All their minuscule home furnishings, from postage stamp paintings to champagne cork chairs, are “borrowed” from the “human beans” who tromp around loudly above them. All is well until Pod is spotted upstairs by a human boy! Can the Clocks stay nested safely in their beloved hidden home, or will they be forced to flee?
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    6 - 10 years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 5
    Borrowers
  3. Print length
    192 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    3 - 7
  6. Lexile measure
    780L
  7. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.75 x 7.5 inches
  8. Publication date
    April 1, 2003
  9. ISBN-10
    0152047379
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0152047375
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Mary Norton's The Borrowers:
"A book that begs to be shared."--The Horn Book

"The magic and charm of the writing convince children and grown-ups, too, that Borrowers really do exist."--School Library Journal
—

About the Author

Mary Norton (1903-1992) lived in England, where she was an actress, playwright, and award-winning author of the classic Borrowers novels.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarion Books; First Edition (April 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0152047379
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0152047375
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 10 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 780L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.75 x 7.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,438 ratings

About the author

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Mary Norton

Mary Norton

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Mary Norton, or Kathleen Mary Norton née Pearson (10 December 1903 – 29 August 1992), was an English author of children's books. She is best known for the The Borrowers series of low fantasy novels (1952 to 1982), which is named after its first book and, in turn, the tiny people who live secretly in the midst of contemporary human civilisation.

Norton won the 1952 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising The Borrowers as the year's outstanding children's book by a British subject. For the 70th anniversary of the Medal in 2007 it was named one of the top ten winning works, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
2,438 global ratings
Yuck... Though I am sure it's a good book.
1 Star
Yuck... Though I am sure it's a good book.
I am sure the content of the book is fine, but this is just gross. My daughter is supposed to read this for a class, it just came in the mail with some nasty, unknown, dried stuff on (and in) it.
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Top reviews from the United States

Anna Grace
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2023
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An absolutely incredible children’s story book!
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EB
5.0 out of 5 stars Stands the test of time
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2022
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Some books fail to hold their wonder after seventy years, but The Borrowers is one of those books that proved, at least to me, to be even better now than when I first read it as a child.

Mary Norton's Borrowers, little people who live between floors and behind the walls of old houses and survive by "borrowing" what they need to live, gave our family a way to explain away things that suddenly went missing: "Didn't I leave a paper clip here to hold this report together?" "The Borrowers must have made off with it."

So I remembered the clever little home furnishings -- postage stamps for wall hangings, thread spools for stools, and so forth. For awhile, as I read this book as a child, every object seemed to summon in me a guess about how the Borrowers might put the thing to good use.

And I found myself daydreaming that way as I re-read the book more than forty years later. Illustrations by Beth and Joe Krush added to the magic; if you purchase this book, find one with the illustrations, which add significantly to the book.

Most of all, I marvelled at how Norton had crafted a story that retained its viability after all this time. Sure, the creative world she created for the Borrowers was still enthralling, but the plot itself holds up as well: will the Borrowers survive being seen? Who can be trusted, and who can't be trusted to keep their secret?

So at its heart, the book is about an essential question: how do we thrive in a way that is meaningful for us when outside forces threaten to tear it apart?

All great books wrestle with important questions, with questions that withstand time. "The Borrowers," despite its seemingly simple concept, is one of those books, asking one of those questions, and delivering a wonderful story in answering it.
18 people found this helpful
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JJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024
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A must read for kiddos with imagination.
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4boyz4me
4.0 out of 5 stars Simple and sweet
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2016
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Review first published on jenasbookreviews.blogspot.com

A classic tale of the little people who live in your walls or under your floors and are the reason things are not where you put them. Sweetly told by an older lady to a young girl in the house she lived in as a story she heard from her brother about what happened one year when he was staying with his aunt. One of the biggest rules of the Borrowers, as they call themselves, is to not be seen but that year there were only a family of three that seemed to still be living in the house and the young daughter was bored and desperate for a friend. Arrietty was finally allowed to go borrowing with her father and ended up being seen by the young boy. Their friendship was something they both needed but when the boy started bringing them too many presents, their lives were forever turned upside down.

There is now a Miyazaki film based on this book that we have and I need to watch. The story itself is cute, very simple and sweet. My 10yr old says he enjoyed it but not enough to be interested in reading any of the others and I can see why. Maybe more happens in those books but this was definitely a slower moving book than he tends to like. I have to say that even if he did, I probably wouldn't continue with the series either as it is a bit slow.
One person found this helpful
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David Seaman
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest books ever written
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2010
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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.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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P. Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars Good condition
Reviewed in Canada on July 16, 2023
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An old favourite I'm looking forward to reading to the next generation on my knee! Book arrived in excellent condition.
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Grey Lady
5.0 out of 5 stars Childhood Classic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2024
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I bought this book for my granddaughter having enjoyed it myself as a child. She is now enjoying it having just reached the age to escape into the story reading it herself
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Iryc
5.0 out of 5 stars La historia es muy interesante y divertida
Reviewed in Mexico on July 6, 2019
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Lo compré para mi hijo de 7 años. Ha sido un poco complicado para el leer en este nivel de inglés pero sigue intentandolo por que la historia es realmente entretenida. Nos gustó mucho.
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patriciajoan.white
5.0 out of 5 stars Libri
Reviewed in Italy on May 5, 2020
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Sempre utile il libro
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Cristian
5.0 out of 5 stars Preciosa edición
Reviewed in Spain on January 3, 2019
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Preciosa edición, de buena calidad y con muchos detalles, contiene un pequeño fragmento de un cuento de otro escritor en las ultimas paginas como muestra de regalo de la editorial, una compra muy recomendable.
One person found this helpful
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