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The Borrowers (Puffin Modern Classics)
 
 
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The Borrowers (Puffin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

by Judith Elkin (Afterword), Mary Norton (Author), Sian Bailey (Illustrator) "It was Mrs May who first told me about them ..." (more)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin Classics; New Ed edition (6 Mar 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 014036451X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140364514
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.2 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 9,334 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Anyone who has ever entertained the notion of "little people" living furtively among us will adore this artfully spun classic. The Borrowers--a Carnegie Medal winner, a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award book, and an ALA Distinguished Book--has stolen the hearts of thousands of readers since its 1953 publication. Mary Norton (1903-1993) creates a make-believe world in which tiny people live hidden from humankind beneath the floorboards of a quiet country house in England.

Pod, Homily and daughter Arrietty of the diminutive Clock family fit out their subterranean quarters with the titbits and trinkets they've "borrowed" from "human beans", employing matchboxes for storage and postage stamps for paintings. Readers will delight in the resourceful way the Borrowers recycle household objects. For example, "Homily had made her a small pair of Turkish bloomers from two glove fingers for 'knocking about in the mornings.'"

The persistent pilfering goes undetected until a boy (with a ferret!) comes to live in the country house. Curiosity drives Arrietty to commit the worst mistake a Borrower can make: she allows herself to be seen. This engaging, sometimes hair-raisingly suspenseful adventure is recounted in the kind, eloquent voice of narrator Mrs May, whose brother might--just might--have seen an actual Borrower in the country house many years ago. (Ages 9 to 12) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



Product Description

The Borrowers live in the secret places of quiet old houses; behind the mantelpiece, inside the harpsichord, under the kitchen clock. They own nothing, borrow everything, and think that human beings were invented just to do the dirty work. Arrietty's father, Pod, was an expert Borrower. He could scale curtains using a hatpin, and bring back a doll's teacup without breaking it. Girls weren't supposed to go borrowing but as Arrietty was an only child her father broke the rule, and then something happened which changed their lives. She made friends with the human boy living in the house...
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
It was Mrs May who first told me about them. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, 27 Oct 2003
By Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Borrowers (Odyssey Classic) (Paperback)
Unknown to the humans who seem to rule the Earth, they actually share the world with a race of little people, the Borrowers. Living beneath the floorboards, and anywhere else they can remain unseen, the Borrowers live by "borrowing" what they need from the "human beans." This is the story of one family (Pod, Homily and Arrietty Clock), their life in a spacious home, their borrowing, and their efforts to stay unseen. But Arrietty wants to see what else there is to life, and she is going to see it!

This is such a wonderful book. The story is charming, with the illustrations showing a realistic (if tiny) family. My children loved this story, and even have developed some games based on the story. If you have children, then please consider buying this book for them.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative, 28 Feb 2008
By kehs (Hertfordshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
The Borrowers is about Pod and Homily and the thirteen-year-old Arrietty, a family of tiny people, just a few inches high, who live under the floorboards of an old country house in England. They exist and furnish their tiny home by "borrowing" scraps and oddments from the house above. To do this they have to go on daring raids to gather the items they need. The author makes it quite clear that this is not stealing, as the Borrowers only take items that would otherwise be neglected or thrown away. Mary Norton invented a wonderfully imaginative world with these books and they can still be read and enjoyed by children today.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Cute!, 30 Aug 2006
I never read the Borrowers as a kid, but I do remember seeing them on telly. When I came across an old copy at a fleamarket the other week, I decided to read it. Being an adult I still enjoy children's books, as so many of them now are "cross overs" that works well for both adults and kids. This one however, is made only for children. Though I did enjoy the story, and it's witts, it moves forward in a pace PERFECT for youngsters (7-9yrs). But it gets boring for us "grown-ups" after a while. Never the less, the book is a classic, and it is not a classic for nought. It IS good, funny and charming. And I am planning to read the next installment as well.

It tells the story of a family of borrowers, little people, just like you and me, that lives under the floor of an old house. They are the size of mice, and get by from things "borrowed" from the big people. Of course being out on a hunt for things to borrow is very very dangerous. You might be seen by the "giants" (us) or get cought by cats and many other dangers that lurk. It aint easy being safe when a doormat looks like a big field with high grass!!!
M. Norton is very good at describing just that, how things would feel and look when you're the size of a teaspoon!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars What would they "borrow" from your home?
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... Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2007 by Zoe Brillantes

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joy
An absolute classic, written for the slightly brighter child than most novels of it's time, so it unfortunately may be lost on most kids nowadays. Read more
Published on 7 Jul 2007 by Thomas Milnthorpe

2.0 out of 5 stars overrated
I'm sorry but, as hard as I tried to get into this book, I found it incredibly dull and boring. Really badly written too. Give me a modern book any day.
Published on 2 Aug 2006 by Jiltedjohn

5.0 out of 5 stars Like the film only much better: The borrowers by Mary Norton
This book is excellent because it is imaginative yet exciting. The borrowers are tiny little creatures that borrow stuff, they never steal! Read more
Published on 29 May 2003 by friendsrulesall

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the best books I have ever read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book is all about things that happen to very small dwarfs that live in a huge house.They repetedly borrow things from the owners of the house. Read more
Published on 17 Nov 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite books as a child-a 'must' read
I cannot believe that no-one has reviewed this classic! I adored it as a child (it was a wonderful explanation of the mystery disappearance of household objects)- the idea is very... Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2000

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