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The Borrowers: The Borrowers and The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton (view source)
Revision as of 13:26, 21 September 2020
, 13:26, 21 September 2020no edit summary
{{infoboxinfobox2
|title=The Borrowers: The Borrowers and The Borrowers Afield
|sort=Borrowers: The Borrowers and The Borrowers Afield
|author=Mary Norton
|reviewer=Ali Baker
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-1444005813
|pages=368
|publisher=Orion
|date=November 2011
|amazonukaznuk=<amazonuk>1444005812</amazonuk>|amazonusaznus=1444005812|cover=<amazonus>1444005812</amazonus>
|website=
|video=
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Most people will be aware of the story of the Borrowers. First published in 1952, it has been dramatised several times, most recently as Arrietty, the beautiful Studio Ghibli animated film. A little girl called Kate is told a story by an elderly lady, Mrs May, who lodges with her parents. Her brother was sent as a small boy to stay with an elderly great-aunt in a large house near Leighton Buzzard, a market town in the Home Counties. He is recovering from a serious illness. The house is an ideal place for the Clock family, tiny people who survive by ""'borrowing"" ' from humans (even their names - Pod, Homily and Arrietty - sound as though they're repurposed from human names. However, the boy spots Arrietty, and this leads to disaster for the Borrowers.
The second story also starts with Mrs May and Kate. Mrs May has inherited a cottage near Leighton Buzzard, and she and Mrs May go to visit it. It is here that she hears the sequel to the events of the first book. The Clock family had to leave the big house and survive the dangerous journey to the badger's set where Aunt Lupy and Uncle Hendreary were rumoured to have lived. How will they survive in the wild, with predators and other natural hazards, and no humans to borrow from?
These stories are classics; they are fantastic to read aloud and a must-have for every child's bookshelf. This is a beautiful edition, with original illustrations from Diana Stanley and this hardback editions edition has real handling pleasure; the paper is suitably tough and the colours of the cover have reproduced well. This would be a fantastic Christmas present for a keen 7-10 year old reader.
Another re-issued classic with small people is [[Mistress Masham's Repose by T H White]]. A more recent book involving mysterious small people living in a country house is [[The Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison]] {{amazontext|amazon=1444005812}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8701421}}. You might also enjoy [[The Secret of the Blue Glass by Tomiko Inui and Ginny Tapley Takemori (translator)]].
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