The Database Of All The Reviews
The Borrowers Afield
Mary Norton
Illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush
Fiction (Series)
Ages 8 to 12
Harcourt, 2003, 0-15-204732-8
Pod, Homily and Arrietty Clock are on the run, literally. Very suddenly the three little people have had to leave the relative safety and comfort of their home under the kitchen floor in the big house and they are out crossing fields and orchards looking for their relatives who left the house some years ago. The problem is that the only thing they know about the Aunt Lupy and Uncle Hendreary is that they went to live in a badger's set but they cannot be sure that the family are still there. In fact, on investigation, they find that the Hendrearys are no longer in the badger's set and there is no sign of them anywhere about. Homily, Pod and Arrietty are well and truly on their own now.
The three little people are fortunate enough to find an old boot which makes a dry and safe enough home for the time being. Then, and very luckily for them as it happens, they meet another borrower. Spiller is a very country savvy borrower who knows how to survive in the wide world and he turns out to be a great help to the Clocks who have much to learn about living rough. There is no question however that they cannot remain in the boot forever. Winter is not that far off and they have to find more suitable accommodation before then.
Mary Norton beautifully combines the exciting and adventure filled story of the Clock family with that of a set of humans who are interested in the little people and keen to know what happens to them. A young girl called Kate discovers that one human at least knows all about Arrietty and her family and from him she starts to piece together the story, a story which began when an old lady first told her about how a little boy saw some little people when he was visiting an old house in the country ("The Borrowers").
With wonderful characters who practically step off the pages Mary Norton has blessed us with a book which has stood the test of time since it was first published in 1955 and which promises to be a firm favourite for many years to come.
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