Pod, Homily and Arrietty Clock - the family of tiny Borrowers - think they have at last found an ideal home. They've moved into a house in a miniature village built as a hobby by a retired railroad man. The village is the perfect size for Borrowers, and after the hardships they've faced, the Clocks gratefully settle into the luxury of having a "proper" house. The easy life makes them careless. Or rather, it makes Arrietty careless. She befriends a "human bean," and the next thing Arrietty knows, she and her family have been kidnapped. Their captors are a greedy married couple, called the Platters, who have big plans for the little people. They have created their own miniature village in a glass case and plan to imprison the Borrowers within - like animals in a zoo - for the rest of their lives.
Also features the short Borrowers tale Poor Stainless
Mary Norton (née Pearson) was an English children's author. She was the daughter of a physician, and was raised in a Georgian house at the end of the High Street in Leighton Buzzard. The house now consists of part of Leighton Middle School, known within the school as The Old House, and was reportedly the setting of her novel The Borrowers. She married Robert C. Norton in 1927 and had four children, 2 boys and 2 girls. Her second husband was Lionel Boncey, who she married in 1970. She began working for the War Office in 1940 before the family moved temporarily to the United States.
She began writing while working for the British Purchasing Commission in New York during the Second World War. Her first book was The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons published in 1943, which, together with the sequel Bonfires and Broomsticks, became the basis for the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Mary Norton died of a stroke in Devon, England in 1992.
Оу, той нечастий випадок, коли перечитування улюблених книжок дитинства є дуже корисним. Адже малою "The Borrowers Aloft" я любила найменше - замало пригод, незрозумілий на той момент фокус оповіді, не кажучи вже про етичні негаразди героїв. А зараз - чудово зайшло! Саме у четвертій книжці найяскравіше висвітилися проблеми взаємного існування двох світів. І людьська "половина" ("компенсаційне" життя містера Потта, особиста драма міс Мензіс, шалені бізнес-ідеї подружжя Платтер), що колись здавалася геть зайвою, раптом сподобалася ще не більше.
(Але в дитинстві я й гадки не мала, що є й п'ята книжка. Ну нічого, зараз наздожену).
We sure love this series! I don’t think the Borrower’s personalities are brought out quite as clearly in this volume - it felt like more perspective time was given to the humans than might have been necessary. And the last few chapters feel rather anticlimactic IMO. But regardless it made a wonderful read aloud for ages 5, 7, and 9. We also enjoyed the included fun short story about the Borrowers back in the Firbank days, titled “Poor Stainless.”
How sad that I have reached the end of The Borrowers series, but what a send off! The Borrowers came ashore after their harrowing escape by boat in The Borrowers Afloat to find a miniature model village with a ready made home just their size. Of course, it had been discovered by the intrepid Spiller.
This volume begins with a short history of how the model village came into being as a hobby of Mr Pott, a retired railway man. His meticulous craftsmanship reminded me of Keith Stewart, the main character from Nevil Shute's 1960 bestseller, Trustee From the Toolroom.
Mr Pott has a rival, a Mr Platter, wealthy builder who constructed his own model village just across the river with the aim of making money. No sooner are the Clocks are getting settled in Mr Potts' Little Fordham, than they are discovered by Mr Platter who kidnaps the family and imprisons them in his attic for the winter. He is building a house for them in his village where he plans to showcase the little people as his latest attraction.
Anyone who has read the stories of The Borrowers knows that their greatest fear is "being seen." Escape from Mr Platter must be accomplished at all costs.
Taking their usual roles as Pod the father/inventor, Homily the worried mother, and Arrietty the adventurous discoverer of new things, the family builds a balloon in which they plan to sail out of an attic window to freedom. Arrietty, you may remember, had taught herself to read back in the original house of the first book. There in the attic she found an article about ballooning in an old number of the Illustrated London News.
Their feverish work on the balloon, their departure and journey by air back to Little Fordham, and a climax more surprising than any of the previous stories, make for a suspenseful read. I never read this final book in the series as a kid. By 1961 I was starting high school and reading adult books. But I should have read it because Arrietty turns 16 and realizes that she loves Spiller and wants to marry him. To do so, she must navigate her parents' resistance to such an outlandish proposal while she learns to understand Spiller's fiercely independent personality.
Mary Norton accomplished a feat not often repeated in children's literature until J K Rowling had Harry Potter age along with his readers. Brilliant! Now I must see the movie, The Secret World of Arrietty.
Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock have been through a lot, but with the help of Spinner, they are finally headed to their new home in Little Fordham. Developed and managed by Mr. Abel Pott, this miniature railway village attracts plenty of humans and humans—as all Borrowers know—always can be counted on to leave behind lots of things worth borrowing. But Little Fordham has also attracted the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Platter, a greedy couple who know a good opportunity when they see it. They set on building a similar village called Ballyhoggin and just when they think they’ve one-upped their competition, they discover something in Little Fordham that could make them rich—real little people! Soon, the Clocks find themselves kidnapped and will soon be a permanent Ballyhoggin attraction. They’ve pulled off narrow escapes before, but could our favorite Borrowers have finally met their match?
The Borrowers Aloft is the fourth book in The Borrowers series and Norton continues to thrill and excite readers with new characters, challenges, and lessons to be learned. We meet the kind Mr. Pott, the amiable Miss Menzies who befriends Arrietty, and the opportunistic and scheming Platters who imprison our heroes and plan to exhibit them like animals in a zoo. This book truly tests the patience, strength, and unity of our heroes as they must rely on their ingenuity, wit, and each other in order to regain their freedom.
Four books in and Norton still manages to keep the Clock’s journey fresh and exciting with new faces, obstacles, and challenges: Arrietty has grown tremendously but her trusting nature once again puts her family at risk; Homily is realizing that her little girl is growing up and soon will be looking to build a life of her own; and Pod is faced with making some tough decisions of his own as he weighs his wife’s comfort, his daughter’s longing, and his desire to remain true to his Borrower nature.
Homily asks Pod a question that she’s heard herself ask a number of times, “Where are we going to?” to which Pod responds, “To where we belong.” Spanish athlete Bojan Krkic once said, “It is important to find a place where you feel trust, you feel belonging and stability.” Based on this, it seems that Pod, Homily, and Arrietty may be closer to finding their perfect place than even they realize.
We’re now posting videos of some of our book reviews! Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thedustyjacket or on Instagram @tdjreviews and join in on the fun!
' ''Isn' t there anything that hunts human beings?'' Arrietty asked.
'' Not that I know of, '' said Pod. '' Might do 'em a bit of good if there were. Show' em what it feels like, for once. '' He was silent a moment and then he said, '' Some say they hunt each other... ''
''Oh, no!'' exclaimed Homily, shocked. (Strictly brought up in the borrowers' code of one-for-all and all-for-one, it was as though he'd accused the human race of cannibalism) '' You shouldn't say such things Pod - no kind of creature could be as bad as that!''
'' I've heard it said" he persisted solidly. ''Sometimes singly and sometimes one lot against another lot!''
Ensconsed at last in the perfect little home for a family of borrowers, Pod, Homily and Arrietty think they have found their place in the world at last.
They've moved into a tiny cottage in a miniature village built as a hobby by a retired railroad man. The village is the perfect size for the borrowers and the luxory of having a whole tiny world to themselves makes them careless...
The next thing they know they have been kidnapped. Their captors are the greedy Platter's with a hastily built, money making model village up the road. They have big plans for the Borrowers, plans that involve glass's houses...
This has always been my favourite installment of The Borrowers (bearing in mind I haven't read the final one) and it remains so at this time.
The loving care and attention of Mr Pott's over his beloved miniature village is described so beautifully that it gave me a love of model villages that lasts to this day.
I know I may seem a tad obsessed with this series but it really is so well written. Pod, Homily and Arrietty's have such growth of character with every book and it is especially interesting with Arrietty's character growth as it gives one the impression of watching her grow up.
I'm sure you can all tell the exciting things that the family get up to from the cover and the synopsis but I honestly can't recommend this book enough, it's wonderful, it's halcyon, it's quaint and it's filled with tension.
My only complaint is that the ending was extremely abrupt and not quite made up for by the lovely associated short story at the end.
I could not believe kidnapping and imprisonment were in a children's book! While I absolutely loved Little Fordham (the model village), I was disgusted by what came after. Yes, I know that was the point. The Platters are desperate and disgusting people. And to think- they wanted to keep them in a terrarium! This isn't the least interesting book, that's for sure. Thankfully the cover of the book shows you how they wind up escaping, so that's good.
This book also includes Poor Stainless, which is a short story about a boy named Stainless who is kind of a nuisance. I mean, he peeps on girls... (And this is a tale from when Homily was a girl.) Ultimately, he goes missing and everybody gets all worried so the entire household of Borrowers goes looking for him. Mind you, this was back in the day when there were the Overmantels, the Hendrearys, the Clocks, etc etc. So they all go looking and can't find him. After a while, they suspect he's dead. (Like Eggletina.) Only- surprise! He got stuck in something and wound up going on a trip to the candy store. Needless to say, he got fat from the fact candy was the only thing available to eat. My oh my... What an odd story, and I'm not entirely certain why it was in the back of Borrowers Aloft.
Another charming tale of The Borrowers. Great interior illustrations as well, with a bonus short story at the end that is cool. The first bit of the book was a little slow because they were from the point of view of adult humans finding out about the Borrowers, but once we got to the actual adventures of the little people it became a lot of fun.
I remember when I was a kid I was totally obsessed with all the details of balloon engineering (on a borrower scale) in this book. As an adult I'm more struck by how Norton portrays Arrietty growing older and being a sometimes tiresome, sometimes unjustly treated teenager with sympathy and realism.
Wonderful as always. The adventures and ingenuity of the Clocks is fascinating. Getting such big action out of such small characters is impressive. Arrietty is growing up, beautifully. I will be sorry when I read the last of these.
This was excellent. The Borrowers plot their escape from a sealed attic with Arrietty, who can read the newspapers left there , telling Pod, who can’t read, what to do.
A lot of the story seems to take place “off-screen” or from a different perspective than expected. Kinda rushed, and with a lot of hot air balloon construction jargon that kinda lost me.
Arriety 17 disobeys tradition of Borrower tiny people and speaks to chatty Miss Menzies, who makes them clothes and helps quiet peg-leg ex-railway signaler Mr Abel Potts build miniature Little Fordham village. Jealous cheating competitors big Mabel and husband, small thin Sidney Platter have "mauvish" faces, pink and violet respectively kidnap the teen and her parents Pod and Homily, lock them in the attic till 1 April, start of tourist season, and build glass house. Of committing a "felony", Mabel argues "other people commit them", "There's got to be a first time for everything p 63. A technical magazine article about balloon construction directs the escape in more detail than I expected or enjoy, uses gas fuel from fireplace, fountain pen cover, music box.
Before Homily's airs were painted with affection, here she's contemptible. Twice she panics, suddenly jumps out p 144, tosses cheese overboard p 160, nearly kills them all, "tears" her apology p 145. Pod "becomes irritated" when the females fuss and ignore the danger for inconsequentials p 105. Even best friend Potts ignores Miss M rambling, talk of fairies treated like facts about little people. Clever, but where is the warm humor? Before always "beans" are now "human beings .. hunt each other" p 156. Pushed by Pod, Arriety rashly promises never to talk to tempting big people again, before remembering Miss M worries, cares, loves them.
Poor Stainless is light, yet a moral lesson. Scullery Borrowers all have "lovely complexions" p 201 from first choice at fresh garden produce. Admired by the adults, nasty teaser of other kids such as young Homily and her sister, Stainless vanishes. The Elders, grandfathers, order everyone out to search.
This was much more enjoyable than The Borrowers Afloat, which felt very much like an "interim episode" that could happily have been condensed and added onto either Afield or Aloft. The humans in Book 4 are no longer cardboard cutouts, they are people with thoughts and ideas and feelings. The baddies are still a bit laughable, but more rounded. Having said that, after the first two or three chapters I began to wonder if Norton had written it after selling the movie rights to Bedknobs and Broomsticks, as it has more of a "Disney family movie script" feel to it. I could almost see David Tomlinson playing the unprincipled Mr Platter. (I won't mention those names...Platter and Pott...shallow and deep? Oh dear oh dear.)
The Borrowers have finally found a safe, comfortable haven--or have they? Reading this episode reminded me of the Little House books, particularly Little House on the Prairie. (No sooner do they get glass in the windows than Pa decides it's time to up sticks and move on.) We even get a speech from Arriety's Pa on the need to remain "independent"...which is very odd, given that Borrowers can't survive without humans to borrow from! Oh, there's Spiller, the Tarzan Borrower, but he's a special case.
At the end of the novel I found a "bonus" short story entitled "Poor Stainless." Suddenly we are back under the kitchen of Firbanks, and Homily is telling a much-younger Arietty tales of her own youth. Homily appears as a much more likeable character her than her usual two-dimensional chunterer in the other books, and we meet many other Borrowers--where did they all go? And the idea of the perfect little brat getting his comeuppance in an unexpected way was delicious.
I'll have to read the final installment in the series now. I dearly hope she doesn't let me down.
My impressions of the first 3 books is that Arrietty is making good decisions in speaking with humans, even if it is against her parents advice. I found it sad that Arrietty's adventures seemed to end with the perpetual moving away from the humans who had 'seen' them. It seemed that there were good humans trying to do their best to care for the Borrowers and that Arrietty's parents were unfounded in their fear of humans....there was a sense that they would meet the 'right' human eventually and then all would be well. Perhaps, being a human myself, I put too much faith in our lot. In this fourth book, there is a maturing in Arrietty where she sees the dangers of humans, even if they are well meaning. There is the right amount of sadness and disappointment with her burgeoning awareness. It is interesting that what I assumed was superstitious or unfounded judgements of humans by Pod and Homily is now revealed as wisdom. It seems to me that so many contemporary children's books have bumbling adults who need their children to teach them a thing or two about life and as such I was expecting the story to continue in that vein. It was kind of nice to see the story told in a different pattern.
¿que más puedo decir de the borrowers? son los únicos libros que me han estado salvado la mente y el espíritu durante toda la pandemia. el universo de Mary Norton no tiene comparación y no es por demeritar otros trabajos, pero esta serie se encuentra por arriba de cualquier otra obra que trate sobre gente chiquitita. aquí hay toda una atmósfera íntima y bonita que trabajó junto a los personajes. Mary conocía de verdad la vida de sus pequeñitos dándoles una voz distintiva a cada uno de ellos. era una maestra en detallar los días buenos y despreocupados junto a los momentos tristes de una vida llena de desafíos que puede experimentar alguien de 15 centímetros. todo combinado en una narración demasiado inmersiva que te estimula el corazón aventurero.
me inspira a mantenerme curioso con la promesa de que a lo ordinario de mi alrededor se le puede agregar ese “extra” y si miro aún más de cerca, puedo encontrar una historia con mucho valor por más diminuta que sea (no es tan difícil cuando eres súper miope)
si algún día llego a crear algo similar prometo esmerarme y emular con cariño y muchísima imaginación lo que tanto me ha transmitido el hermoso mundito de Mary.
It was a very enjoyable, very adventurous and very easy to read children's fantasy novel sequel. It had really well-drawn illustrations, great characters, very thrilling adventure and a very enjoyable story. This is one of the best Borrowers books I've ever read in my whole life. I'm looking forward to read the fifth and final Borrowers adventure! I also really liked the short story "Poor Stainless" and it was really enjoyable. I really recommend this book to anyone who loves "The Borrowers" books.
Any fan of the Borrowers series will enjoy this book. I was sad to find however, a lot less adventure in this tale. The book is perfectly safe for kids of all ages, no language or violence. For the most part I'd think kids under the age of 12 would enjoy this story best... except for one thing: There are some long-winded ramblings about hot-air balloon construction that I can't imagine will hold the interest of younger readers. It's still a good story, with wonderful characters that I don't regret buying. I'm hopeful that my nieces will enjoy this, and the other "Borrowers" stories.
The adventure continues, this time with real villains! While the storyline is getting a little less interesting, I just have to read the final volume "The Borrowers Avenged" to see what happens. Will they finally find a place of their own without onlooking human beans? Will it be a place where Arietty will still get to run free outside? Will Arietty and Spiller "go out"? This has been a fun read for my busy summer--short books, short chapters, no commitment required.
Mary Norton treats us to another great installment in her Borrowers world. The inventiveness find new nooks to explore and yet again Arrietty shows that the basic lessons a Borrower should learn are truly difficult for some to process.
The Borrowers Aloft follows the Clock family as they face some of the nastiest villains they've ever encountered.
Fun, light, creative and lovely. Treat your eyes to some nice reading and by all means, plow through the series. It's worth the visit.