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153rd out of 412 books
—
530 voters
The Borrowers Afield (The Borrowers #2)
by
Mary Norton,
Beth Krush , Joe Krush
Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock are Borrowers, tiny people who borrow, not steal, from human Beans, for their living. Their family hides inside, but a whole world awaits outside.
Paperback, 228 pages
Published
April 1st 2003
by Sandpiper
(first published 1954)
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Oct 31, 2011
Judy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
children 8-12
Shelves:
books-from-1955,
children-s-lit
In the second book of The Borrowers series, Pod, Homily and Arrietty are on the run after escaping from the terrible Mrs Driver and the ferret. No long able to live snugly beneath the kitchen in the big house, they are forced to run, hide from field mice and insects, and sleep in ditches.
Finally they take up residence in an abandoned boot and adopt a vegetarian diet. Homily tries to be brave but is miserably out of her element. Pod is his usual resourceful self. Arrietty however is thrilled to b...more
3.5 stars. Children might like it better. I believe I did. I believe I read them all, but I only remember snatches. I had such a crush on Spiller. I loved that Borrowers are *almost* humanoid, but of course they have some alien thoughts and behaviors. And they're *not* fey. I'm sure one of the things that attracted me to the books were the illustrations by the wonderful team of Beth and Joe Krush. One thing I hadn't remembered is just how annoying Homily is. I feel for her, of course, but come o...more
Setelah sekian lama ngga "terseret" masuk ke dalam cerita ketika membaca sebuah buku, gua menemukannya kembali di buku yang satu ini, oohh kebayang khan betapa mengasyikannya kalo kita bisa turut jadi bagian dalam cerita yang dituturkan?!
Perkenalkan "The Borrowers", manusia mini yang besarnya paling cuman sejempol aja.
Dan sesuai dengan namanya, keluarga yang terdiri dari bapak, ibu dan seorang anak perempuan ini deman meminjam barang dari tempat yang mereka tinggali.
Walau dibilang meminjam yaa m...more
Perkenalkan "The Borrowers", manusia mini yang besarnya paling cuman sejempol aja.
Dan sesuai dengan namanya, keluarga yang terdiri dari bapak, ibu dan seorang anak perempuan ini deman meminjam barang dari tempat yang mereka tinggali.
Walau dibilang meminjam yaa m...more
I love the way these books have such an awareness of unreliable narrators, and of oral stories, for all that they're written down. First of all The Boy through Mrs May through Kate, and then Arriety through Tom Goodenough through Kate... There's so much uncertainty about whether it is or isn't a story. I imagine that frustrates some people, but I do like it.
I remember, all of a sudden, as a child, carefully leaving things on the lower shelves, for Borrowers. They never did take it, but maybe I w...more
I remember, all of a sudden, as a child, carefully leaving things on the lower shelves, for Borrowers. They never did take it, but maybe I w...more
The Borrowers Afield carries on a few years after the conclusion of The Borrowers as Kate tries to discover what happened to the little people Mrs May was telling her about all those years ago. It is a great little story that ties in with the previous book really well. There is something very clever about how Norton has written her stories, she manages to capture the perspective and point of view of these little people really well. You can easily imagine them being towered over by grass and havi...more
I found the timing of this book compared to the first one distracting, because of the obvious flaw in the timeline. (For the narrator, Mrs May, and her niece, Kate, a year has passed, but for the Clock family the story picks up where it left off. However, suddenly Arrietty is a year older and the pillowcase shows up a couple of months after the family flee the house, instead of a year as mentioned by Mrs May in the first book.)
But once I was able to put that aside, I was quickly drawn back into...more
But once I was able to put that aside, I was quickly drawn back into...more
It's too bad that this series of books about little people is in such danger of being dismissed as a cute or trite children's fairy story. They certainly shouldn't be described in that way. Once you can suspend your disbelief in the existence of small people living in and amongst normal humans, the books becomes adventure stories in the best sense--kind of a Robinson Crusoe story but with much more likable and more subtly depicted characters.
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3.5 stars. After finishing 'The Borrowers', I immediately sought out this second book from the library. The first fifth of the book sets up the story (which is a tad too long of a setup for me), and the last fifth is non-stop action. The middle 3/5's is a nice stroll (kind of like 'The Witch of Blackbird Pond' in a way -- daily life while getting accustomed to a totally new environment -- but different, of course). I had high expectations for the escape, which turned out to be somewhat disappoin...more
Finally! A sequel that was better than the first! As the Borrowers move out of their stuffy apartment into the great outdoors, their minds seem to open up along with their horizons. With new perils to face, and only each other to rely on, the little family can choose to fall apart or come together, and, happily, they come together.
Their adventures are fascinating and I found myself cheering them on every step of the way. I felt like I was simply reading a chapter of their life, it didn't have t...more
Their adventures are fascinating and I found myself cheering them on every step of the way. I felt like I was simply reading a chapter of their life, it didn't have t...more
Finally! A sequel that was better than the first! As the Borrowers move out of their stuffy apartment into the great outdoors, their minds seem to open up along with their horizons. With new perils to face, and only each other to rely on, the little family can choose to fall apart or come together, and, happily, they come together.
Their adventures are fascinating and I found myself cheering them on every step of the way. I felt like I was simply reading a chapter of their life, it didn't have t...more
Their adventures are fascinating and I found myself cheering them on every step of the way. I felt like I was simply reading a chapter of their life, it didn't have t...more
Sep 28, 2010
Katarina
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
my brother
Recommended to Katarina by:
my mom
Shelves:
grade-7
"The Borrowers Afield" by Mary Norton is about how these tiny creatures who are like humans, just fifty times smaller run for their lives. When Kate is interested in the towns legends, she looks in to it by asking the elderly the true tales of the borrowers. She finds out a lot about them, and she even gets her hands on one of their diaries. The book is made up of the diary of Arietty. So, the borrowers were chased out of their cozy home by the rat catcher, and since they lived in the suburbs, t...more
Although the story really doesn’t get interesting until over half way through the second half is a rather brilliant bright spot. You truly get a sense of how terrifying it must be to be so small in a world full of giants. The characterization of Homily is pretty hilarious when allowed to shine, in particular when she finally is in contact with her arch-nemesis Lumpy. I’ll probably check out the sequels if only to find out what happens with Spiller and what would make them leave the new comforts...more
The Clock family of borrowers, having been ousted from their home under the kitchen floor, must now learn to survive in the neighboring fields. Their individual personality traits blend them into a cohesive unity that bolsters them through this new lifestyle fraught with heightened vulnerability. Mary Norton escorts her characters through the danger and delight, the triumphs and terrors, the emergencies and the euphoria of their experiences, providing well thought out characters and encounters w...more
Dec 14, 2011
Dusty
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-before-2007,
read-in-2011
While rereading Mary Norton's Borrowers series I find myself torn in two directions. In one direction there is nostalgia. The books were already unfashionable when I devoured them in the early 1990s, and although they're not entirely forgotten (due mostly to film and TV adaptations of the first book), they're not nearly as well-known as I think they should be. Norton is a talented storyteller, and The Borrowers Afield is a yarn of remarkable adventure -- imagine the lost-in-the-great-backyard sc...more
I brought this book back in 2010 as part of the whole series of Borrowers as i had read the first book but never read any further than that.
In this book Arrietty and her family have had to leave the comfort of the house that they have only ever known and have gone to try and find the only other borrowers that they know of. They have to walk across fields and encounter lots of new things to them like insects. They have to deal with being homeless and having to almost start again. Its in this book...more
In this book Arrietty and her family have had to leave the comfort of the house that they have only ever known and have gone to try and find the only other borrowers that they know of. They have to walk across fields and encounter lots of new things to them like insects. They have to deal with being homeless and having to almost start again. Its in this book...more
Delightful exploration of the world from a new perspective--namely, about three inches from the ground. I loved the Borrowers movie as a kid, and spent many happy hours sneaking around corners pretending I was the size of a mouse, but somehow never discovered the books until now. I think my ten-year-old self would have adored them. Even now that I'm all grown up and educated and boring, they are enchanting.
Reading this to my kids. Thanks to the Borrowers, they're now addicted to "The Littles" reruns and fairly sure that leprechauns are real. I love Mary Norton's writing -- it's so mysterious and intriguing, even the 3 year old is captivated -- but this book was tougher for me to get through than its prequel. There just isn't much plot, and Homily (the mother Borrower) can be such a drag.
AL and I enjoyed "The Borrowers" so much that we ran down to the library to check the next book out. This time the Borrowers are living in a field -- you might have figured that out from the title? -- and that presents a whole new set of problems, adventures, etc. Another really great book, written in the classic British style. 2011/30.
Never read the Borrowers series when I was little, but I should have. I absolutely believed all through grade school that fairies and little people existed. I built homes for them out of moss and stone under our bushes, set out food, made cups of acorn tops and more. So I am backtracking now and find these books delightful.
I'm re-reading this series to see if it still warrants shelf space in my permanent collection. It's fun, but not nearly as magical and enchanting as my memories of it were. I still think Arrietty is an awful lot of fun, though. She's a delightful little heroine, but her mother gives me a pain.
Like Arietty, I like the Borrowers out of doors. I think this is a great addition to the first book with the development of the human characters that help tell the tale, as well as the introduction of a new Borrower, the mysterious Dreadful Spiller.
This is the second book in the series and it is not my favorite out of all the borrower books. Homily just got on my nerves, she complained a lot! It is essential that you read this book in the series but definitely not my favorite.
This one starts out a lot slower than the first of the Borrowers, but ends up being a grand adventure tale. It introduces Spiller, who made an appearance in the most recent film version of the first novel ("The Secret World of Arietty")
I loved this story once I got past the frame story in the first several chapters. I would almost rather the book had started right into the continuation of Arriety's story rather than introduce Kate and Tom Goodenough.
Here are the continued adventures of Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock, first introduced in The Borrowers. I adored this entire series, though the plot begins to tire by the fifth book.
Jul 06, 2011
Catherine Stremlau
is currently reading it
07/06/2011: Currently reading aloud to the lil dude. Fanciful and full of imagination. Just started, can't remember from years ago if it will be as good as The Borrowers.
I don't remember it all that well, I read it about 20 years ago, but I am looking forward to getting out this series to share with my kids. One of my faves growing up.
More big adventures of the tiny little people as the Borrows have to leave their home and rough it out in nature.
Again, little things become very important and a small field by a brook becomes a huge wilderness.
Fun little fantasy series that is entertaining and will get you to look again at the regular, small stuff around you.
Again, little things become very important and a small field by a brook becomes a huge wilderness.
Fun little fantasy series that is entertaining and will get you to look again at the regular, small stuff around you.
This sequel to The Borrowers was great! I wish I had read these stories as a child! This one was written in 1955 but is still a delightful imaginary exploit today!
Series continues.
A not too mature advanced young reader book or good read aloud. See here: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/...
A not too mature advanced young reader book or good read aloud. See here: http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/...
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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...more
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Nov 01, 2011 04:08pm