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The Borrowers Afield

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1955 children's novel by Mary Norton

The Borrowers Afield
First edition (UK)
AuthorMary Norton
IllustratorDiana L. Stanley (UK)
Beth and Joe Krush (US)
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Borrowers
GenreFantasy children's novel
Published1955 (J. M. Dent, UK; Harcourt, Brace, US)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Pages193pp (UK); 215pp (US)
LC ClassPZ7.N8248 Bi 1955
Preceded byThe Borrowers 
Followed byThe Borrowers Afloat 

The Borrowers Afield is a children's fantasy novel by Mary Norton, published in 1955 by Dent in the UK and Harcourt in the US. It was the second of five books in a series that is usually called The Borrowers, inaugurated by The Borrowers in 1952.

Plot

Kate is looking at a cottage with her aunt Mrs May. Kate learns that the present tenant Tom Goodenough knows Arrietty Clock, a tiny "Borrower" also known to Mrs May's brother. Tom relates the troubles of Arrietty and her parents. Driven from their home in an old English house, unable to track down their relatives, they live in an old boot.

Spiller, a mysterious wild Borrower, brings meat and saves Arrietty from a dog attack. Although everything outdoors — cows, moths, field mice, cold weather — endangers the Borrowers' lives, they learn to survive in the wild. One night, a Romani Mild Eye finds his lost boot and brings the Clocks back to his caravan. Tom and Spiller rescue the Clocks. In their new home with Tom, they find their long-lost relatives. In Tom, Arrietty finds a good friend and ally.

Characters

Borrowers
  • Arrietty Clock, fourteen-year-old spirited daughter
  • Pod Clock, father
  • Homily Clock, mother
  • Spiller, a wild Borrower
Human beans or "Big people"
  • May
  • Kate
  • Tom Goodenough, tenant
  • Mild Eye
  • Gypsy

Adaptations

References

  1. ^ "The Borrowers afield" (U.S. edition). Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  2. ^ The Borrowers series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB). Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  3. "Mary Norton Bibliography: A Collectors Reference Guide: UK First Edition Books". Bookseller World. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
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