For families navigating big changes or new environments, this classic adventure follows tiny Borrowers as they face the vast, wild world after losing their home.
When a child is facing a big, scary move or feels overwhelmed by a new environment, this classic story offers a comforting and empowering perspective. The second book in the series follows the Clock family, tiny people called Borrowers, after they are forced to flee their cozy home beneath the floorboards. Now they must survive in the vast, dangerous English countryside, where a field mouse is a monster and an old boot is a temporary shelter. This adventure highlights themes of resilience, family loyalty, and the courage it takes to adapt to profound change. For children ages 8 to 12, it reframes anxiety about the unknown into a story of ingenuity and survival, showing that even the smallest person can find their way in a big world.
Contains a dated and potentially stereotypical portrayal of a Romani character.
Sad ThemesMild
The main characters lose their home and experience fear and uncertainty as they search for a new one.
Sensitive Topics
The book's central theme is displacement and homelessness, handled metaphorically through the fantasy lens. The resolution is hopeful, as the family finds security and community. A significant issue is the portrayal of the Romani character, Mild Eye, which reflects stereotypes common at the time of writing (1955) and may be perceived as offensive by modern readers.
Ideal Reader
An imaginative child, aged 8 to 11, who loves detailed miniature worlds and survival stories. It’s perfect for a child feeling small, powerless, or anxious about a major life change like moving to a new house or town.
Parent Prep
Parents should be prepared to discuss the dated and stereotypical portrayal of the Romani character. It offers a teachable moment about how representations in literature have changed over time. Otherwise, the peril is fantastical and the book can be read without much preparation. A parent hears their child say, “I’m scared of our new house,” or “I don’t want to move, everything will be different.” The child may be showing anxiety about change or feeling overwhelmed by new surroundings.
Age Experience
Younger readers (8-9) will focus on the adventure, the magic of the miniature scale, and the thrill of survival. Older readers (10-12) are more likely to appreciate the deeper themes of what it means to make a home, the cultural differences between the Clock family and Spiller, and the complex, perilous relationship between Borrowers and humans.
What Makes It Special
While many books cover survival, this book’s unique power comes from its masterfully executed shift in scale. It makes abstract concepts like resilience and adaptability tangible by showing them through the eyes of characters for whom a rainstorm is a flood and a cow is a walking mountain. This perspective is what makes the story so memorable and charming.
Read plot summary
This second installment follows the Clock family (Pod, Homily, and Arrietty), miniature “Borrowers” who have been driven from their home under the floorboards. Forced into the open fields, they face immense dangers from weather, animals, and “human beans.” They temporarily make a home in an old boot and are aided by Spiller, a solitary, wild Borrower who is more adept at outdoor survival. Their journey involves near-disasters, a brief, frightening period of captivity by a Romani man, and an eventual rescue by a human boy, Tom Goodenough, who helps them find a safe new home and long-lost relatives.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Pod, Homily, and Arrietty have very different ideas about how to survive in the wild. Whose approach do you agree with most, and why?
2
Spiller is a very different kind of Borrower than the Clocks. What do you think his life was like before he met them? Is it better to be a 'wild' Borrower or a 'house' Borrower?
3
Arrietty is often brave even when her parents are afraid. Can you think of a time you felt brave when a grown-up was worried? What happened?
4
The Borrowers see the world very differently than humans. If you were a Borrower, what everyday object would you be most excited to 'borrow' and how would you use it?
