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      The Borrowers

      by Mary Norton
      Published
      Oct 1953
      Main Genre
      General Fiction General Fiction
      Rating
      Buy on Amazon Book
      Series
      Borrowers Book 1

      About This Book

      Beneath the floorboards of a quiet country house lies the miniature world of the Borrowers. The Clock family—Pod, Homily, and their daughter, Arrietty—live happily in a home furnished with things they have "borrowed" from the "human beans" living above them: spools of thread are used for chairs, matchboxes for chests of drawers, and postage stamps for paintings. Their borrowing goes undetected until the day a boy comes to live in the country house. Curiosity compels Arrietty to commit the worst mistake a Borrower can make: She is seen, and disaster follows. But rescue arrives from a most unexpected quarter and the Clock family manages to escape to a new life and further adventures.

      Series Placement

      Book 1
      🔄 Best Read in Order
      View full series order

      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      General Fiction

      Characters & Occupations

      Elves

      Age Level

      Kids (12 & Under) Kids: Middle Grade

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      Paperback

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      Jan 1952 Harcourt ISBN 0152099891
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      Jan 1953 Scholastic ISBN 0590312138
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      Dec 1964 Phoenix (UK) ISBN 0460020307
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      Jan 1970 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0140301100
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      Feb 1976 Phoenix (UK) ISBN 046002700X
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      Jan 1981 Scholastic ISBN 0590031775
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      Jan 1981 Scholastic ISBN 0590341502
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      Jan 1986 Harcourt ISBN 0156136007
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      Jan 1987 Ward Lock Educational Co Ltd ISBN 0706247825
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      Jan 1987 Ward Lock Educational Co Ltd ISBN 0706246691
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      Sep 1988 Dell ISBN 0440842484
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      Aug 1989 Odyssey Classics ISBN 0152099905
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      Aug 1989 Odyssey Classics ISBN 0152099905
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      Jan 1993 Penguin (UK) ISBN 014036451X
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      Oct 1993 Houghton Mifflin ISBN 0152000860
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      Jan 1997 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0140384154
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      Jan 1997 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0140390499
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      Jan 1998 Harcourt ISBN 0152017798
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      Jan 2001 Scholastic ISBN 0439325102
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      Mar 2003 Odyssey Classics ISBN 0152047379
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      Sep 2005 Thorndike Press ISBN 0786279540
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      Jul 2014 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0141354860
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      Hardcover

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      First Edition Oct 1953 Harcourt ISBN 0152099875
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      Dec 1955 Phoenix (UK) ISBN 0460086073
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      Dec 1962 Phoenix (UK) ISBN 0460052063
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      Jan 1981 Turtleback Books ISBN 0606024131
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      Aug 1986 Chivers ISBN 0745103316
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      Sep 1989 Turtleback Books ISBN 0808537679
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      Oct 1991 Harcourt ISBN 0152099913
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      Jan 1992 Phoenix (UK) ISBN 0460881558
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      Nov 1997 Ladybird Books Ltd ISBN 0721419828
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      Nov 1997 Penguin (UK) ISBN 014901709X
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      Apr 2003 Perfection Learning ISBN 0812436768
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      Apr 2003 Turtleback Books ISBN 0606285261
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      Jul 2003 Turtleback Books ISBN 0613635817
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      Oct 2003 Harcourt ISBN 0152049282
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      Oct 2005 Thorndike Press ISBN 0786279621
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      Jul 2015 Houghton Mifflin ISBN 0544749731
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      Nov 2016 Hachette Children's Group (UK) ISBN 1444005626
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      eBook

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      Apr 2003 Harcourt ISBN 0547537700
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      Apr 2003 -- Not Selected ISBN B003ZSISYE
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      Audio

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      Mar 1986 G.K. Hall & Company ISBN 0816199515
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      Jan 1993 Chivers Audio Books ISBN 0745185517
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      Nov 2001 Chivers Audio Books ISBN 0754065200
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      Mar 2003 Random House (UK) ISBN 0141804718
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      Apr 2007 AudioGO Ltd. ISBN B000PTYO9Y
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      Oct 2017 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0241326052
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