The Borrowers Series in Order

About the Borrowers series

Series Premise

The premise introduces a hidden race of tiny people—roughly six inches tall—who live secretly in the walls, floors, and crevices of human homes. These “Borrowers” sustain themselves by quietly “borrowing” small, overlooked items from the “human beans” (their term for human beings) above: a thimble becomes a cooking pot, blotting paper serves as a carpet, and matchboxes double as furniture or rooms. The stories center on the challenges of remaining undetected in a world of giants, where one careless moment can upend their fragile existence. As the family ventures beyond their initial sanctuary, they face new environments, resourcefulness tests, and encounters that force them to adapt, seek safety, and sometimes form tentative connections across the size divide. The narratives explore survival through ingenuity, the thrill of exploration, and the constant tension between secrecy and the longing for community or freedom.

Main Characters

The main characters are the Clock family—named for their initial home beneath a grandfather clock—whose close-knit bond anchors every tale. Arrietty Clock, the spirited teenage daughter, serves as the emotional heart and primary point of view. Curious, literate, and adventurous, she chafes against her sheltered life and yearns for connection beyond the family, often initiating contact with humans that brings both excitement and peril. Her growth from protected child to resourceful explorer drives much of the series' development. Pod Clock, the father, is a skilled, practical borrower and improviser—calm, inventive, and cautious after past family losses. He ventures out to gather necessities and provides steady leadership with quiet wisdom. Homily Clock, the mother, is nervous, house-proud, and prone to worry or dramatic outbursts; she treasures their tidy home and fusses over comforts, yet shows deep love and adaptability when pushed. Together, the three form a loving, supportive unit whose individual flaws—Pod's occasional rigidity, Homily's anxiety, Arrietty's impulsiveness—strengthen rather than divide them. Supporting and recurring characters include other Borrower families or individuals mentioned in lore or encountered later, such as relatives like Uncle Hendreary or the Overmantels and Harpsichords who once shared the house. On the human side, key figures appear as catalysts: a kind but lonely boy who befriends Arrietty in the early story, the formidable housekeeper Mrs. Driver whose suspicions threaten exposure, and various other “human beans” whose actions—whether benevolent, indifferent, or hostile—propel the plot. These interactions highlight the cross-scale friendships and dangers that recur throughout the family's wanderings.

Setting

The setting is quintessentially English and domestic, beginning in a large, somewhat faded country house (often associated with a place like Firbank Hall) in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The Borrowers' world exists in the hidden spaces beneath the kitchen floor, behind wainscoting, or within walls—cozy yet precarious nooks furnished with borrowed treasures. As the series progresses, the family ventures “afield” into gardens, fields, streams, lofts, and other human-adjacent or rural environments, each presenting new scales of danger and opportunity: a badger sett becomes a temporary home, a river journey tests their limits, and aerial or elevated perches offer fresh viewpoints. The human world looms large and often oblivious or threatening, with its giant furniture, roaring vacuums, and unpredictable inhabitants. Norton's descriptions bring both the miniature and the oversized realms to life with warmth and authenticity, contrasting the Borrowers' tidy, inventive domesticity against the vast, careless scale of human life.

Tone & Themes

The tone is gentle, whimsical, and quietly suspenseful, written in elegant, descriptive prose that feels both intimate and expansive. Norton employs a frame narrative in the first book—told by an elderly relative to a young listener—which adds a layer of cozy storytelling charm. Expect vivid sensory details that make the tiny world feel tangible: the dust-mote forests under floorboards, the roar of a human footstep, or the ingenuity of repurposed household scraps. Humor arises from cultural misunderstandings between Borrowers and humans, domestic squabbles, and the sheer absurdity of scale. The overall theme emphasizes the importance of family solidarity in the face of adversity, the courage required for curiosity and change, the value of perspective (how the same world looks vastly different depending on one's size), and the delicate balance between security and freedom. Stories highlight resilience, resourcefulness, and the universal need for belonging, while subtly touching on friendship across differences, the ordinary made extraordinary, and the vulnerabilities of hidden lives. There is no heavy moralizing; instead, themes emerge organically through the family's loving yet imperfect dynamics and their adaptive spirit.

In conclusion, the Borrowers series by Mary Norton endures as a masterful exploration of hidden worlds and human (or Borrower) nature, inviting readers to see the familiar through an entirely new lens of scale and ingenuity. With its emphasis on family resilience, quiet courage, and the magic lurking in everyday corners, the books offer timeless appeal for children and nostalgic pleasure for adults. Norton's creation reminds us that even the smallest beings can lead lives of great adventure and heart, and that true security often lies not in perfect hiding but in adaptability, love, and the occasional brave step into the unknown. Whether discovering the Clocks for the first time or revisiting their miniature odyssey, readers emerge with a renewed sense of wonder at the ordinary—and a deeper appreciation for the delicate threads that connect us all, regardless of size. The series stands as a gentle classic that continues to inspire imagination and empathy across generations.