The Borrowers

The Borrowers, by Mary Norton

The Borrowers is a book I have had on my shelf for years and years, but never got around to reading. I think it was even made into a movie at one point, but I never saw it. Reading it now, I can’t believe it took me this long to experience it. It is a really great book by Mary Norton about little people who live under the floor of a house in England. It is amazing how the miniature families use objects for their lives that we use everyday and don’t think anything of. When one of the daring sisters is seen by a human, she and the rest of the borrowers must make sure they can escape the hardships and keep on living their peaceful, sneaky life amongst the humans.

This is a great book for anyone with a wild imagination. I would definitely consider using this book for literature circles, however I don’t think that it would be my first choice. I think that if I lose interest in it, my students will as well, and although it is very imaginative, I think there are better choices out there to represent this. This book was, to me, a little weird. I can't put my finger on exactly why it was, but something in it didn't keep my interest. However, I will still probably keep a copy in my "classics" section in my classroom so kids have the option if they want to read it on their own. I shouldn't keep their imaginations closed off in case I keep them from reading something they will actually like.