The Borrowers by Mary Norton is an English classic -
and now a favourite BBC TV series too! The Borrowers
live in the secret places of quiet old houses; behind
the mantelpiece, inside the harpsichord, under the
kitchen clock. They own nothing, borrow everything, and
think that human beings were invented just to do the
dirty work. Arrietty's father, Pod, was an expert
Borrower. He could scale curtains using a hatpin, and
bring back a doll's teacup without breaking it. Girls
weren't supposed to go borrowing but as Arrietty was an
only child her father broke the rule, and then something
happened which changed their lives. She made friends
with the human boy living in the house...''Beautifully
written, poetic and almost always alarming, the
Borrowers have something very mysterious, sad and
exciting about them''. (Sunday Times). Mary Norton was
born in 1903 and brought up in a house in Bedfordshire,
which was to become the setting for The Borrowers. First
published in 1952, The Borrowers was an immediate
success, winning the Library Association's Carnegie
Medal.There followed four more Borrowers books: The
Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959),
The Borrowers Aloft (1961) and The Borrowers Avenged
(1982). Poor Stainless was the last Borrowers story Mary
Norton wrote. She died in 1992. Starring Robert Sheehan,
Aisling Loftus, Christopher Ecclestone, Stephen Fry and
Victoria Wood, a brand-new film for the BBC of The
Borrowers will be a must-watch Christmas Day special.
Film directed by Tom Harper and screenplay written by
Ben Vanstone. |
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