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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Day 17 of my Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge asks me to list the shortest book I've read, so here it is. I almost went with the Hobbit, but then I remembered The Borrowers. This is a book about a family of tiny people who live under the floorboards of a normal human home, surviving by pilfering stuff from the giants who inhabit it. I'd guess they are a few inches tall, so that's pretty short.
Certainly they weren't looking for the shortest book I have read in terms of number of pages, right? Because that is an asinine question.
I haven't read this book in, oh, 20 years, but it used to be a favorite. I always liked the idea of getting a totally new point of view on what would otherwise be very normal surroundings, and Mary Norton (who wisely spun this into a series, not that I read any of the sequels) thinks of a lot of creative uses for the household detritus the family of Borrowers uses to furnish their home -- bottlecaps become serving trays, scrap paper becomes wallpaper. They are the original freegans! (Unless you count hobos.) I think these details are what appealed to me as a child, as the story is otherwise what you would expect: the Borrowers live in fear of humans until one plucky girl is accidentally seen by a sad young boy, who doesn't turn out to be so bad.
Maybe it was because I was a small person, but I always liked stories of tiny creatures in very big places: [b:A Cricket in Times Square|24384|The Cricket in Times Square (Chester Cricket and His Friends, #1)|George Selden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387735970l/24384._SY75_.jpg|25246], [b:The Mouse and The Motorcycle|232109|The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Ralph S. Mouse, #1)|Beverly Cleary|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348990967l/232109._SX50_.jpg|2029611], pretty much any cartoon with chipmunks in it (though here I am thinking "Chip 'n Dale" more than "Alvin and the..." Plus I just figured out that Rescue Rangers basically lifted its production design from this book).
Anyway, that it. The shortest book I have read. What a stupid freaking question.
Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 17: Shortest book you have read.
Certainly they weren't looking for the shortest book I have read in terms of number of pages, right? Because that is an asinine question.
I haven't read this book in, oh, 20 years, but it used to be a favorite. I always liked the idea of getting a totally new point of view on what would otherwise be very normal surroundings, and Mary Norton (who wisely spun this into a series, not that I read any of the sequels) thinks of a lot of creative uses for the household detritus the family of Borrowers uses to furnish their home -- bottlecaps become serving trays, scrap paper becomes wallpaper. They are the original freegans! (Unless you count hobos.) I think these details are what appealed to me as a child, as the story is otherwise what you would expect: the Borrowers live in fear of humans until one plucky girl is accidentally seen by a sad young boy, who doesn't turn out to be so bad.
Maybe it was because I was a small person, but I always liked stories of tiny creatures in very big places: [b:A Cricket in Times Square|24384|The Cricket in Times Square (Chester Cricket and His Friends, #1)|George Selden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387735970l/24384._SY75_.jpg|25246], [b:The Mouse and The Motorcycle|232109|The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Ralph S. Mouse, #1)|Beverly Cleary|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348990967l/232109._SX50_.jpg|2029611], pretty much any cartoon with chipmunks in it (though here I am thinking "Chip 'n Dale" more than "Alvin and the..." Plus I just figured out that Rescue Rangers basically lifted its production design from this book).
Anyway, that it. The shortest book I have read. What a stupid freaking question.
Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 17: Shortest book you have read.
I like that you don't know if the Borrowers are real because of the framing device. A cute story, way better than the Littles that I read as a kid!
i want to be a borrower now hehe. not only are humans called human beans, they are literally the best. it's so wholesome :)
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
book #61 of 2021: The Borrowers (pub. 1952) by British writer Mary Norton. my friend in Japan found a list of Japanese animé god Hayao Miyazaki’s favorite children’s books (http://www.nausicaa.net/wiki/50_Children%27s_Books_Chosen_by_Hayao_Miyazaki). we decided to read two together. this was his pick: I’ll reveal mine when I finish it. I have to admit, the first half of the book was pretty rough going (and it’s only 180 pages): I’m a pretty patient reader and I’ve made it through some tougher to get through books in my time, but was struggling with this one. then, ~halfway through, things picked up: there was a story to the story. then it was quick to the end. the author does some interesting things in this book around storytelling and plot and without giving anything away, I can say she treads on dangerous territory, blending omniscient narrator and first person perspective in a way that might confuse younger, or older, readers, but…despite flouting the rules a bit, it did make for compelling reading. so…great storytelling - including a willingness to add actual stakes (because not American) - once it got going, excellent descriptive capabilities - all-in-all a most enjoyable read. and…there’s a Miyazaki movie…The Secret World of Arrietty.
I had to read this as a classic for my Children's Lit class and I really enjoyed it. I'd seen the movie version before, but the book was more interesting. I loved the imagery in this and how I was able to picture the house and furniture and everything that the Borrowers used and I really enjoyed the characters. I thought the interactions between Arrietty and the boy were really fun to read. I wasn't a fan of the structuring of the story, how it was like, a story within a story? The story of the Borrowers was told by another character, which I found kind of distancing and I wasn't a massive fan of the ending. Overall, though, I enjoyed it.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
I read this book to my kids, and it gave me the opportunity to re-live it through their eyes. What fun!