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Penguin Readers Factsheets
T e a c h e r’s n o t e s
The Borrowers
A novelization by Sherwood Smith
Based on the screenplay by Gavin Scott and John Kamps
Inspired by the books by Mary Norton
S U M M A R Y
he Borrowers is a classic children’s adventure
T novel. Borrowers and human beings live together
happily in a big, old house. The human beings - a
family called the Lenders - don’t know the Borrowers are
there (they are only 10 cm tall, after all, and they live under
the floorboards). The Borrowers - the Clock family - don’t
want the Lenders to know they are there. They go quietly
about their daily lives, borrowing useful things from the
human ‘beans’, as they call them, such as dental floss for
rope and safety pins for climbing hooks.
But someone is planning to ruin their peaceful lives.
Ocious P. Potter, a nasty lawyer, wants to make the
Lenders move out of their house so that he can build flats
there instead. Although the Lender’s Aunt Mary said she
would leave her house to her niece, Victoria, when she
died, the will has not been found. Mr Potter tells them that
there is no will. In fact he knows where the will is - it is
hidden in a safe in the old house.
One of the Borrowers - Arrietty - overhears the bad
news. This news will mean that the Borrowers will have to
leave the house too. Before she can take the news back
under the floorboards, however, she breaks the first
Borrower rule - she allows herself to be ‘seen’ by a human
‘bean’, Pete Lender. But to Arrietty’s surprise, Pete
doesn’t try to hurt her. Instead, he wants to help her.
Moving day arrives. Pete hides the Borrowers in the car
for the journey to the new house. A sudden movement,
however, throws Arrietty and Peagreen Clock through a
hole in the floor of the car. They return to the house, where
Ocious Potter has arrived to look for Aunt Mary’s will. He
finds it, but Arrietty and Peagreen are watching. They
steal the will from under his nose and the fun begins.
The rest of the story follows a crazy chase for
possession of the will. Can the tiny heroes save their
home and bring Mr Potter to justice?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Norton, who wrote the original novels about
Borrowers on which the film and Penguin Reader are
based, was born in 1903, and grew up in England. As a
child, she lived in a big, old house, and used to play
games with tiny dolls on the floor of her home. She was
short-sighted and had to peer closely at things. This gave
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ELEMENTARY
her the original idea for miniature humans living under the
floorboards and behind the walls of old houses.
Mary Norton became an actress before marrying Robert
Norton and going to live in Portugal. Here her four children
were born. When war broke out in 1939, her husband
joined the British Navy and she went to New York with her
children. Money was short, and Mary wrote and published
adult articles and stories.
THE BORROWERS
In 1943 she returned to England, and began writing
children’s stories seriously. The Magic Bedknob was her
first success, published in 1943, followed by Bonfires and
Broomsticks. These two stories were later made into the
popular children’s film, ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’
(1971).
Real success came with the publication of the first of
her Borrower stories in 1952. She went on to write five
more Borrower stories. She died in 1993.
Mary Norton’s Borrower world was immediately
successful. Recent adaptations for radio, television and
cinema prove their lasting appeal.
BACKGROUND AND THEMES
Part of the attraction of the Borrowers’ world is the
dangerous nature of their daily lives. Climbing up the
kitchen furniture is rather like climbing a mountain.
Everyday objects become threatening obstacles; and
there is the constant terror of discovery by human ‘beans’.
The idea of ‘borrowing’ presents an interesting moral
issue. In the first meeting between Pete - human bean boy
- and Arrietty - Borrower girl - the boy says that borrowing
is taking. Arrietty is shocked by this and insists that
Borrowers borrow only what they need. Borrowers are
taught that human beans exist only to provide for them.
Borrowers are hunter-gatherers, risking their lives in order
to survive. They have to live off their human hosts.
As well as borrowing food and objects, Borrowers also
borrow words, but they don’t always get them quite right.
Human beings become human ‘beans’, and Borrower
names are mis-hearings of human names. Pod is
borrowed from Bob, Homily from Emily and Arrietty from
Henrietta. (Peagreen is an invention of the film-makers.)
They are called the Clock family because they live under
the grandfather clock.

Penguin Readers Factsheets
T e a c h e r’s n o t e s
Children easily identify with the Borrowers as small
people struggling to survive in a large world, echoing their
own efforts to learn to live in the adult world. The
difference between the generations in a family is reflected
in the Borrower world. Pod Clock (the father) is finding it
difficult to train the younger generation of Borrowers in
Borrower ways. He teaches his children the important
rules of borrowing, but teenager Arrietty just wants to take
risks and have fun. Pod and his wife Homily just want a
quiet life and are afraid of anything new. Pod is over-
protective, Homily is house-proud and nervous. The
different stages of life are thus clearly displayed.
ABOUT THE FILM
The Hollywood version of Mary Norton’s stories, on which
this reader is based, transplants the Borrower stories to
an imaginary town in an imaginary time. Made in 1997, the
story is typical Hollywood - tiny heroes save the day and
bring the evil villain to justice. The characters in the film
are not very faithful to the novels. Ocious Potter is played
with tremendous style by John Goodman.
THE BORROWERS
Communicative activities
The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of
text as the exercises at the back of the reader, and supplement
those exercises. Supplementary exercises covering shorter
sections of the book can be found on the photocopiable
Student’s Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are primarily
for use with class readers but, with the exception of discussion
and pair/groupwork questions, can also be used by students
working alone in a self-access centre.
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK
(Ask students to do exercise 1 at the back of the book
before doing these exercises.)
1 Ask if students have seen the film ‘The Borrowers’. Did
they like it? Tell students to read the introduction to the
book. They then close their books. Ask them these
questions:
(a) What are the Lenders? (b) What are the Borrowers?
(c) Who is Ocious P. Potter?
(d) Why do you think the Borrowers are called the
‘Clock’ family?
2 Memory game
Bring some of the following items to class:
dental floss, a spoon, a box of matches, a safety pin, some
cheese, a rope, a watch, a letter
Place all the items on a desk. Tell students to close their
eyes. Take one or two of the items away. Students open
their eyes and identify what is missing.
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION
Chapters 1-5
The Borrowers have rules. Pod teaches his children these
rules. Ask students to look up rule in their dictionaries. Then
ask them to find the two rules in these chapters (see pages
2 & 3).
Put students into groups or pairs. Tell them to think of two
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more rules that Borrowers could have and write them down.
(Help with ideas if necessary: Never leave the house without
a rope. Never walk in the butter.) Write the ideas on the
board. Students say which are the most important.
Chapters 6-11
Write these words on the board:
an ice-cream box a big machine a cigarette lighter
a rope an old knife a milk bottle
a bicycle safety pins a matchbox
Students read these chapters to find the things above. They
write down what the Borrowers do with them or why they
are in the story.
Chapters 12-17
Divide the class into six groups. Give each group a piece of
paper. Allocate one chapter to each group. Ask each group
to write three or four sentences, leaving spaces between the
sentences, saying what happens in the chapter. They then
cut the sentences into strips.
Groups exchange sets of sentences. They put them in the
right order. Finally, read through all the sentences in the right
order with the class.
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
Organize students into groups. Tell them to imagine that
they are going to put on a theatre play of The Borrowers.
Tell them to discuss these questions in their groups.
1 What will the most difficult problem be?
2 What will they do about this problem?
Finish with a feedback discussion, comparing their
solutions.
Glossary
It will be useful for your students to know the following new words.
They are practised in the Before You Read sections of the exercises
at the back of the book.
Chapters 1-5
dental floss (n) something very long, thin and strong. It cleans teeth
hole (n) an opening in something hard
human being (n) a person
ice (n) hard, cold water
ice-cream (n) a hard cold food made of sugar and milk
lawyer (n) this person knows about the rules of the country for
their work
matches (n) wood in a little box. They make fire.
refrigerator (n) a very cold cupboard for food
rope (n) something long and thin. People put it round things and
climb up it.
safety pin (n) this hard thing joins the clothes of babies
squash (v) to push something hard and hurt it
walls (n) the outside of rooms
Chapters 6-11
burn (v) to hurt with fire
cheese (n) a hard food made from milk
lighter (n) this makes fire, usually for cigarettes
machine (n) this man-made thing does people’s work for them
pick up (v) to take in your hand and carry
roof (n) the top of a house
smell (n) something people know from using their nose
Chapters 12-17
lift (n) this carries people up inside tall buildings
Published and distributed by Pearson Education
Factsheet written by Jane Rollason
Factsheet series developed by Louise James
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Penguin Readers Factsheets
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Student’s activities 1

Photocopiable
The Borrowers 3
Students can answer these questions alone or with one or
more other people. 4

Activities before reading the book 5

ºFind words below to go with the pictures in the book in 2 You are Pete Lender. You have Arrietty under a glass.
(a) - (d) below. Look at the things Pete learns about her in Chapter 5. 6
Think of three more questions to ask Arrietty. Write
afraid bad big careful clever dangerous difficult them down. Look at a partner’s questions. Are they the
easy exciting expensive fat friendly happy same as yours? ELEMENTARY
unfriendly unhappy important intelligent large
little nice quiet rich sad small strong stupid
CHAPTERS 6-11
thin young
Chapter 6
(a) Pod Clock on page 2
1 Put the words below in the right places in Aunt Mary’s
(b) Victoria and Joe Lender on page 4
letter.
(c) Ocious P. Potter on page 5
listen lawyer Peter house floor
(d) Arrietty Clock on page 7
daughter nothing walls money anything

I, MARY B. ALABASTER, am well in my head but very old

Activities while reading the book
and tired. I leave my (i).......................... and all my

THE BORROWERS
CHAPTERS 1-5 (ii).......................... to my brother’s lovely (iii).........................,
Chapter 1 Victoria Lender. To that bad (iv).........................., Ocious P.
Answer these questions.
Potter, I leave (v).......................... . He wants my house but
(a) Three human beings live in the big, old house. Write
their names. he can’t have it. I leave £1,000 to my dear grandson,
(b) Whose aunt is Aunt Mary? (vi).......................... . He can buy (vii).......................... he
(c) Is Aunt Mary alive or dead? likes with it. And tell Peter to (viii).......................... carefully
(d) Who is Ocious P. Potter? to the (ix)........................... and the (x)........................ .
(e) Where are Joe and Victoria going? He will understand. I know they are there too.
(f) Where is Pete going?
2 Who are ‘they’ in the last sentence of the letter?
Chapters 2 & 3 Chapter 7
1 In chapter 2, the Borrowers are in the kitchen. Think Answer these questions.
about your kitchen at home. What things in your kitchen
(a) What do you think Jeff usually kills? Find the words in
are dangerous for Borrowers? Make a picture or write
your dictionary.
them down.
(b) Does Jeff want to kill the Borrowers? How do you
2 Put the right word in the sentences. know?
wants can’t is going didn’t have to (c) Jeff starts to say, ‘They don’t take things, they ...’ Can
(a) Mr Potter says that Aunt Mary .................. write a letter. you finish his sentence?
(b) Victoria and Joe .................. stay in their house. (d) Look at the picture on page 15. What is happening
(c) Mr Potter .................. to build flats. here?
(d) The Lenders .................. move on Saturday. (e) Who is flying across the room at the end of the chapter?
(e) They think their son .................. to be very unhappy. Chapters 8 & 9
Chapters 4 & 5 1 You are Jeff. Think of a way to catch the Borrowers.
Make a picture of your idea or write it down.
1 Are these sentences right or wrong? Put right the wrong
sentences. 2 Who ...
(a) doesn’t like the new house?
(a) Arrietty shuts Peagreen in the refrigerator. (b) begins to cry?
(b) The human beings arrive home. (c) goes back to the old house on a bicycle?
(c) Pod tells Peagreen to wait in the kitchen. (d) makes a bad smell?
(d) Joe Lender sees a little man in the ice-hole in the (e) stops Mr Potter and Jeff in the front garden?
refrigerator door.
(e) Arrietty jumps into the ice-hole from inside the
refrigerator.
(f) Joe finds Pod’s safety pin on the floor.

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Penguin Readers Factsheets 2
Student’s activities

Chapter 10 2 Find the right word to put into each sentence.

1 Do you think animals are dangerous to Borrowers? into out through to on into above
2 What could these animals do to a Borrower? Use your
dictionary. (a) The Borrowers hear a noise .................. their
(a) a dog heads.
(b) a bird
(c) a cat (b) The lawyer walks .................. of the door and
(d) a horse jumps .................. his car.
(e) a fish
(c) Pete climbs .................. the hole in the wall into
Chapter 11
the factory.
Today Arrietty goes outside the house for the first time in
her life. Think of: (d) The cheese falls .................. the floor not
something she sees for the first time .................. the box.
something she hears
(e) Everybody runs .................. the Town Hall.
something she smells
Who does she meet for the first time? Chapter 14
What is a factory? Look in your dictionary. Answer these questions.
(a) Why does the woman in the Town Hall send Mr Potter
CHAPTERS 12-17 up the stairs?
THE BORROWERS

Chapter 12
Make sentences from these half-sentences.
1 Pete can’t get inside the milk factory ...
2 Arrietty and Spiller catch Peagreen in some paper but
he falls through into another milk bottle ...
3 The milk machine puts milk ...
4 Pod has to...
5 Mr Potter is standing under a cheese machine ...
6 Arrietty and Spiller start the cheese machine and ...
7 Mr Potter takes Aunt Mary’s letter from Arrietty and ...
(a) get Peagreen out quickly.
(b) into Peagreen’s bottle.
(c) because Mr Potter closes the door.
(d) catches all five Borrowers.
(e) because his trousers are wet.
(f) hundreds of kilos of cheese fall on Mr Potter’s
head.
(g) but he doesn’t know it.
Chapter 13
1 Find a word to say how these people do the things
below.
quickly angrily happily
(a) Mr Potter puts Spiller into a hole in the cheese
machine.
(b) Pete goes into the factory.
(c) Pod speaks to Pete.
(b) Why does she send Pete and Jeff up in the lift?
(c) Have Pete and Jeff got a plan?
(d) How does Mr Potter stop Pete and Jeff?
Chapter 15
The Borrowers catch Mr Potter with a rope. Can you think
of another way for Borrowers to catch a human being?
Make a picture of your idea or write it down.
Chapters 16 and 17
The lives of the Borrowers are going to be different now. In
what ways? Write five sentences. You can use these ideas
or your ideas.
(a) the human beings/help
(b) Pete/things to eat
(c) Arrietty/Spiller
(d) Homily/afraid
(e) the Clock family/friends
Activities after reading the book
1 Pod says, ‘I’m too old to climb.’
Do you think a Borrower’s life is an easy life?
Why/why not?
2 Who do you like best in the book? Write five sentences
about them. Don’t write the name of the person at the
top. Give the sentences to a friend.
Can he/she tell you the person’s name?

Published and distributed by Pearson Education

Factsheet written by Jane Rollason
© Pearson Education Limited 1999 Factsheet series developed by Louise James