The Secret World of Arrietty

The Secret World of Arrietty follows a tiny teenage girl named Arrietty who lives with her parents beneath the floorboards of a house in Japan. The family belongs to a race of tiny people called "Borrowers" who survive by taking small items that human "beans" won't miss. A human boy named Sho comes to stay at the house while recovering from an illness and spots Arrietty during one of her borrowing missions. Their unexpected encounter sets off a series of events that impact both their lives and threatens the secret existence of Arrietty's family. Through its tale of friendship between two very different beings, the story explores themes of courage, prejudice, and the value of seeing the world from new perspectives. The narrative raises questions about coexistence and the relationships between different groups who share the same space.

Readers appreciate the book's faithful adaptation of Mary Norton's "The Borrowers" while incorporating Studio Ghibli's visual style. Multiple reviewers note the detailed descriptions of the miniature world and household items repurposed by the tiny Borrowers. Liked: - Strong character development between Arrietty and Sho - Environmental themes woven naturally into narrative - Maintains the charm of original Borrowers story Disliked: - Some felt the pacing was too slow - A few readers wanted more world-building details - Several mentioned the ending felt rushed Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (3,400+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (200+ ratings) Barnes & Noble: 4.3/5 (90+ ratings) Reader quote: "The book captures the same sense of wonder as the film while adding its own layers of detail about how the Borrowers live." - Goodreads reviewer Notable criticism: "Could have expanded more on the Borrower community and their history." - Amazon reviewer

The Borrowers by Mary Norton The original book in the series follows a family of tiny people who live beneath the floorboards and survive by borrowing items from human beings.

The Littles by John Peterson A family of miniature people with tails live inside the walls of the Bigg family house and face adventures while collecting items they need for survival.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien A mouse widow seeks help from superintelligent rats who escaped from a laboratory and built an advanced civilization beneath a farm.

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks A boy discovers his cupboard can bring tiny toys to life, leading to encounters between different worlds and scales of existence.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke This tale of magic in Georgian England features a parallel fairy world existing alongside the human realm, with beings who move between the two dimensions.

🌿 The original story, "The Borrowers" by Mary Norton, was published in 1952 and won the Carnegie Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature. 🏠 While Studio Ghibli adapted the story for their film version in Japan, they moved the setting from 1950s England to modern-day Japan, yet kept many of the Victorian elements of the original tiny borrowers' home. 📚 Author Mary Norton was inspired to write about tiny people living in houses after observing her younger brother playing with a pistol he'd made from a clothespin on the nursery floor, imagining what the world would look like from that miniature perspective. 🌳 The book explores themes of environmental conservation and human impact on nature, as the borrowers must adapt to survive in a world increasingly dominated by human development. 🎭 Before becoming a writer, Mary Norton worked as an actress with the Old Vic Shakespeare Company, which influenced her detailed, theatrical descriptions of the borrowers' elaborate homes and creative use of human objects.