Mary Norton's The Borrowers
Norton's novel was published in 1952 and tells the story of a group of tiny people who "borrow" items from the humans in whose houses they live.  The novel is a frame tale where Mrs. May relates the mysterious events of her brother's childhood to a young girl.  The novel has a place on the classic's list for it's attention to and combination of many of the motifs common to children's literature.  The small "borrowers" are childlike in their dependency and their fear of adult humans and the adults lose the ability to understand the mysterious and fantastical.  The novel also deals with the notion of the orphaned child who must fend for him/herself in an environment of hostile adults. (gsb)

1.  Norton addresses the definition of stealing vs. borrowing at several points in the novel.  How does she distinguish the two? (gsb)
2.  The Borrowers is told as a frame tale (a tale within a tale).  How does this change the way we read the story of the Clock family? (gsb)
3. Arrietty directly defies her parent's instructions regarding borrowing.  What does this novel say about limits and rules?  What does this say about our conceptions of childhood and adulthood? (gsb)