Mary Norton was one of my all time favorite authors as a child and I am pleased to say that her books stand the test of time as I still enjoy them as an adult. I find her premise to be super creative and well thought out and I really like her characters. I think the books are wonderful and I also think you should never watch the movie as it's awful and shouldn't even share a name with the novels. ( )

A world of miniature people live close enough to borrow what they need from human beings without being "seen." When one of the youngest borrowers goes missing one day, his family and neighbors go out to either find him safe or to discover his unfortunate fate in Poor Stainless by author Mary Norton.

I much prefer one subtitle for this short story over another: A New Story about the Borrowers (oh, yay!) rather than The Last Borrowers Story (aw, man). While I first read about the borrowers almost three decades ago, I only recently learned of this additional story's existence, and I had to check it out.

Granted, although this quick tale is technically a standalone, I don't think many folks who aren't already familiar with this classic children's fantasy series and its characters would care much about this little bonus piece. I myself didn't find the story the most interesting until toward the end.

But, hey. It's nearly time for me to read the fifth, longest, and last novel of the series for the first time. I'm excited but a little nervous to see how it'll all wrap up, and what better way to stall than by reading a bonus story first?
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Update after reading The Borrowers Avenged, the fifth and last book of the series:

I'd recommend either getting your hands on an original copy of Book Four, The Borrowers Aloft, or finding Book Four's original conclusion online somewhere. Then let that original ending be The End.

A few more of my thoughts are here. ( )

Poor Stainless is a delectable addition to the Borrower tales. Written for children and illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush, it allows us a moment with Arrietty and her mother Homely. Homily recounts the adventure of Stainless, a young Borrower.

This would be a sweet story to read to children while letting them munch on some old fashioned candy. ( )

This story is included with my copy of The Borrowers Aloft. It is very brief, about as long as chapter. It is a story unto itself, but completely irrelevant to the series. Worth reading, but you are not missing anything if you don't. ( )

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