The Borrowers Avenged is the fifth and final book in The Borrowers series by Mary Norton. It covers the events directly after the Clock family has escaped from the Platter’s attic. Returning to Fordham in Mr. Pott’s backyard they must decide what they are going to do next. Upon realizing that staying is too dangerous, especially after they realize that Arietty has been talking to Miss Menzies, they decide to leave Fordham behind though they now have to choose where to go next. After talking to Spiller they discover that their cousins, the Hendrearys, have moved into the local church they decide to move into the house where the caretakers for the church live. Something that gets slightly complicated when they quickly discover that there is already a borrower by the name of Peagreen Overmantel living there. Luckily Peagreen is pretty friendly and doesn’t seem to mind sharing space as he is befriended by Arietty. Slowly they work on settling in and building their new home with the help of their friends as they adjust to finally having a safe space.
This was an interesting way to end the series as it feels like the story has come full circle from the first book. The Clock family seems to finally have a permanent safe space in which to live and borrow. I know I can’t say too much about that without spoilers though. It was interesting to see how the characters have changed from the beginning as there has been some intense character development over the series. Homily seems to have grown comfortable with hardship and relaxed standards though she still prefers her comfort and sense of home. Pod is even more adaptable and flexible in terms of his borrowing and adapting abilities which only makes their ability to get by easier. However, Arietty is perhaps the one who has seen the most growth over the series as she is finally able to see the consequences of not reining in one’s curiosity and not being careful. Looking back on the overall development over the series it is interesting to see how they grew as characters. It was definitely one of the more interesting elements of the series. In terms of the plot for this book it is fairly simplistic overall. The main focus is the Clock family working on finding and building their safe space to live. There are some minor diversions such as them meeting Peagreen or their reunion with their cousins, the Hendrearys. Even with those the story still maintains a fairly simple plot. The title also is a minor spoiler for one of the subplots that only appears towards the end as well so keep that in mind when going in. Overall, a pretty good way to end the series so I am happy giving it four out of five stars.
This is a pretty good example of a kids fantasy story, one which I happen to rather enjoy. If you also enjoy that genre, especially if you are a younger reader, than you should consider trying this one out. Make sure you read the rest of the series first as you will be lost without the background from having done so. There is very little content that would potentially be a problem so I feel extremely comfortable recommending this series to my readers. While the series is primarily aimed at younger readers I could potentially see readers of any age actually enjoying this series. It is a good series though so I hope you will consider trying it out. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments if you do.