The Borrowers Afloat is the third book in The Borrowers series by Mary Norton and continues the adventures of the Clock family. Having been rescued from the gypsies by Spiller and Tom they are now residing with their cousins, the Hendrearys. While they are happy to be living in a relatively safe place and to have few worries they are also feeling considerable friction between them and their cousins due to the close proximity. Homily feels continually put out and on edge with Aunt Lupy and Pod is told not to go borrowing because he would ruin their routine by doing so. Arietty only really enjoys her conversations with Tom though her parents don’t necessarily like her doing so. In the midst of them still adjusting they learn from Tom that soon the house will be empty for an unknown length of time and that means life for the borrowers may be even more difficult. This puts the Clock family in the position of deciding if they wish to stay and continue imposing on their cousins or strike out and try to find their own place.
Much like the first two books this is another rather interesting book about the borrowers and the Clock family. There are a few differences for this one though as it doesn’t really explain how Kate and Mrs. May learned this part of the story though it does still imply that we are reading about a retelling of a retelling so there is still some distance between us and the actual events described. I find it interesting how the title reflects some of the events of the book but only some of them as the title itself is a bit of a spoiler for the later part of the book. It was rather humorous to watch their continued adventures as they adjust to new and ever more confusing situations. I definitely had some good chuckles out of this one, just saying. The plot was rather straightforward as it focuses on their continued search for their own place and their wish to continue living life as borrowers without interference from human beings. The characters still retain many of their essential characteristics as established in the first book while also exhibiting remarkable growth and resilience due to their adventures. Homily still likes complaining about appearances even as she comes to be used to their more natural lifestyle. Pod still worries about being seen even though he has interacted with some potentially helpful human beings. Arietty just likes being adventurous and pushing boundaries though she is slightly more cautious about letting her parents know what she is doing. It is adventurous and humorous but also remarkably nice and simple which creates an overall pleasant read to while away an afternoon. This book gets four out of five stars from me.
As with the previous books this is a kids fantasy or maybe adventure novel. While kids who enjoy those types of stories would probably enjoy this book they should really consider reading them in order to get the full and complete story. I hope that kids who don’t enjoy those genres would still consider trying this series out I also know realistically it may not hold a lot of appeal for them. This series is obviously aimed at younger readers but I don’t see any reason why readers of any age could not read this and still gain enjoyment from having done so. I know I did. As always I hope you will genuinely consider this series and feel free to share your thoughts about it in the comments.